Local History
Willow Creek originally was inhabited by bands of Native Americans belonging to the Hupa Tribe. It has been documented that in 1828 the famous explorer, Jedediah S. Smith and his party, camped near the Trinity River, at what is now known as Kimtu Bar. They were the first white people to pass through this area. In the 1850s Willow Creek, then known as China Flat, became a distribution center for the pack trains carrying supplies to the gold mines in Siskiyou, Trinity and eastern Humboldt Counties. The gold mining and packing trade continued until the great Depression of the 1930s.

After World War II, Willow Creek experienced, probably, its greatest "boom" economically. Lumber mills and logging operations dominated the business communities throughout the Klamath and Trinity river valleys. The demand for the region's quality fir timber kept the mills operating 24 hours a day for many years. By the late 1970s this era peaked and one by one the mills and logging companies ceased operations.

The spectacular beauty of the area has for many years been a magnet for recreationists. The Trinity and Klamath Rivers are renowned for their Steelhead and Salmon fishing. In recent years there has been great interest in the whitewater sports including rafting, kayaking, canoeing, as well as swimming and tubing. Many trails and back roads are available for the hikers, bird watchers and hunters.

Small produce farms, orchards and vineyards have been in business, off and on, for the past 60 years. Crops grown are peaches, pears, grapes, corn and tomatoes.
Because of the temperate climate and geographic location, in recent years, susbstantial numbers of retirees have found the town a very satisfactory community in which to relocate

Bigfoot Lore
The lore of Bigfoot has been the topic of many stovefront discussions in Willow Creek in the past quarter century. The story began with the local Native Americans and their lore regarding a huge manlike creature and his family that dwelled in the Bluff Creek area along the Klamath River. The earliest known report of this man-animal was probably recorded in Crescent City in 1886. There were numerous reports from the area between Willow Creek and Happy Camp of large human-like creatures seven to eight feet tall and weighing from 350 to 800 lbs. These creatures were reported to be man-like, with a light covering of hair on their bodies. These prehistoric-looking man-apes faded away for many years only to appear again in 1935 when huge tracks were found in snow on a nearby mountain.

In 1958, in the Bluff Creek area, an entire new epic of Bigfoot was begun. Heavy equipment was moved, loaded drums were tossed about, foot prints were everywhere, and workers were followed about through the dense underbrush by foul-smelling, haunting visages. In 1960, there were sightings by reliable people and over 50 sightings have taken place since that time. Out of respect to the legend of Bigfoot, the community of Willow Creek has erected a large Bigfoot statue in the heart of town. Willow Creek is known as the Gateway to Bigfoot Country.