andy westfall

“It occurred to me that there was a largely untold story about ranching in the hills of Humboldt County.”

As a fifth-generation Humboldter, Andy knew he should be the one to document that story, and his realization sparked the creation of Humboldt Heartland in 1997.

“I began cautiously, taking pictures of old barns and approaching only ranchers I knew. But I soon realized there was much greater depth to this story: the history, the land, the people, the business, and the way of life – all undergoing evolution imposed by the ‘tooth of time’.”

About Andy Westfall -

Born in 1948, Andy Westfall is a fifth-generation resident of Humboldt County, California. His deep connection to the land and the ranching world began on a fall day in the early 1950s during a drive past Bridgeville and up McClellan Mountain to his grandfather’s ranch.

“My interest in ‘The West’ began at an early age. A fire had come through some years before, so only one building remained—a blacksmith shop and the weathered remnants of an old pole corral where the barn once stood. Intrigued, I asked Dad if I could take one of the poles home. He humored me and tied one to the top of the station wagon. I hadn’t thought much about that memory until recently. I now realize that was the beginning of a life-long fascination and involvement with the ranching world.”

In 1970, Andy married his wife, Sandy, while the couple was earning their Fine Arts degrees at Cal Berkeley. After a three-year stint in Okinawa, Japan, where Andy served as a Naval Administration Officer, the Westfalls returned home to Humboldt County in 1975 to start their family. Andy then embarked on a thirty-year career working alongside his father in the stevedore business.Decades later, a simple purchase reignited his childhood fascination and merged it with his background in fine arts.

“Back in 1996, I paid ten dollars for a used book – Historic Ranches of Wyoming. It consisted of photos and narratives of historic ranches and ranch buildings, some abandoned, many still working. I would leaf through it from time to time. One day, subconsciously inspired by this book, there was a coming together of my interests in ranching, photography, and local history. In that moment, it occurred to me that there was a largely untold story about ranching in the hills of Humboldt County, California. And perhaps, as a rancher and a fifth-generation Humboldter, as well as someone who had a dormant interest in photography, I could – I should – be the one to document that story.”

That realization sparked the creation of Humboldt Heartland. In the spring of 1997, Andy set out to capture this disappearing world.

“Not knowing exactly how or where to start, I began cautiously, looking just to take pictures of old barns and approaching only ranchers I knew. But I soon realized there was much greater depth to this story: the history, the land, the people, the business, and the way of life – all undergoing evolution imposed by the ‘tooth of time’ and other forces. Photography was a way for me to record that evolution.”

Balancing the project with his career was tough, and “spare time” was scarce. Ultimately, the project spanned 14 years.

“The project’s 14 years gave me some wonderful times and I learned a great many things. I photographed, visited with, rode along, and worked and played on ranches all over the county. And there was not a pickup cab or kitchen, mountaintop or meadow where I did not feel welcome. There are two regrets: that I did not get to some people ‘in time;’ and that I could not include every place and not every person in the book.”

Andy completed the first edition of Humboldt Heartland in 2010. It became a swift success, winning the prestigious Will Rogers Medallion Award and selling out quickly, which prompted the publication of a second edition. Today, the Westfalls are longtime residents of Ferndale, where they enjoy spending time with family and friends while managing the timber and a small cow/calf operation on their own ranch. Looking back on the legacy of his work, Andy remains humbled by the experience.

“Finally, I simply tried to do the best I could to record the nature of these things – a way of life and a land that are far removed from much of today’s culture. It has been my honor, my pleasure, and also my responsibility, to tell this story accurately and appropriately. I hope I have done it justice. The ultimate arbiters of that are those represented here by their images and words, in body and in spirit, and whose opinions I value most. I am comforted by the prospect that any of my artistic or literary shortcomings will not diminish these people and places as they really are. 

May God bless them all.”

Learn more about Stock Schlueter’s work here.
Learn more about Paul Rickard’s work here.