1 VOL. 50 NUMBER 4 DECEMBER 2009 Pioneers Luncheon Saturday December 12, 2009 at Noon Mariani's 2500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara Reservations MUST BE MADE BEFORE Thursday December 10, 2009 ********************************************************************** For Reservation E-Mail to "sccpioneers@aol.com" be sure to include your menu selection in the e-mail. or Call: 408-554-7587 Please note: Names will be checked off the reservation list as you enter, if your name is not on the list, you will be requested to wait until all those who reserved a place have been seated. So Mariani's can prepare for our group, it is most important to place a reservation in advance… BEFORE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009 ********************************************************************** Cost: $25 (make checks payable to California Pioneers) Menu (make one selection per person) BEEF STROGANOFF with Noodles and Vegetables of the Day CHICKEN PARMESAN Boneless Chicken Breast prepared Ala Parmigiana Style topped with Mozzarella Cheese, Marinara Sauce, served on a bed of Fettuccine Meatless: Penne Pasta Primavera a Medley of Fresh Garden Vegetables tossed with Olive Oil, Fresh Herbs, Parmesan cheese and served on a Bed of Fettuccine Noodles, with Garlic Bread. Entrees are served with: Green Salad, Rolls, and Butter, Dessert and Tea, Freshly Brewed Reg. or Decaf Coffee Mariani's Restaurant is located on the south side of El Camino Real, two blocks west of San Thomas Expressway in Santa Clara. Best to get to Mariani's by 11:30 am to get a parking place. 2 Program: "Local Voices from the Past: The Testimonios of Juan Pablo Bernal and Secundino Robles.” Both Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz are members of our organization. Rose Marie Beebe is a Professor of Spanish literature at Santa Clara University. She is, with Robert M. Senkewicz, translator, editor, and annotator of Testimonios: Early California through the Eyes of Women, 1815-1848 (2006); editor of Lands of Promise and Despair Chronicles of Early California, 1535-1846; and translator, editor, and annotator of The History of Alta California by Antonio María Osio (1996) which received the Norman Neuerburg Award from the Historical Society of Southern California. They also jointly edited Guide to the Manuscripts Concerning Baja California in the Collections of The Bancroft Library (2002). They received the Certificate of Meritorious Performance for their outstanding contributions to the promotion of history from the California Council for the Promotion of History (2006). Beebe served as president of the California Mission Studies Association from 2001-2005. Robert M. Senkewicz is a Professor of history at Santa Clara University. He is the author of Vigilantes in Gold Rush San Francisco (1985). Beebe and Senkewicz are series editors of Early California Commentaries (Documentary Series) and Before Gold: California under Spain and Mexico (Monograph Series) for The Arthur H. Clark Company, an imprint of the University of Oklahoma Press. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Our board has been working hard and there is so much to tell you about since our last issue of the Trailblazer. We have been networking with other like organizations so we, as a group, can better fulfill our mission of preserving and promoting our past. As a first step, we hope to include all of these organizations in our Admission Day BBQ. Who knows, perhaps one day it may even be bigger than the first grand BBQ which had over 7,000 people? We hope to take possession of the Helen Steven's Estate this month. An advisory committee has been appointed to identify and recommend the best options for handling Helen's very generous gift to the Pioneers. We will keep you informed as this very exciting project progresses. We are indebted to past president David McKinney for his service as the executor of Helen Stevens estate and to the Pioneers. On another topic, David has also generously offered to pay for the creation of a plaque for the Austin Warburton Award. This plaque will include the history of the award and list all of its recipients. The plaque will be placed in a prominent place in the Paulson House. 3 October's board meeting was held at Mary Lou Lyon's home where we had the opportunity to see her extensive library featuring California and local history. Mary Lou has informed us that she will be leaving us her library in her living trust. Without the generosity of people like Mary Lou, Helen Stevens, the Jacksons and many others, we would not be the organization we are today or have the potential of becoming even greater in the future. It is important that we recognize these individuals and ensure that their generosity to the Pioneers is never forgotten. The Pioneers are also fortunate to have Ken Machado on our board to serve as legal counsel and advise on these matters. We recently formed a procurement committee which is charged with finding and acquiring items that are unique to the Pioneer's history. John Stolp has been appointed as chair and has already found, purchased and donated a beautiful medallion and ribbon that were made for the Pioneers over a hundred years ago. He has also worked very hard to have the medallion reproduced for all members to purchase. A ribbon that will be part of the medallion will identify when you or your ancestors settled in this area. I look forward to seeing members wearing their medallions at future Pioneer events. If you view the turn of the century picture of Pioneer members sitting on the steps of the County Courthouse building, you will see that the Pioneers have had a long history of wearing similar ribbons and medallions. The picture is hanging