Rediscovering the Heart of the Gold Rush

Will cutting the budget for the California Department of Parks and Recreation reduce the State’s deficit?

2011-05-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last week the Department of Parks and Recreation published its proposed list of State Park closures. There are 70 historic and recreational properties on this list. You can view an interactive map at the California State Parks Foundation website. While Marshall Gold is not on the list, other valuable sites are. On Saturday I was visiting at Marshall Gold and ran into fellow docent/volunteer, Mike Okey, and he filled me in on his experience at the recent Park Advocacy Day at the State Capital. He told me that since then he has been researching whether or not these closures will actually reduce the State deficit. Mike provided me the final copy of his editorial to post in an effort to spread the word, get people thinking, and start holding government accountable. I applaud Mike for taking action and hope others will be so inspired.

By Mike Okey . . .

"The following is the State’s official mission statement for Parks and Recreation, “The mission of the California Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural, cultural and historical resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation for current and future generations to enjoy. Specific activities include stewardship of natural resources, historic, cultural and archaeological sites, artifacts and structures, provision of interpretive services for park visitors, construction and maintenance of campsites, trails, visitor centers, museums, and infrastructure such as roads and water systems, and creation of recreational opportunities such as hiking, bicycling, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, jogging, camping, picnicking, and off-highway vehicle recreation.”

The proposed budget cuts for State Parks, are nothing less that a full scale assault against the people of California and the State Park System, by the Governor and Legislature. This failure to meet its mandated constitutional responsibility to the people is a failure of governance not current economic conditions. In the 1960’s State Parks were free (no user fees, as is typical of today) relatively well maintained, and well staffed. Our taxes have not gone down over the last fifty years but the quality of our State Parks has. Our historic and cultural park resources are hardest hit by this legislative neglect. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed California’s Historic Structures among the Nation’s most endangered, for years now.

Manifest Destiny and the Gold Rush defined the spirit of California and its people. Out of the Gold Rush came people like Leland Stanford, John Bidwell, Howard Hughes, the railroad, oil, ship building, movie, aircraft and space industries. More recently the spirit of California is defined by, HP (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard), Xerox, Apple, Google, and Facebook. It is no accident that these people and industries are located in California. It is our heritage, and our culture that has created this environment, and made this State what it has become today. That spirit is now threatened by the Legislature’s desire to remove the learning opportunities provided by our State Historic Parks. An Environment California Research & Policy Center study prepared for the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2002, “determined that $2.6 billion was generated by visitor spending in local communities during that year. These dollars were estimated to support over 100,000 jobs statewide.” Why would we want to give that up by closing and under funding State Parks?

The State’s historic and cultural resources have no value to our political leadership as demonstrated by their under funding of care and maintenance, for the last twenty years. Parks now has a backlog of 1.3 billion dollars in deferred maintenance. This is almost three times the total Department budget and fourteen times the current maintenance budget for the coming year. Unless action is taken now we will continue losing our States historic and cultural resources because of Legislative neglect. In fact many of these resources are already beyond repair and now require replacement or have just been lost forever. Replacement is a hundred times more costly than maintenance, so the abrogation of the States responsibility appears to be deliberate. The repair, restoration and maintenance of historic and cultural resources, is a job opportunity for hundreds if not thousands of unemployed Californians. What better way of getting the economy going that putting people back to work on something that benefits them directly?

If you look at the current budget you will find that the Legislature, with its 120 employees, is spending $2,133,883.00 per Legislator (not including retirement contributions of $8,017,000.00 or $66,808.00 per Legislator per year). Parks by contrast is spending $234,860.00 per employee. A large Department like Caltrans is spending $609,523.00 per employee. When viewed on a per employee basis the Parks Department is delivering more service per dollar to the people of California than any other Department in the State or the State Legislature. Caltrans and Parks provide in place benefits to small business and the public. The Legislature and the Governor are responsible for leadership, so what are we getting for that 2.1 million dollars per legislator?

The Governor and Legislature are passing up a significant opportunity to create jobs, business opportunities, and tourism for the people of California. This, in addition to abandoning its commitment to the people of California for open space, recreation, education, and the preservation of cultural and historical resources. The cost for all of this for less than a tenth of one percent (0.1%) of the State budget! Does it make sense to eat the goose that lays golden eggs for California? Frank Zappa once said that you do not understand legislation until you understand where the money is going. So what is the Legislature doing with the other 99.9% of our State Budget?

Cutting the budget for State Parks and or closing 70 state parks will not reduce the deficit it will only degrade the current economic environment. I believe in leadership by example, the permanent damage being inflicted upon State Parks by the Legislature is along way from leadership."

Why Care about Historic Cemeteries . . .

2011-05-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Cemetery

I have to say that my first interest in the Cemeteries at Marshall Gold was not as altruistic as I'd like to admit. I was fascinated by the ghost tales - the lady who beckons to people on the road to follow her into the Pioneer Cemetery, a photo sent by a visitor to the volunteer coordinator showing a light anomaly at a headstone in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery, stories that the Vineyard House (privately owned) is haunted by the tormented spirit of Robert Chalmers (more a myth than a reality).

