Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "gold rush"

Its still warm enough to enjoy Folsom lake

2012-01-31T00:01:49Z

I had a picnic at Folsom Lake on Sunday. Who would believe we’re still having sunny days to enjoy our beautiful lake. We walked in at the levee entrance at Sophia Parkway and GreenValley Road in El Dorado Hills and found we weren’t the only ones with the same idea.

Boaters, families, individuals with dogs, Whipperwils, Seagulls, Geese and a lone Loon populated the lake. Hikers, Cyclists, Equestrians, and nature enthusiasts alike enjoy the many trails.

One of the popular trails leads to Brown’s Ravine in Folsom Lake State Recreation Area that is home to the Folsom Lake Yacht Club and Folsom lake Marina, also located on Green Valley Road in El Dorado Hills.

Although only the brave would go swimming Sunday, the peacefulness of the day drew so many. The water level s low and provided wonderful opportunities to explore what
may typically be hidden such as foundations of old Gold Rush buildings. There is also the hope of catching a hungry fish or just laying back to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Whatever appeals to you, El Dorado Hills and Folsom Lake can offer Recreation,relaxation and qualify of life. Come to our area and check it out.

courtesy of local Real Estate Broker, Jill Berni, El Dorado Hills, CA

Disclosure: I bought my home in 1981 in El Dorado Hills within walking distance to Folsom Lake. I started selling Real Estate here shortly thereafter because I believe and love this community.

Sutter's Fort "Hands on History: Harvest Time" Event on Septemer 17!

2011-08-19T21:41:16Z

Before gold was discovered in 1848, John Sutter had initially envisioned an agricultural empire and had amassed 10,000 cows, 5,000 sheep, more than 2,500 horse and mules and produced an amazing 50,000 bushel wheat harvest. Then, just when he was ready to reap the rewards of his hard work, the Gold Rush derailed his plans -- his land was overrun by gold seekers, his crops were trampled or neglected and his livestock stolen or chased away. Sutter’s diligence eventually prevailed and his dreams of an agricultural bounty were realized.

During the next interactive “Hands on History” event on Saturday, September 17, visitors to Sutter’s Fort will participate in corn shucking contests, threshing, winnowing and grinding wheat and watch demonstrations of goat milking, spinning and weaving wool, lassoing and property branding.

For more information about this fun and engaging “Hands on History” event, or other events and activities at Sutter’s Fort SHP, call 916-445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.govsuttersfort

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Evening Activities Galore in Old Sacramento During Gold Rush Days!

2011-08-12T15:45:04Z

During Gold Rush Days 2011 happening over Labor Day Weekend, the daytime hours in Old Sacramento are filled with an amazing array of crowd-pleasing and period-appropriate activities -- but the fun doesn’t stop there! With nearly 50 restaurants/eateries and 75 retail shops, there are plenty of reasons to eat, stay and play in Old Sacramento throughout the day and during the evening hours, too.

Listed below is a sampling of a few special Gold Rush Days-related evening activities happening during the holiday weekend, including:

Gold Rush Days Preview Reception: Friday, September 2, 5-7:30 p.m.
In an effort to kick-off the festivities in 1850s-style, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation is coordinating a special Gold Rush Days Preview Reception in the Passenger Station in Old Sacramento State Historic Park on Friday evening. The fundraising event will include refreshments and appetizers, live period-appropriate entertainment, the opportunity to preview a new Old Sacramento welcome video narrated by Timothy Busfield, and the chance to mix and mingle with Gold Rush Days dedicated staff and lively entertainers. Tickets for the Gold Rush Days Preview Reception are available at www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays.

Gold Rush Days Beer Crawl: Friday, September 2, 6 p.m.-midnight
A number of popular bars in Old Sacramento are participating in a fun Gold Rush Days-inspired beer crawl where guests (ages 21 and older) will receive a six to nine-ounce draft beer at each participating establishment. At last count, nine bars are participating but more are sure to follow. Beer crawl participants are encouraged to dress up like gold miners, saloon girls, etc. A limited number of tickets are available by calling 916-524-5275 or visiting www.oldsacramentobars.com.

Discounted Dining: Friday, September 2, dinner is served 4-10 p.m.
To help guests get in the Gold Rush spirit, Ten22 is offering a 15 percent discount on food menu items for diners sporting cowboy hats and/or cowboy boots on Friday evening. Boasting they have a larger selection of beers on tap than any other Sacramento area restaurant, Ten22 opened in 2009 and offers a casual-chic dining experience with a beautiful outdoor patio and boardwalk dining.

Live Music: Evenings on Friday, September 2 through Monday September 5
During Gold Rush Days 2011, a variety of live bands playing many different genres will be available in the popular Save Mart BBQ Patio & Farmers’ Market during the daytime and also extending into the evening hours. The Save Mart stage is located in the Firehouse Restaurant parking lot and is always a favorite place to sit back, relax and enjoy Gold Rush Days.

Silent Movie Festival: Saturday, September 3, 7 p.m.
As part of the lively and interactive Time Travel Weekends program, Old Sacramento visitors won’t want to miss the season finale of the Silent Movie Festival effort happening in the Eagle Theatre on Saturday night beginning at 7 p.m. With song slides that encourage audience involvement and sing-along, movies from 1900-1929 will be showcased and presented by the Excelsior Company in association with Red Barn Productions. In addition, talented period performers will delight and amuse the audience with engaging and entertaining songs, mini skits and comedic acts as the silent movies play. Beer and wine will be available for purchase for guests 21 and over (and sarsaparilla for the little ones). For more information, visit www.historicoldsac.org/timetravel.

Gold Rush Days 2011 is produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks with cooperation from the Old Sacramento Business Association. Presented by Save Mart Supermarkets and Wells Fargo Bank, admission to Gold Rush Days 2011 is free with historic programming offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days. New this year, admission to the five museums in Old Sacramento is also free to the public for the three days and includes the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum, California State Military Museum, Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum and the Wells Fargo History Museum. On Friday, September 2, some Gold Rush Days activities will be set-up for a preview “education day” -- primarily for school children -- but museum entrance will not be free to the general public on that day.

For a complete listing of activities or more information about Gold Rush Days, visit www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays or call 916-808-7059.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the Sacramento region including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Volunteers & Artisans Needed During Gold Rush Days - Monday Deadline!

