Photo courtesy of Denis LeBlanc
Patrick and Jane Hughes arrived at Cape Blanco around the time of the Civil War and settled in to make a life in this remote and rugged spot. They raised dairy cattle, farmed the land along the Sixes River, and raised seven children. After 30 years they were able to afford an elegant 11-room Victorian-style house. The Cape Blanco Heritage Society maintains the interior of the home and offers tours to the public. The tour volunteers are excellent and informative.
The house is beautifully restored with period furnishings, and the volunteers describe how the family lived and worked, managing a 100-head dairy farm and making butter to ship to San Francisco. The setting is beautiful, and it is very easy to imagine what it was like to live here, because the surrounding area is not much changed from 100 years ago. This site is a very worthwhile stop when visiting the Cape Blanco State Park or on the way to the River Trail.