in the dining room of the Paulson house. Our newly acquired historic medal and ribbon will be on display in the new bookcases in the Paulson House office. We are very lucky to have John as a valued member of our organization. Speaking of the Paulson House, we are getting estimates to re-paint the exterior and insulate the attic. Tim Peddy, John Stolp, Jan Paull, Bob Johnson from the California Room and others have helped us find additional pictures of past presidents for our Presidents' Hall. As we display more artifacts that are unique to the Pioneers, it helps set the Paulson House apart from other typical turn of the century house museums. Second Vice President Bill Foley, who has a background in commun- ications, including films, has proposed that we purchase equipment that can transfer 8mm and 16mm film to a digital format. This would allow us to store/preserve local historic footage on DVDs and make it available on the Internet. It could also position the Pioneers to be the repository of local historic films. We could offer the film transfer service to individuals in exchange for them allowing us to keep a copy and have the rights to reuse and share their home movie footage. A local TV station and other local history museums have expressed an interest in sharing their films with us and we look forward to being able to share our future collection 4 with them. We would hope to offer the transfer service to our members first, so start looking through your collection of old/historic local footage of interesting people, places or events. Bill presently has the ability to transfer VHS to DVD and Mike Console donated a 8mm sound movie projector and camera to the Pioneers to help get us started on this project. The board has approved moving forward with purchasing the equipment and we are all excited about the potential of this endeavor. As you can see, we have a lot going on and many of our board members are over worked. Please let me know if you are interested in serving on a committee or helping in any other way. Our success depends on your involvement. Happy trails, Jim Zetterquist HISTORIC FILMS Do you have any film or video of San Jose or Santa Clara County from the past? The Pioneers are compiling a library of historical footage from the Bay Area in the forties, fifties, sixties, and before. Perhaps you or some-one you know has 8mm movies or Super 8 films shot around town. Maybe you know of a 16mm film in an attic or basement. The Pioneers will graciously accept donations of these films to preserve and digitize so that future generations will know what life looked like here before they were born. Let us preserve your memories before this film decays and is gone forever! If you have such films, and would consider donating them or allowing them to be copied digitally, please contact Bill Foley via telephone at (408) 317-8249 or IAMSPARTACUS@GMAIL.COM. A message from Robb Moore, Financial/Membership Secretary The holiday season is quickly approaching and we all have a million things to do before they get here. Let me wish you all greatest holidays especially with friends and family. Please welcome these new members: Edward A. Gustafson Emma Lou Fischer Karen Fishback Vernon R. Johnson Stephen L. Millich Phyliss Mondragon John E. Stolp Charlotte Taylor Lorraine K. Tracey Regrettably some of our dear friends and members have passed on to those Golden Hills; Francis E. Batrinich, 9/14/09 Margaret Borra, 9/5/09 Ben L. Brenchley, 10/9/09 Francis L. Fox, 9/16/09 Andrew Lindsay, 3/8/08 Marian T. Perkins, 10/9/09 The annual membership dues are due on the 1st of January 2010. Please remit your $25.00 annual membership dues at the earliest. You might want to consider on upgrading your membership to “Life” with a one time payment of $250.00 5 Please notify me if you move, change your phone or email numbers and especially if you hear of a member passing away. Your assistance will greatly help us t o keep accurate and up to date membership records. For membership information and applications, please contact at 408-275-6889 or email at robbmooresj@att.net. The membership dues are the major source of income for this organization. This income supports the administration functions, Trailblazer newsletter, scholarships, upkeep of the New Almaden cemetery and Paulson House to name a few. Therefore, timely remittance will assure that these activities will continue. I look forward to seeing and meeting you at the 12th of December meeting. Eureka, Robb Moore California Pioneers of Santa Clara County Proposal of Medallion Ribbons One of the proposed ideas at the Board meeting of October 12th, was to incorporate a distinguishing element into the design of the Membership Medallions, to recognize the ancestry of the individuals heritage. Following along those lines, and having found a source for a “pin-on military-style draped ribbon,” I propose the following: Native Period - Prior to 1678 Solid Green – Signifying the Earth and a Natural State Spanish Period – 1679 – 1820 Red & Yellow – Signifying the Spanish Flag Mexican Period – 1821-1845 Green & White – Signifying the Mexican Flag Argonaut Period – 1846-1848 Red, White & Blue – Signifying US Possession Gold Rush Period – 1849-1852 Gold – Signifying the Gold Rush Colonel Younger’s Star In 1875, Colonel Younger conceived the idea of starting a Pioneer Society for Santa Clara County, of all those who had arrived in California prior to 1853. This Star, to be worn on the above ribbons, shows this criterion of the original organization. Gold Rush Period – 1853 - 1855 Gold – Signifying the Gold Rush Pioneer Period – 1856 – 1899 Blue & Gold – Signifying California’s State Colors 6 Californian – 1900+ Blue – Signifying California’s State Color