2011-07-28T14:25:27Z

From friendly greeters to crafty artisans and everything in between, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation is now accepting applications for more than 200 volunteer positions during Gold Rush Days 2011 and the deadline to apply is Monday, August 1. Widely known as Old Sacramento’s annual heritage celebration, Gold Rush Days volunteers are needed over Labor Day weekend (September 3-5) and for a preview “education day” on Friday, September 2, that is set-up primarily for area school children. Gold Rush Days 2011 is free to the public and produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks.

Given the sheer magnitude of the large-scale community event that transforms Old Sacramento into a scene straight out of the 1850s, a large number of volunteers are needed to help with the Gold Rush Days information booth, hospitality tent, first aid station, security booth, children’s activity areas, and much, much more. Some, but not all, positions require period appropriate attire that will be provided. Additionally, interested artisans are encouraged to submit applications to participate in a new “Artisan Alley” happening this year in the Freight Depot -- candle dippers, soap tanners, gold panning experts, dyed wool makers, basket weavers, leather makers, silver smiths and barrel makers are just a few of the artisan opportunities during the three-day community event. Those chosen to participate in the period appropriate “Artisan Alley” will be asked to demonstrate their craft to Gold Rush Days visitors and can also sell their wares at the event.

While the crowd pleasing Gold Rush Days event is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, interested volunteers are encouraged to apply now.
Orientation workshops are scheduled to take place on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20. Volunteer/artisan applications can be downloaded at www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays and more information is available at 916-808-7059.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

New addition to underground tour beneath Hall Luhrs & Co.

2011-07-08T01:48:54Z

Guests get a feel for life in the Gold Rush era in the new addition to the Old Sacramento underground tour. The basement space beneath the Hall Luhrs & Co. grocery store is small, the lighting over 19th-century artifacts dim. Guests will forget the modern plumbing of the building above and get a glimpse of historical life.

The tour, which began Thursday, has guests start at the Sacramento History Museum and go straight to the Hall Luhrs & Co. building, where they learn about the unique part it played in the street-raising project. Guests then finish the tour at the underground space beneath the B.F. Hastings building, located at 128-132 J St., that originally made up the tour.

“Sacramento was originally established where two flood-prone rivers meet,” said Heather Downey, a historian and interpretive writer for The Center for Sacramento History.

Downey said the two month storm, lasting from December 1861 to January 1862 forced residents to act. They chose to raise the city.

Residents raised the city to save it from flooding. Streets were filled in with dirt and buildings were raised to a higher, safe level.

“People wanted to convey a sense of permanency,” said Downey. “Instead of moving, they raised the city and built structures with brick and granite.”

Staci Cox, tour coordinator of the Sacramento History Museum, said the site was not added to the tour last year because it was structurally unsafe. The work took more than a year, but the mixture of old and modern materials in the underground space are now up to ADA compliances.

When the artifacts were discovered in 1979 to 1890 they were kept by state parks, and this is the first time the public will have access to many of them.

Some of the 19th-century artifacts, such as wine bottles, pipes, perfume bottles and lotion bottles are on display, and those were all found in the site. There is even a bourbon bottle that shows little signs of decay.

Unique to this site are the two bordellos that were in business in the lot.

“Frankie Bass, of mixed race and illiterate, was the madam at 914 2nd St.,” said Cox. “Johanna Hiegle was the other woman, and she ran her business at 916 2nd St.”

The bordellos were closed when the city was being raised, and the buildings were demolished.

The tour will go into the basement of the Hall Luhrs & Co. building where visitors can see the archaeological dig that was done by students from Cosumnes River College from 1979 to 1980 and some of the artifacts they recovered.

The archaeological site is in the center. It is blocked off by wooden railings. Cox said that guests can look into the site and see some staged artifacts that are period appropriate, but not original to the space.

Locals have spread rumors about what can be found beneath the spaces, with stories about its use as an underground race track or for the opportunity to do generally illegal things out of the public eye, Downey said.

There are also rumors of ghosts. The show “Ghost Adventures” filmed in the underground tunnels earlier this year, heightening the speculation.

“The underground space beneath the Hall Luhrs building never went out of memory,” said Downey, “but it was never interpreted. Here, we are trying to ascribe meaning to how life was during the Gold Rush.”

The Hall Luhrs & Co. building tells a very different story than that of the B.F. Hastings building.

Hall Luhrs & Co. grocery store, the largest building in Old Sacramento, operated from 1885 to 1906, and unlike the B.F. Hastings building that was raised to meet the new streets, the Hall Luhrs & Co. building was built over four Gold Rush-era buildings that were destroyed.

“Of all the things we do on the tour, we just want people to grow in their appreciation for how their city is unique,” Downey said. “The underground and the raising of the streets, and everything that goes along with it, makes Sacramento a really special place.”

Each tour will be different. With 14 tour guides that don’t go off a script, guests will enjoy a unique experience every time.

Some tours will be led by guides costumed in period attire speaking in first person. Other tours will be given in third-person, with a teaching point of view. There is no way to choose the tour guide, so guests will not experience the same tour twice.

Cox said that more than 10,000 tickets were sold last year.

Tours are held 10:30 a.m-3 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays during July and August. Tour schedules vary with seasons and continue through November 27. Tour check-in is at 101 I St. at the Sacramento History Museum.

Tours last one hour and cost $15 for adults, $10 for children and $12 for Historic Old Sacramento Foundation members.

For more information about the underground tour, click here.

Gold Rush Days 2011 -- Bigger & Better Than Ever Over Labor Day Weekend!

2011-07-05T20:08:14Z

Free to the public and a favorite Sacramento heritage celebration, Gold Rush Days 2011 promises to be bigger and better than ever before with all the popular period-appropriate attractions plus FREE ADMISSION to all Old Sacramento museums! Produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks, Gold Rush Days 2011 is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend -- September 3 through 5 -- and will take place throughout the 27-acre historic district in Old Sacramento.   On Friday, September 2, some Gold Rush Days activities will be set-up for a preview “education day” -- primarily for school children -- but museum entrance will not be free to the general public on that day.