My dream docent project was to eventually have a town ghost tour with visitors transported through historic Coloma on a hay wagon entertained by stories and ghostly historic scenes enacted on the porches of the various buildings. It would all culminate in an evening cemetery tour where former Coloma residents would appear and tell their life stories . . . . from the touching to the truly creepy.

Given that this would be a huge endeavor, I had to begin somewhere so I joined the Cemetery Committee and became fast friends with the Program Lead, Laura, and dug in to learn about the cemeteries, read about its inhabitants. Laura's passion, drive and commitment to the preservation of Coloma's cemeteries was infectious. Laura is a "mover and shaker" with a heart of gold and complete faith that where there's the will there's a way . . . and it can be fun! Together we created what became to be known as the Cemetery Players (more on the Players another time).

The cemetery town tour never manifested, but the process that became the current Cemetery Players program gave me a new appreciation for the importance of passing on the stories of our ancestors . . . the good, the bad, and the mundane. My task as artistic director for the Players is to work with docents on script and character development, and staging. This led me to becoming curious about my own roots. I learned that I'm the 7th generation on my mother's side to live in California and without the Gold Rush, I wouldn't be here.

Mom and me at the Prehn family gravesite
Old Shasta

The stories from that part of the family are archived up in Redding, Ca, and Old Shasta. The cemeteries there are beautifully maintained and preserved. In June of 2007, Mom and I took a trip to visit Old Shasta and photograph the family graves. We received a private tour of all the artifacts that had been donated by my great-grandmother's family. They are either on exhibit or stored in the museum at Shasta State Historic Park. Through the Shasta Historical Society I received copies of photos, diaries, and news articles. Most importantly, there was a book that my great-grandmother had been writing about her life because, as she wrote, "I saw the closing years of the Pioneer Days, the Gay Nineties, and the beginning of the Atomic Age . . ."

In a time where we've lost touch with the value of family and community, our historic cemeteries and local archives remind us that we are a vital part of the continuity of life. What we leave in our wake as we navigate the flow of our lives matters . . .

Back in the Saddle . . . .

2011-05-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess good intentions pave the road to somewhere, and the river of life can float us in unanticipated directions. Over the past year those directions have been generally outstanding, though not without challenges . . . more on that another time . . . or not. I want to get away from just reporting on what's happening at the Park and get back to sharing the experiences and photos that keep me and my subie pointed in the direction of this most wonderful spot along the American River . . .

Candid moments . . .

2010-05-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

Like stepping back in time . . .
Young blacksmith preparing for
the day . . .

Volunteers are appreciated . . .

2010-05-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 24, the GDPA Board of Directors, MGDSHP Staff, Gold Fields District Superintendent, and Marshall Gold Docents gathered for the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon held outdoors at the Coloma Country Inn. On what was probably the most beautiful Spring afternoon to date the gardens of the Inn came alive with many people who've made Marshall Gold their second home.

GDPA Board Member, Tal Jones, sat under the wisteria and played keyboard providing a nice mix of background music while the Native Sons prepared and served a terrific lunch. The Native Sons group are always so generous with their time and efforts, often providing free breakfast for docents and volunteers during Coloma Gold Rush Live. After lunch, Ranger Eric, who's been acting as the coordinator for the interpretive program in addition to his daily park duties, acknowledged everyone who made the afternoon possible and honored some of our extra-special volunteers. Read more by visiting the Gold Discovery Park Association website.

How time flies . . .

2010-04-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I've spent a good portion of the past two weeks haunting the Park in anticipation of the poppies but it seems that the weather prevented a real show this year. Mt. Murphy is a beautiful green and there was a brief period when one could see subtle brush strokes of orange, but the grasses have now overpowered much of the color. There are poppies beginning to bloom down in the park area, with lupine and other wildflowers along Mt. Murphy road. The weather is predicted to be nice this weekend so my plan is to be in Coloma. In the meantime, here is a lilac photo taken about two weeks ago. The best show of lilac are bordering the church parking lot on High Street - definitely worth the walk to be rewarded by this visual and fragrant treat!

The Door Knob . . . .

2010-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Friday I arrived at Marshall Gold about mid-afternoon to see what I could see and get in some photo practice while the sun was still shining. My goal was to experiment with close-up photos for a class I'm taking online, while also getting some images for the GDPA Newsletter article on Spring in the Park. The lilac and morning glory blooms were abundant - as was the delightful breeze, which tried my patience in my attempts to capture an image of a perfectly still flower. After deciding this was going to be futile, I began to look for something solid to study close up and settled on a door knob at James Marshall's Cabin.
When I'm out and about in the Park I usually wear my docent badge and when visitors see it, it's an open invitation to ask questions about the gold rush and Coloma's history. So I'm about 15 minutes into concentrating on taking pictures of this door knob and look up to see a small family patiently observing me work. Dad apologized and said that they didn't want to startle me, and he then noticed that I'm a docent and asked if this was an important door knob. Immediately my mind starts to sift through what I remember from my docent training and I draw a blank about the historic significance of building hardware. So I tell him no, I just thought it was a really cool door knob. This family gathers around the door knob, study it, and agree that it's a really cool door knob. With big smiles they thank me and enthusiastically move on to study James Marshall's outhouse.
I have to say that these are the people moments I enjoy the most . . .

a quick note . . . .

