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Ceremony to take place during the Whitethorn Volunteer Fire Department Annual Fundraiser Dinner & Dance on Saturday, August 1
WHITETHORN, CA — On Saturday, August 1, The Cannabis Trail will commemorate the designation of the Whitethorn Valley Cultural Landmark, honoring Bob McKee — land steward, rebel broker, and quiet architect of Southern Humboldt’s legacy cannabis culture.
The ceremony will take place at 4:00 p.m. during the Whitethorn Volunteer Fire Department Annual Fundraiser Dinner & Dance at Whitethorn Construction, located at 545 Shelter Cove Road in Whitethorn.
Bob McKee’s vision and generosity helped shape Whitethorn Valley and the broader Southern Humboldt community. By giving hundreds of back-to-the-landers the opportunity to root their lives, dreams, and farms into the soil, he helped grow a culture of land-based independence, resilience, craft, and community that endures today.
“Bob believed in people, and he believed in this place,” said Galen Doherty of Whitethorn Valley Farm. “This Landmark honors not only his legacy, but the community he helped make possible — a community still rooted in land, family, independence, and care for one another.”
“The Cannabis Trail exists to honor the people, places, and communities that shaped cannabis history — and to create moments of celebration, remembrance, and connection,” said Brian
Applegarth, founder and steward of The Cannabis Trail. “Bob McKee’s story is deeply rooted in the land and culture of Southern Humboldt. This Landmark helps ensure that his impact, and the legacy he helped make possible, are remembered, respected, and carried forward.”
The Whitethorn Valley Cultural Landmark will include an interactive storytelling component featuring an audio podcast created by members of the local community with Bob McKee and his son Robbie. Outlaw Nation: Episode 1 — Bob McKee offers a first-person window into the people, land, and values that helped shape Southern Humboldt’s legacy cannabis culture.
The Whitethorn Valley designation joins a growing network of Cannabis Trail Cultural Landmarks and Points of Interest across Northern California, including landmarks at Huckleberry Hill Farms and The Hemp Connection, now on display at the Southern Humboldt Chamber & Visitors Center. Additional Cannabis Trail Cultural Landmarks in Northern Humboldt honor cannabis history in Eureka and Willow Creek.
The ceremony is part of a larger community gathering supporting the Whitethorn Volunteer Fire Department and celebrating the people and place that make Whitethorn Valley extraordinary.
Event Details
What: Whitethorn Valley Cultural Landmark Ceremony
When: Saturday, August 1, 4:00 p.m.
Where: Whitethorn Construction, 545 Shelter Cove Road, Whitethorn, CA 95589 Hosted During: Whitethorn Volunteer Fire Department Annual Fundraiser Dinner & Dance Event Time: 3:00 p.m. until late
About The Cannabis Trail
The Cannabis Trail is a cultural travel attraction and storytelling initiative honoring the people, places, and communities that shaped cannabis history and culture. Founded and stewarded by Brian Applegarth, The Cannabis Trail connects Cultural Landmarks, points of interest, oral histories, community gatherings, and destinations across the region. Through this work, The Cannabis Trail preserves and shares cannabis heritage as an important part of California’s cultural landscape.
Contact:
Brian Applegarth
Founder & Steward, The Cannabis Trail
ba@brianapplegarth.com