With 200 tons of dirt to help turn back time to the 1850s, the unique three-day event will feature crowd-favorite cannon firings, wagon, pony and train rides, historic re-enactments, lively entertainment and dancing to Gold Rush era music, period games and re-creations, hands-on children’s activities, gold panning, and the popular Embarcadero Tent City depicting daily life during the Gold Rush.   New this year, an Artisan Alley will be set up in the Freight Depot with local artisans -- such as candle dippers, soap tanners and silver smiths -- demonstrating their craft-making skills and showcasing their wares.

A favorite stop with lots of hands-on crafts and activities, the traditional Embarcadero Tent City in Old Sacramento State Historic Park offers a mercantile, boarding house, millinery, hardware store, bank, various saloons, the first theater, and even an old time doctor and pharmacist. In addition, visitors can pan for gold, sample real sarsaparilla, meet an old miner and his burro, discover lace making, hat making and embroidery, or simply enjoy dancing and music.

Of course, an impressive and varied line-up of free, live entertainment will be available on various stages throughout Old Sacramento, including a variety of bands playing many different genres in the popular Save Mart BBQ Patio & Farmers’ Market.

Presented by Save Mart Supermarkets and Wells Fargo Bank, admission to Gold Rush Days 2011 is free and event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days.    New this year, admission to the five museums in Old Sacramento is also free to the public, including the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum, California State Military Museum, Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum and the Wells Fargo History Museum. For a complete listing of activities or more information about Gold Rush Days, visit www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays or call 916-808-7059.

About Gold Rush Days
Gold Rush Days is Sacramento’s annual heritage celebration and is produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks.

Disclaimer: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a variety of businesses and organizations located in the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Revamping Old Sacramento

2011-06-24T02:15:09Z

Wednesday evening, the Department of Parks and Recreation presented plans to expand Old Sacramento’s excursion train and further explore the underground ruins to provide visitors a more exciting learning experience of the Gold Rush, commerce and river transportation. The preliminary general plan for Old Sacramento State Historic Park would span 20 years.

The project is currently set to develop the Front Street area between J and I streets.

Capital District Superintendent of Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks Catherine Taylor explained that the project will educate visitors on the Gold Rush era. The underground ruins will feature active archaeological digs and exhibits and the above street level will showcase the reconstructed buildings of the 1860s and 1870s.

The plan also includes waterfront development, in which the existing sunken ship will be lit up for viewing. Taylor said they would also like to bring in a 19th- or 20th-century ship that can be docked in the area and/or have a water taxi for tours. She said that each of these exhibits would be a great way to allow people to reconnect with the river.

Taylor said they want to expand the excursion train operation to the Hood neighborhood.

Upon completion, there would be two train rides. The first would run from Old Sacramento to the Sacramento Zoo, stopping at the Crocker Art Museum, Miller Park and the town of Baths. The second would begin in the Pocket/Meadowview area and extend into Hood and would include a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta trip with dinner or brunch or other themed excursion rides.

Several Planning Commission members applauded the presentation, including Anna Molander, who said, “It is a fantastic vision and I can’t wait to see it implemented.”

Taylor and Allen Folks, AECOM planning consultant for the project, said they want to finalize the plan by spring of 2012.

The general plan has been in the works since the summer of 2010.

Taylor and Folks told the Planning Commission that they have worked hard to incorporate the voices and opinions of the local community, especially those directly affected by the potential changes to the area.

Since last October, three public workshops were held to gather input.

Folks said that during those workshops, the public expressed support for the Gold Rush, transportation and commerce themes, but were also concerned about the physical adjustments being done to the area.

The plan will therefore address issues such as bike trail improvements and minimal use of trains through the Land Park and South Land Park neighborhoods, he said.

The preliminary plan will now go through public review once more before being submitted for approval by City Council.

For more information on the project, click here.

Gold Rush Building Replicas at Terminal B

2011-06-16T05:29:08Z

Twenty-eight handmade Gold Rush era miniature building replicas by local artist Tony Quattrociocchi, will be on display from Monday through Sept. 30 at the Sacramento International Airport’s Terminal B.

“Each piece was individually made, every brick, every shingle, and I found that really intriguing,” said Lorrie Kempf, Art in Public Places program assistant and gallery curator.

Quattrociocchi, 87, is no stranger to the Sacramento area. His miniature replicas have been featured in The Sacramento Bee, displayed at four libraries, Sunrise Mall and the State Fair, according to Quattrociocchi’s niece, Nancy Garrett.

“He used to take them to schools, and the kids really, really loved it,” Garrett said.

Mixed media models displayed at Terminal B include: “Fourth Ward Schoolhouse,” completed in 1974, “Young America” Paddle-Wheel Boat, 1977 and “Fort Ross,” 1983-2004.

“Everything is made from scratch,” Garrett said, “(including) the bricks that he used for Sutter’s Fort and the chimneys.”

Garrett explained that Quattrociocchi uses clay that he rolls and then scores to make each brick one 16th of an inch, which she said he then bakes in the oven.

The tiny bricks are “half the size of an eraser end,” Garrett said, and “he lays them out just like you would build a brick house.”

Quattrociocchi cuts and shapes glass for the miniature building windows and uses wood veneer to construct the window frames, using small precision tools like an exacto knife, Garrett said.

“I thought this was an exhibition that many of the travelers could really relate to because people have memories of traveling to these places, or have memories of the miniature buildings themselves,” said Kempf.

Quattrociocchi’s passion for creating miniature models of the gold country first began in 1974, after his wife, Dixie, asked him to replicate a building of the flower shop she worked in at the time to give as a gift to her coworkers, Garrett said.

After the gift for his wife’s coworkers and an antique shadow box he made for his son, Quattrociocchi* said he decided to make a miniature frontier town inspired by a drawing of a Wells Fargo Bank in Columbia.

Postcards and historic pictures were used as a reference to create the models, Quattrociocchi said.

To give an idea of the process for building the miniature replicas, Quattrociocchi said the steeple and roof for the replica of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, in Arlington, Va., took 9,000 tiny redwood shingles.

Sutter’s Fort took three years to complete and is the biggest piece of Quattrociocchi’s Gold Rush era-inspired models, of which he has completed 75, Garrett said.

The replicas’ construction takes “anywhere from one month to three years depending the on the size and detail,” Quattrociocchi said.