Proposed configuration for a Membership Medallion Patterned after those given out in 1875. These will be on display at the December meeting. John E. Stolp, October 16, 2009 Original Membership Medallion Located! The Procurement Committee has located and presented to the Pioneers, one of its’ original Membership Medallions! The vignette on the front portrays a pioneer, axe in hand, making camp in the wilderness along side of his covered wagon with mountains in the background. Surrounding this scene is the legend “Santa Clara Co. Pioneers.” Comprised of a nickel silver alloy, these cast items are currently thought to have been produced in the 1880’s to signify membership in the California Pioneers of Santa Clara County organization. The backs are individually numbered (two other copies are known to exist, and have been referenced in the research) and hopefully additional searching will uncover a membership list to correlate to the original owners. Further investigation is underway to verify this hypothesis. Since its’ acquisition, the medallion has been cleaned and a new mold has been created so that faithful reproductions can be made. The new medallions are to be cast in sterling silver and worn with a military style drop ribbon; the color of which will indicate the era in which your pioneer ancestor (or yourself) first arrived in California. The charge will be $25 and they can be ordered at the December meeting. John E. Stolp November 14, 2009 SPANISH ARCADIA Nellie Van De Grift Sanchez (JERRY ROSENTHAL) On a recent trip to the Northwest, I found a copy of Nellie’s 1928 book of the romance of the Mexican period, “the days of the cattle Barons, when the Ranchero galloped over his broad domains on the beautiful Arabian Horse.” Much of the material was translated from memoirs of the period. From time to time I will send some of the stories from the saga of California’s earlier times. “The Story of the Henpecked Governor:” We come now … to an event, which, though not of great importance in itself, may be regarded as the real beginning of social life in Alta California, the arrival of the first lady of quality, Dona Eulalia Fages, wife of one of the first Spanish governors, Don Pedro Fages. This is the tale of the domestic troubles, 7 as related in the archives, of this mighty bear hunter, Indian fighter, and explorer, and one of the most original and attractive characters of his time. Fages, who was a native of Catalonia in Spain, came to California with the Portola expedition of 1769 as military commandante of the ship San Carlos having under him twenty-five Catalan volunteers, who came to quell any resistance that might be offered by the natives to prevent their landing. After Portola left California, Fages served as military comandante of the province until 1774, when he was superseded by Captain Rivera y Moncada at the request of Serra, who had some difficulty in getting along with Fages. It was not long, however, before the president of the missions found the had jumped from the frying pan into the fire, so he asked for the return of Fages, who then served as governor from 1782 to 1791. Don Pedro is described as a peculiar man, industrious, energetic, hot- tempered, but good hearted, ready to quarrel with everybody from his wife to the father president, but never bearing malice. Naturally a man of his brusque temper and manners was certain to have many disagreements with the friars, but most of them were in time made up, and in his report to the government in 1787 we find him referring to the missionaries in terms of the highest praise. … During the very first years of the settlement of Alta California conditions were so hard and tough that the governor had not ventured to bring his wife, a lady of high family, born in the lap of luxury in the same province as himself in Spain and quite unaccustomed to the hardships of a frontier camp. The loneliness of his life was partially mitigated by his hard and constant care in putting a raw, new country on a solid basis… In 1770 and again in 1772, he led exploring expeditions to San Francisco Bay. The country was found to be a perfect paradise of wild game, many bear track being seen, antelope in herds of fifty or more, and geese so numerous on the marshes of the bay shore that they could be knocked down with a stick. … One would think that with all the strenuous business Don Pedro would have little time to miss his wife, but when in 1783 he heard that she had at last been persuaded by friends that California was not after all such a barbarous place of residence and had under-taken to make the long journey thither, he was overjoyed and in fact the whole province was thrown into a state of pleasurable excitement at the news. The happy husband and father hurried to Loreto in Baja California to meet her and their little son Pedrito, and in the middle of January the party arrived safely at San Diego. From that point up to Monterey, the journey became a triumphal procession, prophetic of stores of the coming of the first American women to the mining camps in the days of ‘49. Troops, settlers, officers, Indians, and even the padres, hastened to do honor to the high-born Spanish lady. The governor wrote to his wife’s mother in Mexico: “The Senora Goberadora is the Benjamin of all who know her; she is getting along famously, and Pedrito is like an angel.” Nevertheless, no sooner had Dona Eulalia arrived than she received a severe shock to her sensibilities in the sight of the multitudes of naked Indians 8 who trooped to the governor’s house to satisfy their curiosity by gazing upon the wonderful new visitor. …It would be pleasant to record that (the) happy relations between husband and wife continued, but as time passed the Senora Gobernadora