in the Picture Gallery and as slideshow 1 or slideshow 2.
Fortuna's web site was conceived during the 1995 Christmas holiday party season (whoops, too many eggnogs) and was born, very quietly, on April 3, 1996. A few years before there had been only about 50 web sites worldwide. The big debate was, "Who's going to be interested in this Internet Thing except for a bunch of computer nerds? Besides, I don't know anybody hooked up to the Internet!" And, as if to prove the prophets correct, that first April a grand total of only twelve geeks, er, visitors, checked out the decor. Today, several hundred thousand visitors per year from many different countries crowd into the Sunny Fortuna site. Some visitors have e-mailed nostalgic messages: From Louisiana: "I couldn't wait to get out of town after high
school. I really enjoyed showing the hometown to the wife and the kids." From Florida: "Thanks to this web site I've been able to relive some of the things I treasured most in my childhood. But I heard something and I have to know! Please, tell me, is it true? Do you really have five traffic signals now?"
There are lots of tourist stops and little places of interest to photograph, but the incredible vistas and scenes don't convert well to show on a monitor. The only way to experience the wonders of Northern California is to come here and drink it in for yourself. Stand in silent awe in ancient redwood cathedrals towering hundreds of feet into the sky and get a crick in your neck. Marvel at ocean waves thundering on the bedrock toes of the coastal cliffs, trying to take back the ancient headlands. Visit a canyon with a brook gurgling along the floor and walls carpeted in ferns. View the rich valleys from the sides of mountains and watch the eagles soaring in the updrafts. Share the rivers with wildlife or catch fish measured in feet. Let's let John Driscoll explain it, he's much more eloquent. Fortuna is such a special little town. It has a laid back rural atmosphere, a low crime rate and an unsurpassed quality of living. But it also has excellent stores, first-class motels and quaint B&B's; quality restaurants and small cafes, many festivals and events, places to explore; and a multitude of other fun activities.
Erin Dunn, Director of the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. The Fortuna Historical Commission and the Fortuna Depot Museum. The Fortuna Business Improvement Department Rob Blits, Bob Von Neumann, Marnie Nunnemaker, Garcia, Kurt and Pat Lindley, Rick Center, RGCardella, Hal Rattray and others, for permission to use their photos of Fortuna, its events and surrounding areas. Joe, Frank and Lon, Christina and Sally, Elmer Forsleff and Farley! --- If you find something broken, please drop a note to the address below. Some of those 1995 pages are still on the site and newer browsers may not display them correctly. Pictures... Ah yes, pictures. The Internet is a very visual medium so if you have some local images you would like to share here or have the site link to, also drop a note to the address below. You may have seen yourself in one of the pictures already on this site. Most of these digital images are resized and ruthlessly compressed before placement, but if they were taken in this millennium, ask, they are likely available to you in a much larger resolution. Also visit the fortunaphotos.com web site for thousands of local full-resolution images taken over the last few years, and don't forget to check out the gallery.
Contact: |
It's been a labor of love, and
it has been exciting to bring to the web the very things that draw
visitors here, decide to raise their families here, to work here, to enjoy the friendly people
and the 