An old paddle-wheel steamboat called “Young America,” incorporates hairpins, an aluminum can and redwood as part of the building materials. That original boat used to sail the Sacramento River in the 1850s, Garrett said.

Southern California ghost town of Bodie inspired many of the reproductions, said Quattrociocchi. Other buildings on display include The Eagle Theatre in Old Sacramento, The Old Columbia Firehouse and an Auburn Firehouse, Garrett said.

Kempf said she chose to exhibit Quattrociocchi’s miniature replicas after being contacted via email by Garrett. She was captivated by Quattrociocchi’s lifelong passion and also the painstaking work devoted to the creation process, Kempf said.

Four plexiglass cases house the tiny buildings and are displayed in the downstairs area of Terminal B. Six additional cases are available to ticketed passengers only, said Kempf.

Art in Public Places has been working with the Sacramento International Airport to display exhibitions for the past seven years, said Kempf.

“It brings back memories,” Quattrociocchi said about his work. “It makes people smile. It represents Sacramento in the old country.”

*Nancy Garrett, spoke in the interview for her uncle who suffers from macular degeneration, a medical condition that is causing him to lose his eyesight.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published.

Empress Hornblower sails into the past

2011-06-13T04:35:37Z

About 250 formally and historically dressed guests gathered at the L Street Dock on Front Street in support of the preservation and exploration of Sacramento’s historical legacy Friday evening. Under the guidance of the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, party-goers traveled through the 1850s, 1960s and back to the present on the Empress Hornblower along the Sacramento River for the hour-long cruise Casino Royale on the River: Where Old Sacramento Meets Monte Carlo.

This was the second year HOSF had hosted the event to raise funds for its educational and interpretive programs, including the historical exhibitions in the Sacramento History Museum on I Street.

Last year the event was held on the Delta King, and while “the whole thing was a hoot and wonderful success,” the foundation wanted to spice things up a bit, deputy director Kristina Swanson said. Not only did this year’s vessel allow for about 100 more passengers, it provided people with the wonderful experience of a leisurely ride down the river that started the city of Sacramento.

As guests made their way to the boat, they were encouraged to spin a wheel for prizes before being warmly greeted by the captain and crew. Upon entering the ship, they were immediately transported into an 1850s casino room with the help of the live folksy music of Claudia’s Kitchen.

With feathers, petticoats and top hats abound, several members of the Old Sacramento Living History Program were fully dressed in authentic 1850s garb, manning the floor and at least 14 gaming tables. Set both port and starboard, the volunteer gang was more than ready to help guests gamble away their complimentary bag of playing chips.

Not only did the members look the part, they acted it as well. At the Faro card table, working women Flora “Lily of the West” and Miss Bud, “A Flower-in-Training,” refused to leave character. With Derringer pistols visibly placed in their bosoms, anyone could see this was serious play.

Flora reported having to pull her piece out on a cheating party-goer, and Miss Bud wasn’t too shy either, threatening another guest who dared to question the “period appropriateness” of her husband’s costume.

After a bit of nudging and lots of winning on their part, the two women revealed themselves as Catherine Hanson, Flora, and Mary Aye, Bud, and discussed their passion for history, especially Sacramento’s. Hanson works for the California State Library in the history section, and Aye is a docent, leading local school groups on historical tours.

“History is so important, especially that of Sacramento’s,” Aye said. “You really need to learn about the past to know where you’re headed. Most people don’t realize it, especially these days with the focus on standardized testing topics, but Sacramento was such an important part in the development of the West Coast and America.”

If party-goers needed a break from the excitement downstairs, they went up to the second floor, with specially-made Gold Rush drinks in hand, to where James Bond-themed cuisine awaited them. While guests were served hors d'oeuvres on all levels, here they could feast on “The Man with the Golden Bun” mini-burgers and “Aston Martini Mashed Potatoes,” while bidding on various displayed auction items.

As guests finished emptying their pockets and filling their stomachs, they were able to dance their way up the stairs and back into the present day to more contemporary tunes spun by a live DJ on the third floor. On the rooftop, guests were able to take advantage of the warm weather, slight breeze and gorgeous view of Sacramento as the boat glided along the Sacramento River during sunset.

Executive director Marcia Eymann, explained how the boat ride is both a fun experience and great way to remind and share with people how important the Sacramento River is to the history of the city.

“Location, location, location,” Eymann said. “Outside of Sacramento’s part in the Gold Rush, because of this river, Sacramento was and is such an important part of history. For example, historically speaking, because of the river, Sacramento was once San Francisco’s No. 1 trading partner, as well as the ‘fruit basket’ of America.”

Prior to the ship’s voyage, VIP ticket holders, which included a number of former and current elected officials and local dignitaries, attended a reception at the Sacramento History Museum, where Former Mayor Burnett Miller was honored as the first ‘007 Hero of Historic Old Sacramento’ for his continued contribution to the preservation and development of the area.

After the honoree was roasted and toasted by a few of his friends and colleagues, Miller talked to The Sacramento Press about his investment in the history of Sacramento.

“Myself, my father, my grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather all lived in Sacramento,” Miller said. “So there is obviously a personal interest, but mostly I’m invested because I enjoy it so much.”

“The history of Sacramento is important, and people of Sacramento should be invested, if not because of that, then simply because it is their community and thus their history.”

The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation has been providing historical programming for Sacramento since 1985.

For more information on their mission and various events and programs, check out their site.

Photos by event photographer Tia Gemmell, Riverview Media Photography

Getting Ready to Run

2011-06-07T21:23:22Z

Runners, walkers and outdoor enthusiasts will take to the trails on Saturday, October 8, 2011 when local nonprofit InAlliance hosts the 3rd Annual Gold Rush Fun Run & Walk fundraiser on the El Dorado Trail beginning in Placerville. Participants will weave their way through the Sierra Nevada Foothills in 10 mile, 10K, 5K and 1 mile races along what used to be the Michigan California Lumber Company railway corridor. Following the races, guests will enjoy a Finish Line Celebration featuring refreshments, music, vendors, raffle prizes and awards ceremony. The races will all be chip timed by Synergy Race Timing and all race winners will receive custom medals.

The event is an annual benefit for InAlliance, a local nonprofit that has been serving people with developmental disabilities since 1952. All proceeds will go towards the work and life skills, supported employment and supported living services InAlliance provides to people with developmental disabilities in El Dorado and surrounding counties. Last year, 300 participants finished the race to raise over $8,000; this year organizers hope to double that amount.