grew more and more discontented with the rough life of the country and longed constantly to return to her own home, where she might enjoy some of the comforts of civilization. The conditions which she had to endure must be taken into account before judging her too harshly for her frantic efforts to force her husband to abandon his post. … (Vancouver) describes the place (the house of the comandante of the port of San Francisco) as consisting of two rooms and a closet divided by massive walls which communicated with each other by very small doors. In winter it must have been a very uncomfortable abode for the windows were destitute of glass, and any defense put up to keep out the wind shut out the light. The roof was covered with rushes, and the furniture was very scanty… The floor was of natural earth… Vancouver was pained to find the chief official living under such comfortless conditions without even necessary table utensils… … Her discontent finally reached the point of a bitter quarrel with her husband, who wrote to his mother-in-law that his wife gave him no peace in her desire to leave the country, but he had no mind to leave a lucrative and honorable position to gratify her whim. The annals of Monterey at that period are filled with the domestic troubles of the governor, which seem to have been carried on with a maximum of publicity. Everybody, including the padres, became involved in the scandal, which culminated in a demand for divorce by Senora Fages on the ground of her husband’s alleged infatuation for an Indian girl named Indizuela whom he had rescued from slavery on the Colorado River and brought up to be a servant in his household. At last the distracted man enlisted the padres to bring her to reason, but this only added fuel to the flames, for the enraged lady flatly declared the devil might take her before she would again live with her husband. After examining the witnesses, the ministers decided she had no grounds for divorce, and Fages, being compelled to go south on business, placed her in their care at San Carlos Mission, though so much against her will that he had to break down the door into her apartment and remove her practically by force. No doubt the old bear hunting and Indian fighting days began to seem to him decidedly peaceful by contrast. The cloistered quiet of the mission must have been greatly disturbed by her stay, for the records relate that her outbursts of fury, some of which evidently took place in the sacred precincts of the church itself, finally brought threats of flogging and irons… At this juncture, Captain Nicolas Soler, an old family friend, courageously stepped into the breach and endeavored to effect a reconciliation, but found it such hot work that in one of his letters he compares the explosive nature of the situation to a fire in a powder magazine. … he ventures gravely to reprove the angry woman for her strong hankering after worldly pleasures, advising her in future to moderate her behavior toward the ministers and bear with patience 9 the insult put upon her by their threats of stripes and irons. In a letter to Fages. this brave inter-mediator admits that on account of the ‘indocility of her temper’ his efforts met with but little success… The governor answers that although he is aware of the respect due to the position and high birth of his wife, yet he cannot endure the outrageous calumnies with which she has publicly defamed him, and which he fears will cause, through their very nature, a crisis in his affairs. So things ran on, until either through Soler the peace-maker, or because the lady realized the futility of her line of attack, a reconciliation was effected. In a letter of Father Palou in which one can almost hear the harassed husband’s sigh of relief, he writes: “ My family are well. It is now about five or six months since Eulalia suddenly called me one morning and with a thousand excuses and tears humbly begged my pardon for all the past. She spontaneously confessed that it had been a mere illusion and falsity, and that she herself had suborned Indizuela to entrap me. Afterwards she summoned Don Hermenegildo and Sergeant Vargas and other persons and told them the same, so that they might make it public in discharge of her conscience. Thanks to God that we are now living in union and harmony” This amende honorable however did not prevent the Senora Gobernadora from continuing her efforts to have her husband recalled, and she adopted the bold plan of writing a letter to the Real Audiencia of Mexico to ask for his removal to some other part on the ground that the climate of this country disagreed with his health. Getting wind of the attempt, the embarrassed governor was compelled to write to a friend in Mexico, post-haste and asked him to try to prevent the letter from being sent to Spain. Nevertheless, although it took her nine years to do it, the determined woman finally won her fight to have him recalled, whereupon she immediately sailed with her children for San Blas, although her husband could not follow for a year. … So ends the story of “the henpecked governor,” and it was worth the telling if only to prevent the name of a good man from being maligned by false accusations against him. 10 HALLOWEEN HISTORY SAN JOSE HELD ITS THIRD ANNUAL HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31. IT COST ONLY $5 FOR A FAMILY OF 4 IN A PROTECTED SETTING. THE DAY WAS PLANNED FOR LITTLE PEOPLE WITH GAMES, A TABLE FOR THEM TO COLOR AND DECORATE HAND HELD MASKS, A COSTUME PARAGE AND TRICK OR TREAT STATIONS IN FRONT OF EVERY BUILDING. TIM AND BARBARA PEDDY AND MARY LOU LYON HELD SWAY ON THE FRONT PORCH OF THE PAULSON HOUSE, GIVING EACH LITTLE PARTICIPANT A SPIDER RING INSTEAD OF CANDY. SOME SAID, “COOL!” AND ONE 3 YEAR OLD GIRL STAMPED HER LITTLE FOOT AND DECLARED IN A LOUD VOICE ”I HATE SPIDERS!” AND THREW IT BACK IN THE PUMPKIN! IT WAS A LOVELY DAY. THE TROLLEY RIDE C OUNTED 1200 RIDERS AND WE GAVE OUT 450 RINGS TO CHILDREN. THE DAY WAS SUCCESSFUL. THE ANNUAL BAR-B-Q ON SEPTEMBER 5 WAS AN ENJOYABLE OUTING WITH GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS, LOVELY DAY LOVELY SETTING MINIMUM SPEECHES GOOD MUSIC From THE SAN JOSE 11 METROPOLITAN BAND INTERESTING TOURS OF THE SAN JOSE FIREMAN’S COLLECTION WE ALL HOPE THAT THEY SOON GET THEIR DOWNTOWN FIREHOUSE TO DISPLAY THEIR COLLECTION SOON . WE ARE ALREADY PLANNING ON DOING IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR. SAVE THE SECOND SATURDAY OF SEPTEMBER FOR THE FOURTH ANNUAL BAR-B-Q IN 2010! 