2010-04-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well, finally a weekend with good weather? Hard to tell, but I'm headed out the door to find as much Spring in the Park as possible! It's also Second Saturday, which means the docents will be there in period clothing and participating in any number of interpretive programs throughout the day. Stay tuned for an update on new and traditional events taking place this year . . . including a weekly Farmers Market at the Monroe Orchard . . . . .

Still Waiting for the Poppies . . .

2010-03-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

I drove out to the park yesterday morning ever hopeful that the dark clouds on the horizon were somehow not hovering over Coloma, and thinking that maybe something new will have bloomed . . . . right. Still, it was a beautiful drive and today as I listen to the sudden, brief hail storm on my roof, I can be hopeful for sunshine by the weekend. Spring is about hope . . . right? In the meantime, above is a photo of a daffodil in the garden of the Thomas House from a couple of weeks ago and leaves from last Fall to color things up a bit . . . .

Fall Leaves at the Coloma Country Inn 2009

Daffodil, Thomas House, March 2010

On the verge of Spring . . .

2010-03-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Word has it that the poppies are about to light up Mt. Murphy any day now. Ranger Mark Michalski is keeping me posted and I can guarantee you that I'll be there at every possible minute (along with local photographers, I'm sure) to document and enjoy this sight. Every year these blooms send a spash of color along the face of the mountain and the view from Marshall Gold is breathtaking! Check back for the Poppy Update . . . .

My River of Gold

2010-03-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

by Kathleen Young

Deer emerging from under the Weller House

this past September

I've spent a lifetime visiting Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (MGDSHP) in Coloma, California. When my wanderings brought me to live in El Dorado County ten years ago, the Park became a central location for my husband and me to hike, picnic, and bring visitors. It wasn't so much that I'd been particularly interested in the Gold Rush or California history. That came later. Coloma has always been for me one of those destinations that once I arrive it feels like home, a reason to smile, no worries . . . go figure. I'll look for any excuse to just be there.

I remember one day realizing that we spent most of our time at the Park during the off hours - typically after work - and that meant we weren't paying use fees. I felt badly about that, but not because I thought we were cheating . . . we weren't contributing. So I went over on a day off and had a conversation with one of the rangers and joined the Gold Discovery Park Association (GDPA). Now that was cool! Membership came with a parking pass for the year, discount at the Mercantile, and a newsletter. Hmmm . . . I wondered if they ever needed volunteers . . .

Well, in 2004, I was invited to enroll in docent training. That did it. Marshall Gold is now stuck with me. At docent graduation I felt like I'd been handed the keys to the kingdom, the ability explore, be creative, and contribute to the ongoing preservation of this little gem of a town . . . . and if my friends aren't careful they all get recruited at some point for a special event or program. My husband has learned to be knee-deep into a critical project at home or risk being sucked into the vortex of my "park projects" and ever-expanding closet of period clothing, accessories, books, and scripts. His preference is a brisk hike up Mt. Murphy to take in the view of the American River and the quieter side of Coloma.

so why a blog?

2010-03-09T13:29:00.001-08:00

Ok, that's what got me here . . .

Man Lee Store, November 2009

In docent training everyone is encouraged to consider participation in any number of programs - Saw Mill, Blacksmith, historic building interpretation, library and research, etc. My choice was the Cemetery Committee focusing on preservation, interpretation and awareness of the two historic cemeteries in Coloma - Pioneer Cemetery and St. John's Cemetery. We created a small performance group who research, script and perform vignettes about the lives of people buried there. We put out the flags and crosses for Memorial and Veterans Days, document the condition of the cemeteries, and advocate for their preservation. In addition to spending a great deal of time over the years photographing the condition of the cemeteries, I had been asked to work with another docent to photograph and catalog all the historic signage in the Park. This all led me to spend an increasing amount of time wandering throughout the park with my camera practicing what has become my newest passion - photography. When I'm out and about in the Park or cemeteries I have the opportunity to meet interesting people and experience mindful moments with the diverse inhabitants tucked away in the nooks and crannies of this beautiful little spot that for a few years, for better or for worse, was the center of the world. I'm hoping that sharing these stories will encourage people to come here for the first time, and interest those who have been here before in returning to be curious about what is still here to be discovered.

Until next time . . . . I hope see you around the Park!

Fall Reflections, James Marshall's Cabin, 2008