Registration is now open online, in person or by mail. Races are open to people of all ages and InAlliance is offering a discount on registration, free raffle tickets and a free eco tumbler to everyone who registers by September 17. For more information visit www.goldrushfunrun.com or email jbean@inallianceinc.com.

Gold, money to be displayed in Sacramento

2011-03-11T01:18:37Z

More than $100 million in rare coins and banknotes will be joining the biggest gold nugget still in existence ~~ever discovered in California~~ next week as the National Money Show comes to Sacramento.

“You’ll never see this much money in one place at any other time,” said Jay Beeton, marketing and education director of the American Numismatic Association, organizers of the National Money Show.

Numismatists collect coins, banknotes and precious metals.

“You don’t have to be a coin collector to enjoy the show,” he added. “If you have an appreciation of history and you want to spend a day doing something different, this is an opportunity to make this a family day.”

In addition to the nearly 9-pound gold nugget discovered last year in Nevada County, the show will include a 1913 Liberty Head nickel – one of only five known, the 1787 Brasher Doubloon – made by George Washington’s neighbor as the first gold coin made in the United States, and one of 15 known 1804 U.S. silver dollars – known as “The King of Coins.”

According to goldprice.org, the current value of gold is more than $1,400 per ounce.

Tying in to local history, there will be a display of California national banknotes produced during the Gold Rush.

“Way back in these days, there were national banks in Long Beach, Sacramento and L.A., and this exhibit features some of the ones produced by those banks,” Beeton said. “They’re very ornate and beautiful.”

As well as items on display, about 500 dealers from across the country will be there to sell and trade coins and other money-related items.

“The U.S. Mint will be there, too,” Beeton said. “(Attendees) can purchase products from the U.S. Mint ... and we do have a prize wheel, where any kid can spin, and they might walk away with an Eisenhower Dollar or an Indian Head cent or an ancient coin, foreign money or a bookmark.”

The show was last in Sacramento in 1999, Beeton said, adding that it’s an exciting introduction to the hobby of coin collecting to beginning numismatists.

“It’s one of the largest events (money collectors) have,” said Nick Rapanos, owner of A & D Coin and Jewelry Exchange at 1621 Fulton Ave., who attended the last show. “The last time they were in town, it drew about 10,000 people.”

Rapanos said the show is a good opportunity for anyone interested in coins and money, and it is being hosted by the Sacramento Valley Coin Club.

“They have a lot of different things you normally only see in magazines,” he said. “They have very, very rare coins. When they had one n San Francisco, they had a 1913 V nickel, and only five known specimens were ever minted.”

The “V nickel” is another term for the Liberty Head nickel, which will be on display at the show in Sacramento.

The items in the show come from the American Numismatic Association’s collection as well as private collections, Beeton said.

The show will be held from 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. from March 17-19 at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.

Admission is $6, and children 12 and younger are admitted for free.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Sutter's Fort Hospital Doctors

2011-02-16T23:53:12Z

In a History of the Sacramento Medical Center, dated April, 1976, it is stated that, "On October 6, 1849 ~~1949~~ , Drs. W. Deal and J. S. Martin opened Sutter’s Fort Hospital - within the fort." We know that General Sutter had sold the fort to William Bayly in late 1849 ~~1949~~ and moved to his Hock farm. Another recent article on Sutter’s Fort says that the hospital was in operation during 1849-1850 in the southeast bastion of the fort. The wording “within the fort” must be to distinguish this from a small, separate adobe building used by Sutter as a hospital.

In December, 1849, the Sacramento Union newspaper carried the following ad:

Sutter’s Fort Hospital

Inside the Fort, formerly conducted by Drs. W. Grove Deal and James S. Martin, is now under the superintendence of Drs. James S. Martin and Benjamin R. Carman.
The Hospital has undergone necessary repairs for the comfortable accommodation of invalids this winter.

Like Dr. James S. Martin, Dr. W. Grove Deal was a practicing physician from Baltimore, MD, but he also was a Methodist preacher on Sundays, went hunting for gold and had other business activities. It is apparent that, by December, the job of running the hospital had fallen to Drs. Martin and Carman. Dr. Martin also had other interests, running for City Council in March of 1850 on the Rancho Ticket, but this probably was a strategic move to protect his hospital. He lost and a Dr. Volney Spaulding, who ran a competing hospital, was on the winning ticket. There were a number of such hospitals by 1850.

These were pretty rough days in Sacramento, cholera was rampant and it must have been difficult to keep a hospital in good shape. In the summer of 1850 a new ad appeared in the Transcript:

Sacramento Transcript, Volume 1, Number 53, 2 July 1850 — Page 5

SUTTER'S FORT HOSPITAL, - inside the Fort, by Drs. James S. Martin and B. R. Carman, having been thoroughly repaired, is now ready for the comfortable accommodation of patients. The salubrity of the location is evident to every one. The Hospital being in a large adobe building, it is exempt from that extreme heat which is incident to this climate during the summer. Terms moderate. References—Dr. T. G. Chapman, Dr. J. B. Bridgman, Dr. S. McClure, Dr. S. P. Thomas, Dr. L. A. Birdsall, Dr. Deal, Dr. W. Bryarly.

So Dr. Deal was still used as a hospital reference.

In August of 1850 there was a revolt by newcomers to Sacramento against holders of land titles given by General Sutter (in his book “Notes of a Voyage to California via Cape Horn”, Samuel C. Upham considers the newcomers to be squatters). Shots were fired and people were killed. The sherriff, the mayor and Dr. Bryarly (see above) were all involved. The state of medicine in those days is shown by the case of Mayor Bigelow, who had to have his thumb amputated and then, when “mortification” set in, was sent to San Francisco where his whole arm was amputated.

All this had occurred in the vicinity of Fort Sutter and it seems quite possible that the hospital was damaged. Doctor Martin may well have been away at the time. Pencilled notes by a grandson of his, Dr. James Lay Martin of Baltimore, state that “He lost everything when someone had taken his hospital and fort when he had gone by clipper ship to Panama to obtain medical supplies.”