12 TOURING WITH THE CALIFORNIANS MIKE CONSOLE: tour Director 408-246-1080 Marie Rider: Phone Reservations and Cancellations 408-251-7887 M-F Mornings Beverly Fisher: Treasurer, 3435 Yuba Av, San Jose, CA 95117-2966 Marylou vonRotz: Trip Registrations at the luncheon Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. Members may register absent members after lunch. Checks or exact cash are preferred. Phone Reservations or Cancellations: call Marie Rider. After reservations are confirmed, send a check payable to: The Californians to Beverly Fisher. Pick-UP Point: Valley Village Apartments, 390 North Winchester Blvd., Santa Clara, CA (on Dolores Av. side.) DAY TRIPS JANUARY 19, 2010, TUESDAY, DISCOVER PACIFIC GROVE Pacific Grove, a pristine jewel of the Monterey Coastal Peninsula. is known as “America’s last Home-town,” it has a four-mile captivating ocean view that is one of the most productive marine ecosystems on the planet. You can spot sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, schools of dolphins and acrobatic humpback whales. At the Coast guard Pier Breakwater, we will pick up David, who is an outstanding historian and nature guide. He will acquaint you with the history and points of interest en route to downtown Pacific Grove. One of these is the spectacular Monarch Grove Sanctuary where from October to February each year, thousands of Monarch butterflies migrate from Canada and cluster in clumps on the pine and eucalyptus trees. We will have lunch in one of Pacific Grove’s most famous and colorful restaurants, the Fandango. You will have a choice of a Seafood special or Roast Sirloin. As we enjoy their delicious signature dessert, we will receive a map pointing out the Pacific Grove Museum, Miss Trawick’s Garden, Holman’s four story Antique Village, the Heritage Society Barn, Chautauqua Hall and the location of many stores and shops within walking distance. Leave 9:00AM Return: 6:PM Cost : $78. FEBRUARY 10, 2010 WEDNESDAY THE FOUR ACES At the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the U.C. Davis Campus. Since 1950, THE FOUR ACES have been internationally acclaimed as a group who has not only 13 produced some of the most beautiful vocal renderings ever, but for being superb showmen as well. They are the Very Best at what they do, indeed in a class by themselves! Some hits include—Three Coins in a Fountain, Tell Me Why, Sincerely, Shangri-La, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, Stranger In Paradise, and so many more!! We will stop for a no host lunch at the Black Oak restaurant in Vacaville before attending the 2 P.M. Matinee performance by the Four Aces. Leave: 9:00 A.M. Return: 6:00 P.M. Cost: $78. March 25, 2010, THURSDAY THE PARDEE HOME AND PARAMOUNT THEATER The Pardee Home, considered the finest Italianate villa standing in Northern California, is located in Oakland’s Preservation Park Historic District. Surrounded by a spacious yard and white picket fence, with the original water tower and carriage house in back, this house is a charming example of a county styled estate. Both Enoch Pardee and his son, George, prospered as eye doctors in San Francisco, but their distinguished civic careers in the East Bay culminated in both serving as Mayor of Oakland. George also served as Governor of California from 1903- 1907. Although best remembered today as the “Earthquake Governor,” his many other lasting accomplishments included co-founding the California Progressive Movement, the Port of Oakland and the East Bay Municipal Utility District. (East Bay MUD) Helen, wife to the Governor, was one of the greatest collectors in the state, and the public rooms of the house are filled with extraordinary exhibits of eclectic artifacts from all corners of the world. Oakland’s Paramount Theatre is one of the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States. Designed by renowned San Francisco architect, Timothy L. Pflueger and completed in 1931, it was one of the first Depression-era buildings to incorporate and integrate the work of numerous creative artists into its architecture and is particularly noteworthy for its successful orchestration of the various artistic disciplines into an original and harmonious whole...It Is Beautiful! Leave: 9:00 A.M. Return: 5:00 P.M. Cost $72. EXTENDED TRIP FOR 2010 Brochures with interest signups will be available at the December luncheon or by calling Mike Console at 408-246-1080. If there is enough interest, we can set up a Pioneers’ Trip. Individuals may also sign up for unescorted trips. *Note by Ed. Remember what a good time we had when we went to the CCHS meeting in Eureka! This one is to a remote corner of California that most of you probably have not visited. It is high desert south of Death Valley and east of Bakersfield and the Sierra. I have added descriptions to the original outline of events to entice you to come with me. I promise to bone up on interesting sites we will pass and see. In March, flowers should be