Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. 8 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1922.
“Willits station is a train station in Willits, California. It is the east end of California Western Railroad, which operates Skunk Train excursion service between Willits and Fort Bragg.”
Wikipedia article Willits station, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 42 National Register listings published here for Mendocino County · listed in 1999 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 290 fires within 5 miles of Willits Depot between 1992 and 2020, burning about 547 acres in total. 8 started naturally. 17 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 112 |
| Debris and open burning | 51 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 46 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 21 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 17 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 11 |
| Smoking | 9 |
| Natural | 8 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 6 |
| Other causes | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Mendocino Unit | WELL |
| 7 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Mendocino Unit | POPPY 3 |
| 5 September 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.6 acres | Mendocino Unit | SUMMIT |
| 5 September 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Mendocino Unit | P. G. & E. #12 |
| 4 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | FANBLADE |
| 4 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Mendocino Unit | POPPY |
| 30 September 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Mendocino Unit | SMITH |
| 3 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Mendocino Unit | TULIP |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 16 workings within 5 miles of Willits Depot: 8 producers, 4 prospects, 2 occurrences, 1 unknown. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Manganese, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Magnesite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southard Ranch | Magnesite | Producer | Magnesite | |
| Ford Canyon Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Willits Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| C A Haun and Son | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Longvale Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Longvale Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Willits Ready Mix | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Coursey Bros. | Manganese | Prospect | ||
| Coursey Brothers Prospect | Manganese | Prospect | 1917 | |
| Knight Prospect | Manganese | Prospect | 1942 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Willits, the town this property stands in, in 6 storm reports between 2022 and 2025: 5 flood, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | Flood | Willits | - | Central Valley Road reported as flooded in Willits. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Willits | - | East Barbara Lane Bridge at Railroad Avenue was closed due to flooding. |
| September 2022 | Heavy Rain | Willits | - | CoCoRaHS report of 2.58 inches of rain in 45 minutes. 1 to 2 inches of water was observed on the Willits Bypass which stopped traffic. Water quickly subsided after the thunderstorm. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Willits | - | Walnut Street between Locust Street and Poplar Avenue was closed due to flooding. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Willits | - | The corner of East Commercial Street and Lenmore Avenue was closed due to flooding. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Willits | - | Eastbound E Valley Road was closed in Willits due to flooding. |
United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Raymond Babcock House | 0.1 miles | 2004 | |
 | Willits Carnegie Library | 0.2 miles | 1993 |
| Larsen Family House | 0.2 miles | 1995 | |
 | Seabiscuit's Stud Barn | 6.8 miles | 2014 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 99001262 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Mendocino County | All 42 listed properties in this county. |
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