This interpretation is supported by the fact that, in November, Drs. Martin and Carman opened a free dispensary:

Sacramento Transcript, Volume 2, Number 12, 7 November 1850 — Page 1

SACRAMENTO CITY DISPENSARY, K STREET, in " Transcript" Building. In anticipation of there being a great deal of distress in our community this season by sickness, the Subscribers, who have been Physicians of the Sutter's Fort Hospital since the first settlement of this city, have opened a FREE OFFICE or General Dispensary, where those who are not able to pay the fees of an attending physician, and all others who may patronise our Establishment, can obtain Medicines at a low rate, and Advice Gratis. JAMES S MARTIN, M.D. and BENJN R CARMAN, M.D.

An adjoining advertisement for a San Francisco dispensary contains a list that may well describe what was meant by “Medicines”:

Drugs and Medicines: Lemon Syrup, Stoughton’s Bitters, Sarsaparilla Mead, Essence Peppermint, Holden’s Disentary Cordial, Fever and Ague Remedy.

Meanwhile the Sacramento City Hospital run by Dr. Vonley Spaulding had gotten into a heap of trouble for its terrible treatment of indigent patrons and had been cited by a local grand jury – a charge that was denied by Spaulding. The City Council sent a committee to investigate and this was Dr. Martin's testimony to the Council as reported in the Sacramento Transcript of Friday November 15, 1850:

DEPOSITION OF DR. JAS. S. MARTIN.

Questions:
1. Please inform me if you were the attending Physician to the City Hospital from the 24th of October, 1850, to the 1st day of Nov., the day on which the visiting committee of the Council made their visit for the purpose of investigating the charges preferred by the Grand Jury ? Ans- I was.
2. Was the report of the Grand Jury sustained by the facts presented to their Committee, when they visited that institution the latter part of October ? Ans-They certainly were to the fullest extent.
3. What was the condition of the beds, bedding and personal vestments of its inmates during your stay there ? Ans- The beds and bedding were in a very filthy condition, generally, in the adobe ward. The beds, bedding and clothes of many of the inmates, and indeed the entire ward itself, were infested with vermin, from the filth that prevailed and general want of cleanliness. Of these facts I spoke to Dr. Stansbury — one of the proprietors — and he said it could not be remedied at that time.
4. Were there bathing establishments connected with the City Hospital, or bathtubs; or was it customary to use ablution and sponging the cutaneous surface of patients in that institution? Ans- There was no bathing establishment whatever in the Hospital, and only one bathing tub, which was used for other purposes. — Less than half the patients were supplied with sheets, and they in a filthy condition, as before remarked. The air in the entire ward was quite offensive, and insalubrious, and unsafe not only for patients but medical attendants. There being no ceiling, and the wall of the building only about nine feet high, of course ill-ventilated and unhealthy in the highest degree.
5. Was it customary to change the linen of patients, and bed clothes, oftener than once in seven or eight days ? Ans- Such was the custom, as the proprietors told me, but they were not changed at all whilst I was there.
6. Did the proprietors, very soon after the visit of the Grand Jury, change the bed clothes and clothing of the inmates? In a word, was there not a general cleaning up a day or two before the visitors sent by the Council came out? Ans. There was a general renovation at that time.
7. Were you, for a time, in the Baltimore Alms House, as one of the resident physicians? Ans- I was.
8. Did you ever observe there, or do you know of any Hospital in Europe or this country, conducted on such principles as above detailed? Ans. I never have, nor do I believe any one else ever did, here or elsewhere.

JAMES S. MARTIN, M. D. Nov. 13, 1850.

So we see that James Stansbury Martin was working at the Sacramento City Hospital by the end of 1850 and it is probable that the Sutter’s Fort Hospital was now closed for business. The record is not clear where he was working for the remainder of his stay in California but we know that he remained in Sacramento and made application to the State Assembly in 1854 for reimbursment for losses he incurred by running the Sutter’s Fort Hospital for the poor and destitute:

THE DAILY UNION
California Legislature – Fifth Session
Sacramento, March 16, 1854
Senate

"Mr. Colby presented a petition from J. S. Martin, M.D., stating that during the years ’49 and ’50 he had suffered a great loss of time and money in attending to destitute sick in the Sutter’s Fort Hospital estabished by him. His losses amounted to $33,124.27, and he received only $8,684, leaving a balance of $22,440.27 due him by the State. Referred to Committee on Claims."

The final Senate Report on this claim states that: "The claimant, at the time of the dispensation of these charities, was a practicing physician and surgeon, and was a member of the Council of Sacramento City. The claim of James S. Martin is for the sum of $22,440.27, and may be readily understood by the examination of the following bill, the same being for the cost, maintenance and charges of a private hospital, kept at Sutter's Fort in 1849." The costs are then itemized.

The document does not say what happened to the hospital and the claim was turned down by the Senate committee because, "they were unanimously of the opinion, that it would be improper for the State to compensate individuals for losses in their business, even though the business should have partaken somewhat, in its nature, of a public benefaction."

The California Farmer San Francisco, May 3, 1855, has the following item, “We have received from the Purser of the Sonora, J. S. Martin, Esq., MD, a fine specimen of coca pod, containing the seed from which the Mexicans make their chocolate. It was brought from Acapulco.” Dr. Martin apparently remained in California until some time after May of 1855, when he returned to Baltimore and married Lucretia Griffith Warfield on April 18, 1857.

The Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 34, p 1084 provides the following biography:

James Stansbury Martin, M.D., died in Baltimore, Md., April 14, aged 76. He was born in that city April 2, 1824, being the son of Dr. Samuel B. Martin, a surgeon of the War of 1812. He was educated at the Baltimore College, took his M.D. at Washington University, Baltimore, in 1844, and was resident physician to the Baltimore Almshouse, 1846-7. He resided in California from 1849 to 1855, and was surgeon to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and founder of Sutter's Fort Hospital. He returned to Baltimore in 1859, where he remained until 1861, when he removed to Brookeville, Md., and practiced there four years. He then returned to Baltimore, where he remained until his death. He was one of the oldest members of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty.

Given the fact that his father, Samuel Blair Martin, MD ~~Samuel Baird Fox, MD,~~ had been a ship’s surgeon for much of his career, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company was certainly a very logical job opportunity for his oldest son. An uncle named Isaac White Martin was a clipper ship captain and the family must have had excellent connections in the maritime industry. What is a little unclear is whether James Martin left Baltimore before or after he knew of the discovery of gold and whether he maintained a connection with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company after he got to California. A little history of the company seems in order.