out in this area, providing we get a wet winter. It is an area of mines, gold, silver, tungsten and many unknown to me. MARCH 4 TO MARCH 7, 2010 CONFERENCE OF CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETIES SPRING SYMPOSIUM Will be in Trona and Ridgecrest, located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in the High Desert of the Indian Wells Valley. We will be staying three nights at the Carriage Inn in Ridgecrest. Registration for the Symposium and all scheduled events, lunches, dinners, tours, hotel rooms and bus transportation are included in the cost. Pick up a printed schedule and sign up sheet at the December luncheon or call Mike Console at 408-246-1080. Total costs depend upon how many people are occupying a room. 14 Single: $595.70 per person for 3 nights Double $448.85 per person-one room two beds. Triple $410.90 per person- one room, two beds Quad $383.68 per person- one room, two beds. DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: JANUARY 30, 2010. So we can make our commitments to the Conference staff, Hotel and Bus company. If we do not have at least 35 signed up by then, we may have to cancel the trip or have you car pool there. SEE SCHEDULE: Thursday, March 4 1-7 PM Registration in Carriage Inn lobby 2-4 PM On Your Own, Tour nearby Randsburg-a Living Ghost Town with Lorraine Blaiir and her docents. It is 30 minutes south of Ridgecrest off highway 395. Map in Packet. (an interesting gold mining town that still lives) Dinner On Your Own *Dr. Lorraine Blair has a PHD in Social History, is a researcher and has rehabbed over a half dozen buildings in Randsburg, which you will tour on Thursday. She gives talks on the area and has written four books on the Rand. She lives in one of her rehabbed houses and after 25 years still claims that living on the Rand is one historian’s idea of Paradise! *Randsburg was home to a very successful mining operation. The Yellow Aster Mine alone produced well over $25,000.000 in gold between 1895 and 1939. The remaining buildings will fulfill your fantasies of what an old western mining town should look like. It is NOT a movie set. It is genuine and people still live there. Come to the 1912 Plum cottage (second building west of the Fire Station on Butte Av. between 2 and 4 on Thursday, March 4 or between 9:30 and 11:30 on Sunday, March 7 to have your questions answered on your Randsburg Ramble. Bring your camera. The Randsburg ghosts will thank you. FRIDAY, MARCH 5 RIDGECREST DAY 7-8 AM Continental Breakfast in Charlie’s for hotel guests or breakfast on your own. 8-9 AM Registration in Carriage Inn Lobby (and 5-6 PM) 8-9 AM Executive Board Meeting 9:30 AM Bus to Maturango Museum, tour of Ridgecrest, USO building. 12-1:30 PM Lunch speaker-Lorraine Blair “USO’S Patriotic dress optional 1:30-5 PM Bus to U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology (Photo ID required or proof of U.S. Citizenship) Free time 6:10 PM bus departs for USO 6:30-9 PM Authentic Chuck Wagon Dinner cooked on a 1905 Chuck Wagon (Western Dress Optional) Indian Wells Valley History and Drawing Bus departs for Carriage Inn immediately after evening festivities. __________________________________________________________________________ *MATURANGO MUSEUM * ECOLOGY ISLANDS - each has real materials and pictures with text o Creosote Scrub Habitat - Mojave and Antelope ground squirrels; tortoise; sidewinder; desert pavement; playa; sand dunes; cholla cactus, creosote bush. o Bristlecones - tree section; dating; compare to Creosote bush clone rings. o Wildflowers & Desert Animals - flip charts with pictures and maps. 15 o Joshua Tree Habitat - kit fox, Mojave rattlesnake; flicker; buckwheats; section of Joshua wood; granite. o Foothills and Petroglyphs - quail; chukar; wood rat; petroglyphs; basalt. o Birds in the Desert - changing exhibit: Water Birds. o Mountain Lion and Coyote on top of the display case. o Birds flying overhead including golden eagle; turkey vulture; hawks. * GEOLOGY - diagrams of volcanic action in Coso Range; Great video about Geothermal Energy. Rocks of the area. * PALEONTOLOGY - mammoth and bison bones from China Lake, mural of mammoths o Saber tooth cat display; alternates between the skull and the fleshed out animal. These cats were found as close as Red Rock Canyon in the Dove Springs formation. *** If your computer has a movie viewer, see the cat change and hear it roar! It's a big file, 840K, but it's cool. Click here to download cat movie Sabertooth cat * PLEISTOCENE LAKES MAP - shows extent of lakes 10,000 years ago. * NATIVE CALIFORNIANS - artifacts from the local area, baskets, points, etc. * HISTORY EXHIBIT - changing exhibit currently featuring the Inyokern's 100th Anniversary * SEARLES LAKE - videos and display of the deposits of Searles Lake, North American Chemical Company. * HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE UPPER MOJAVE EXHIBIT - changes * NAVAL AIR WEAPONS STATION, CHINA LAKE- missiles, airplanes, programs of NAWS o Sidewinder missile display. * MINERAL DISPLAY CASE - local minerals, fossils, etc. * CHILDREN'S AREA - where it IS OK to touch things!. * ART FROM OUR PERMANENT COLLECTION - on the wall in the children's area; * EXHIBITS IN THE LOBBY - Docent Program stuff- "Covering China Lake History a Stitch at a Time" *AN EXTENSIVE GIFT SHOP FEATURING THEIR OWN PUBLICATIONS 9 for which they are famous), JEWELRY, PETROGLYPH MOTIFS AND MORE. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010 TRONA DAY 7-8 AM Continental breakfast in Charlies for Hotel guests or breakfast on your own. 7-9 AM Registration continues 8-9 AM Regional Vice President’s meeting 9:30 bus to Trona 10-12:30 Tour Argus Fire Station # 126 Museum, Old Guest House Museum, History House and Trona Railway Museum and Caboose 12:30-2 PM Lunch at Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society Building. Video of Searles Valley timeline. 2-4 PM Bus Tour of Searles Valley Minerals, Searles Dry Lake, Trona Roadside Rest Kiosk and Trona Sites 4:15 PM Trona Pinnacles Info Kiosk (photo op) & Searles Wagon Road & Epsom Salt Monorail Monument 4:30 PM Back to Ridgecrest 5-6 Rest 6 to...No Host Bar in Carriage Inn Conference Center 6:30-9 PM Dinner in Carriage Inn Conference Center, Speaker-“John Searles” 16 * Jim Fairchild (aka John Searles) Jim and his wife, Bonnie have lived in Trona for 47 years and he has worked for the mining companies in Searles Valley since moving here. He is a chemist and chemical engineer with expertise in new process inventions and improvement. He has produced a 45 minute video “The Searles Valley Timeline” and also a company brochure. He has researched the life of John Searles. * Searles Lake is known for the abundance of rare elements and evaporate minerals, such as trona, hanksite, and halite formed within its sediments. Evaporites are minerals that are left behind when saltwater evaporates. During the Pleistocene Epoch (beginning approximately 2 million years ago), Searles Lake was one of a chain of lakes fed by stream flow from the Sierra Nevada to the west. Lake levels rose and fell dependant on glacial outwash from the Sierra Nevada as climate shifted. Successive layers of sediment were deposited as lake levels fluctuated, preserving an important record of regional climate change. The lakes gradually dried up completely as climatic conditions became hotter and drier (as today), forming a string of playas—enclosed basins with no outlets. A dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, with the mining community, Trona against its western shore. The evaporite basin is approximately (12 mi) long and (8.1 mi) at its widest point, yielding 1.7 million tons annually of industrial minerals within the basin to the Searles Valley Minerals mining operations. * Trona, California abuts northwest of the dry Searles Lake bed. The stratigraphic record at Searles Lake indicates that it once held brackish water as deep as (660 ft). Fluctuations in lake levels correspond to the advances and retreats of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada Range. Thirty major lake levels occurred during the last 150,000 years, represented by a sequence of salt and mud beds. The precipitation of minerals occurred during long periods of lake evaporation. * The lake is home to the Trona Pinnacles, a spectacular geologic tufa formation and a National Natural Landmark. Some are as high as 140 ft rising from the bed of the Searles Lake Basin in the Searles Lake bed * Borax was first produced from the dry lake surface in 1873 by John Searles under the name of the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company. Searles was the first to haul borax using the famous 20 mule team wagons. In 1873, before the railroad was built to Mojave, refined borax was hauled 175 miles by 20 mule teams from Slate Range Playa (now called Searles Lake) to the harbor at San Pedro. The Searles Lake borax discovery has been designated as California Historical Landmark #774, with a plaque at the roadside rest area in Trona. Searles Lake is a huge resource of sodium and potassium minerals of the carbonate, sulfate, borate and halide classes of mineralogy. The manufacture of industrial minerals involves a complex solution mining operation in which naturally occurring brines are pumped from wells completed in several salt beds. The brine wells range in depth from near-surface to over 100 meters below the salt pan. A network of production wells, injection wells, solar ponds and piping are used in the production and treatment of the brines. Industrial minerals are extracted from the brines at the Argus, Trona and West end plants. Minerals are crystallized from the brines, screened, washed, and dried. The crystals are then baked in rotary kilns in order to drive off water molecules locked in the crystalline structure. Some recrystallization may be required in order to achieve a desired composition and granular density. This complex extraction process at the 3 plants is generally referred to as fractional crystallization. It includes the treatment of brines through carbonation extraction, 17 refrigeration extraction and/or solvent extraction. Salt is also harvested from the lake surface and from solar ponds with use of heavy equipment. Commodities produced by Searles Valley Minerals from their Searles Lake operations include borax, V-Bor (borax with 5 moles of water), anhydrous borax, boric acid, soda ash, salt cake and salt. Mineral reserves exceed 4 billion tons. Mineral List: * Analcime * Gypsum var: Selenite * Northupite * Sulphohalite * Aphthitalite * Halite * Opal * Teepleite * Borax * Hanksite * Phillipsite * Thenardite * Burkeite *Heulandite * Pirssonite * Tincalconite * Feldspar * Merlinoite * Schairerite * Trona * Galeite * Mirabilite * Searlesite * Tychite * Gaylussite * Nahcolite * Ulexite SUNDAY, MARCH 7, ,RETURN TO SAN JOSE. Driving past the Redrock Canyon StatePark, the Tehachapi Loop CONFERENCE OF CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETIES SPRING SYMPOSIUM, TRONA/RIDGECREST MARCH 4-7, 2010 REGISTRATION REGISTRATION FEE (DEADLINE, JAN. 30) fee per person includes all scheduled events and meals Affiliate Member Registration, bus Transportation, Driver tip, Administrative & Escort expenses $302.00 per person Late fee (only after jan. 30) $5.00 Hotel rooms (Carriage Inn) three nights, including 10% room tax, 3 breakfasts, use of ll facilities, luggage handling, etc. per person, depending on number in room. Select only one category for a room & give names of room mates below Single.........