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company had been founded with the idea of providing mail and cargo service from San Francisco to Panama, where the goods would be transported to the Atlantic side to be picked up by other steamships bound for ports on the East Coast. Remember that the treaty with Mexico had been signed on March 10, 1848 and California was now U.S. Territory. The first three ships of this line were the California, the Oregon and the Panama. All were new, wooden-hull, side-paddle-wheel steamers, about 200 feet long, that had come around Cape Horn. The California left New York on October 6, 1848, before news of the discovery of gold had gotten to the East Coast, and arrived in San Francisco on February 28, 1849, having picked up hundreds of gold-seekers in Panama who had gotten the word in December, while the California was en-route. Most of the passengers and crew decamped immediately for the gold country, so service back to Panama had to be delayed.

General Smith, new commander of US Army forces in the Pacific was on the California and William Tecumseh Sherman – who had already been in California for several years - boarded the ship to greet him. All this is in Sherman’s Memoirs.

The Oregon left New York on Dec. 8, 1848 and arrived in San Francisco Bay on April 1, 1849. Captain Pearson moored his ship in Sausalito, would not let his crew desert the ship, loaded on coal and made the first of many scheduled mail trips down to Panama and back. The Oregon carried a number of Army and Navy personnel who picked Mare Island for the Navy base and Benicia for the Army arsenal. The Pacific Mail Steamship Company also selected Benicia as their depot, avoiding the hundreds of idle ships moored off San Francisco.

The Panama left New York on Feb. 15 and arrived in San Francisco (presumably at Benicia) on June 4, 1849 and there were now three ships in the mail service to Panama and back. Actually the Panama would have been second to arrive but had to turn back to New York because of an engine failure.

It seems probable that Dr. James Stansbury Martin knew of the Gold Rush and was on either the Oregon or the Panama as ship’s surgeon. His biographers say that Dr. Martin held this position from 1849 through 1855 but we now know that he had many other duties in Sacramento. How he managed to do this is a mystery but it is known that the Pacific Mail Steamship Company did maintain a service to Sacramento during this period and he must have had an understanding with them.

Dr. Martin had a younger brother, William H. Martin, who came to California in December, 1849, as an 18 year old messenger for the Adams Express Company, subsequently making many trips back and forth from San Francisco and New York. He then remained in California and, in 1868, became Land Commissioner for the “California Immigrant Union”, a colonizing effort that brought many new settlers to the state. In 1872, he wrote the introduction to All About California, a book put together by the California Immigrant Union that received very wide distribution.

Dr. W. Grove Deal was also a physician from Baltimore, arriving in California in the Spring of 1849 by way of Panama. The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Volume 42, p 477, has the following description:

"Among those who came to Auburn in May, 1849, was Dr. Deal of Baltimore, a physician and a Methodist preacher. He was very enthusiastic in stating his purpose to become one of the " honest miners," and calling a gathering together with a long tin dinner-horn, he expressed his intention to dig with them, and to institute divine worship the next Sunday, and he closed by making the hills echo with a cheery hymn. Monday morning's sunrise saw the doctor in the mines with tin pan, pick, and shovel. Eleven o'clock saw him with his shovel battered, his pick broken, his hands bruised and blistered, and his clothes muddy, placing his tools and tin horn in a wagon bound for Sutter's Fort. It was well he did, for together with another good Samaritan he leased a part of Sutter's Fort for a hospital, and when the forlorn bands of immigrants reached the Fort they found medical attention and care, which in many cases saved life or eased the passage to the grave."

Dr. Deal was quite an orator and served as an Assembly Member during the first session of the California Legislature. Apparently, he also went back East later on since he served honorably as a Surgeon during the Civil War. His son, W. E. F. Deal, came to California in 1859 and made quite a name for himself as a lawyer, establishing a practice in both California and Nevada, according to the History of the Bench and Bar of California.

Joseph M. Fox, III
February, 2011

Gold Rush Days returns to Old Sacramento

2010-09-04T00:12:30Z

Old Sacramento’s streets are once again dirt, and about 150 volunteers are dressed in their best 1850s fashion as the area reverts back to its rich history for Labor Day weekend.

Visitors can rumble down the streets in a horse-drawn carriage, refresh themselves at the Stinking Tent Saloon, pan for gold and then gamble away their findings at one of the more lecherous tents in the frontier tent city that sprung up overnight in front of the Sacramento History Museum on First and I streets.

“I think it’s really important for people now to know about the history that was happening right here in that time period,” said Janessa West, public programs coordinator for the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Gold Rush Days in Old Sacramento has been held for the past 11 years, and West said she expects even higher traffic this year than in years past, since the fair is not open like it has been, having had its dates moved up a month.

Volunteer Jan Bullard, who for the weekend is Addie Carter – gambler and hostess of the Stinking Tent Saloon – said visitors to her tent can partake in “games for all ages, music, prestidigitation (that’s sleight of hand to modern folks) and the best sarsaparilla this side of Donner Pass.”

At noon and 3 p.m. Friday, the Sierra Nevada Mormon pioneers fired off a replica of one of the cannons Sutter’s Fort would have mounted.

“We enjoy discussing early California history with the public, from pre-Gold Rush to the discovery of gold,” said Peter Guilbert, commandant of the pioneers.

On Friday, hundreds of schoolchildren attended the event, including 9-year-old Anna Kirchgater Elementary School student Connor Jacobs, who got a crash course in doing laundry pioneer-style.

“I’m learning a lot about history,” Connor said. “My favorite was the train museum.”

Eddie Douglas, father of one of Connor’s classmates, said he thought the school’s field trip to the event was a great way for the students to learn history firsthand.

Volunteer J.D. Borthwick agreed.

“Bringing the 1850s to the 21st century is a wonderful thing,” he said. “This venue has been going for a decade. It’s a fixture of Labor Day in Sacramento.”

The event is free and open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday.

Prepaid parking is available for $8 at Tower Garage (near Tower Bridge) and nearby Old Sacramento Garage (entrance on I Street).