$595.70 (one bed) Double........$448.85 (two beds) Triple..........$410.90 (two beds) Quad...........$383.68 (two beds) Add to cost. ..................................................................................................................................................... *Carriage Inn Hotel in Ridgecrest, CA 93555 800-722-8527 or 760-446-7910 The Carriage Inn is our host hotel. There will be a complimentary Continental Breakfast in Charlie’s Pub for CCHS guests from 7-8 AM. Rooms have in room coffee service, newspaper, TV, refrigerators, microwave, iron & boards, hairdryers, voicemail and WI-FI. They have a heated pool, therapy pool, sauna and fitness center. Their restaurant is Café Potpourri and a sports bar/grill, Charlie’s Pub & Grill. 18 APPLICATION SPRING SYMPOSIUM MARCH 4-7, 2010 MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO THE CALIFORNIANS MAIL CHECKS TO MIKE CONSOLE 3527 PARKLAND AV, SAN JOSE, CA 95117 BEFORE JAN. 30, 2010 Enclosed please find a check for the deposit amount of ..................$100 per person to secure reservations for ............persons. Final balance of payment.................must be made by Jan. 30, 2010. NAMES/S ____________________________________Room Mates______________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________ Phone #_______________________Smoking ____Non-smoking _____Handicapped Room___ Meal choices: Friday: Chuck Wagon Dinner Beef ________Vegetarian_______ Saturday Carriage Inn Dinner Lemon Chicken_______ Vegetarian__________ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< DECEMBER DATES Dec. 5, Sat. 10-4 San Jose History Park Heritage Holiday. $3 person, $10 for family of 4, Free for HSJ Members. Strolling musicians, trolley rides, photo ops with Santa, lace making demonstrations, children’s workshops High Tea upstairs in the Empire Firehouse, $25 each ($22 for HSJ members. Reservations for 11 am, 1 pm or 3 pm 408-918-1045 or jlara@historysanjose.org. includes all of the above. New Exhibit in Leonard & David McKay Gallery. Opening Nov. 27. Everyday San Jose´, Paintings by Wayne Jiang. With the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project. Preview party on Nov. 22 call 408- 521-5016 San Jose´s Birthday at the Peralta Adobe November 29 December 4-5, Santa Clara Historic Home tour Friday, 6-10 PM, Sat., 12-5 PM Dec. 6-Sunday, 3-5, Los Altos Hill Historical Society Meeting at Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Rd. Dec. 6 & 13 Sunnyvale Historical Society Christmas Teas, 2 p.m. $25 at the Murphy House replica Museum, 550 E. Remington Dr, Sunnyvale. Museum open Tues, Thurs & Sun, 12-4 Free 19 Nov. 27-Dec 20 Old Mission San Juan Bautista, el teatro campesino “La Pastorela.” Call for reservations 831-623-2444 Through Dec. 18 Society of California Pioneers Exhibition, at 300 Fourth St. (415-9957-1849) Mission Dolores Collection & Presidio, “Incompletely Visible: the Legacy of the Bay Area Missions” Dec. 10-11 Christmas in the Adobes, Monterey, 5 to 9 P.M. 831-649- 7118 January 19, 2010 Tues, 7 PM Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Meeting, “Using Church Records” by Dick Ferman at the Santa Clara Library on Homestead Rd. Free ARCADIA BOOKS ON OUR COUNTY The Chinese in San Jose The Portuguese in San Jose San Jose's Historic Downtown Theatres of San Jose Mexicans in San Jose Silicon Valley Italians in the Santa Clara Valley Santa Clara Cemeteries of Santa Clara Campbell Milpitas Alviso, San Jose Railroads of Los Gatos Moffett Field Mountain View Saratoga Saratoga Postcards of America Early Cupertino New Almaden Los Gatos Los Gatos Generations Los Gatos Postcard History Over Time: Palo Alto, 1947-1980 Morgan Hill South Santa Clara County Rails of California's Central Coast Gilroy 20 WEB SITE www.californiapioneers.com WEB SITE OFFICERS 2009-2010 CALIFORNIA PIONEERS OF SANTA CLARA CO President, James R. Zetterquist 2499 Cottle Av, San Jose, CA, 95125-4011 408-267-8744 thewoodencrown@att.net 1st Vice President Tim Peddy (Paulson House, Web master, Luncheon coordinator, book publications, Hacienda Cemetery) 2940 Rustic Dr., San Jose, CA 95124-1563 408-377-6054 miltpeddy@aol.com 2nd Vice President Bill Foley (Hacienda Cemetery, co-webmaster, videographer ) 1251 Madrona Av, San Jose, CA 95125-3548 408-317-9249 IAMSPARTACUS@gmail.com Treasurer Ken Machado-2131 Dry Creek Road, San Jose, CA 95111-2032 408-723-4056 7m-ken@msn.com Membership Chair, Robb Moore 1117 Norstad St., San Jose, CA 95128-3458 408-275-6889 robbmooresj@att.net Recording Secretary, Gayle Frank 1117 Norstad St., San Jose, CA 95128-3458 408-275-6889 frank.gayle@att.net Marshall & Liaison with Historical Societies-, Parade Co-ordinator Rick Helin 1517 San Joaquin Av, San Jose, CA 95118-1062 408-792-2061 rickhelin@aol.com Parliamentarian Melita Kelly - 460 N. 15th St., San Jose, CA 95112-1725 408-292-2385 (melikel@pacbell.net President Emeritus Jerry Rosenthal 6317 Whaley Dr, San Jose, CA 95135-1446 408-270-3101 (b25gunner@comcast.net ) President Emeritus Bob Fisher 3435 Yuba Av., San Jose, CA 95117-2966 408-241-0224 Beyefisher@sbcglobal.net Member At Large- Jan Paull, 919 Willow Glen Way, San Jose, CA 95125-3344 408-293-5166 - jan.paull@sbcglobal.net Member At Large -Paul Bernal 365 flamingo Dr., Cmpbell, CA 95008-3625 pbernal@scscourt.org Historian –Trail Blazer Editor Mary Lou Lyon 879 Lily Av Cupertino, CA 95014 408-253-9514 (malyon_1999@yahoo.com) P.O. BOX 8208 SAN JOSE CA 95155 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID CUPERTINO, CA 95014 _ PERMIT NO.543_____

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California Pioneers of Santa Clara County

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