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Design Dialogue: Evolving riverfront

2010-05-27T05:44:35Z

The Urban Design Alliance's Design Dialogue made two things clear Wednesday night: A consensus is growing, at least among planners, that the time has come to turn the waterfront into a regional destination, but that won't be a quick, easy task for either side of the Sacramento River.

Attitudes toward the riverfront have begun to change. It's only been in the last 10 to 15 years that the community has begun to see the waterfront as a desirable place to be, said Rachel Hazelwood, a senior planner with the city of Sacramento.

But a fairly negative image of the rivers still presents one of the biggest challenges to change. While the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers is one of the area's defining features, many long-time Sacramentans still see the waterways and adjacent land as little more than polluted industrial resources and the source of flooding, said panelists and guests.

"We've turned our backs on the rivers in the past," said Beth Tincher, a city senior project manager focusing on waterfront redevelopment projects. "It's time to embrace them."

Tincher and Hazelwood were among four presenters at the Design Dialogue entitled "On The Riverfront: Exploring Sacramento’s Evolving Riverfront." More than 30 people attended the event at the American Institute of Architects Sacramento chapter office at 1400 S St.

In the 19th century, rivers were the freeways. The city was built on the Sacramento River during the Gold Rush, leading the waterfront to become the region's economic hub, said William Burg, an author of local history books and vice president of the Sacramento County Historical Society.

The river's character changed by 1930 due to industry and pollution. Wealthier residents fled east and immigrants took up residence in segregated neighborhoods, he said.

Those uses have had a strong impact on the riverfront. Development projects and other efforts to more fully utilize the rivers and transform them into a destination for locals and tourists are under way in Sacramento and West Sacramento. The two cities are working under a joint vision outlined in the Sacramento Riverfront Master Plan, last updated in 2005.

Plans have been developed for increasing "connectivity" to and across the water, building new waterfront neighborhoods, building parkways along the river and reducing I-5 freeway congestion. West Sacramento has been building "private" or universal streets that will allow bikes, pedestrians and emergency vehicles to access the river, while also serving as a location for farmers' markets and other activities when needed.

Current projects include the Docks Area and Riverfront Promenade and Powerhouse Science Center in Sacramento and development of the Bridge District in West Sacramento.

Decisions made by business and land owners long ago have left challenges for creating "vibrant neighborhoods" today. Many projects that have already been planned could take three to 20 years to complete, Tincher said.

Contamination and complex property ownership are just two of the obstacles. Challenges also arise from the many federal, state and local regulations concerning the environment, flooding, wildlife, vegetation, limitations on building near levees, redevelopment in historic areas and more. Private developers are very hesitant to take on projects with such challenges, panelists said.

Public improvements will be slow because of the regulatory environment and the lack of public funding, said Katy Jacobson, a senior project manager for West Sacramento.

"We see this rising organically over long periods of time," she said.

Photos by Eric Whalen. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter covering business and development for The Sacramento Press.

Gold Rush Days take Sacramento back in time

2009-09-06T02:02:09Z

On the corner of J and 2nd Streets, a man with a sheriff's star and gun holster slung around his waist cupped his hands and loudly announced, "Citizens of Sacramento! The mayor of Sacramento has an announcement!"

If you were expecting Kevin Johnson to address the growing crowd of bystanders, you were sure to be disappointed. Saturday's Gold Rush Days hosted plenty of important Sacramentans, circa 1850.

The free four-day event took over Old Sacramento with 200 tons of dirt and about 200 reenactors in 1850s-style garb.

Attendees milled around the Embarcadero Tent City, a field of canvas tents that featured 1850 institutions such as a blacksmith, lace-maker, tinsmith, dentist, Mormon battalion, the justice of peace and the "Stinking Tent Saloon," where thirsty patrons could purchase root beer and its original predecessor, sarsaparilla.

"It tastes just like root beer, but with a stronger kick," said one "barmaid" after taking a swig.

The tent city offered a variety of characters that offered up detailed accounts of their lives. Samuel Brannan, who proudly distinguished himself as California's first millionaire, chatted with those who stopped by the Mormon battalion tent about his part in the Gold Rush, the Mormon immigrant trail and how he became one of the state's wealthiest men.

Sophie Flaherty, a a volunteer with Sacramento Living History — an organization that participates in events to educate about, promote and revive Old Sacramento — said many people dress in period costume to take on a persona of someone who actually existed in the 1850s.

"If I were to be in costume, I would be a woman who sells cats," said contemporary-dressed Flaherty. "But I would get into my character too much, and would miss all the great events going on."

Embarcadero Tent City was only the beginning of what Gold Rush Days had in store for its participants. On the corner of K Street and Firehouse Alley were two large roped-off sections where groups such as The Blue Canyon Gang and Sierra Nevada Guns for Hire treated viewers with Old West reenactments of bar scenes and gunfights.

One performance dubbed "Squatters Riot" pitted the sheriff and mayor of Sacramento against the squatters who threatened, according to the sheriff, to "take our land and disrupt our way of life." A shoot-out occurred between the two camps, with the sheriff and his band of followers ending up as the last men standing.

The Eagle Theater, at the corner of J and Front streets, played authentic Gold Rush-era films and also hosted events such as a Gold Rush Era fashion show, a lecture on the history of California and music in the Gold Rush era.

One event that consistently drew busy crowds was gold-panning. Adults and children flocked to the waist-high troughs of water and sand to mine as much of the precious metal as possible. They then brought their finds to the adjacent "Adams Company Bank" where they could exchange their treasure for paper currency.

"It's [Paper currency is] safer than carrying gold around in your pocket — no one will rob you," said Ashley Sianez, a fourth-year participant in Gold Rush Days. "It also teaches about the gold mining experience. You couldn't just mine a ton of gold and become immediately rich, and most people mined small amounts and then spent whatever amount they made. We're kind of mimicking the reality of it."

The day concluded with a Johnny Cash tribute band playing favorites to a crowd of 100, such as "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Ring of Fire," on the Save Mart Stage. The nostalgic tunes seemed a fitting end to a day that celebrated California's past in impressive detail.

"[Gold Rush Days] provides a look back then," Flaherty said. "It facilitates a deep appreciation for what it was like back then, and perhaps helps to evaluate how one looks at our current time now."

Sacramento Gold Rush Days runs until Sept. 9. For more information, click here.

Gold Rush Gambling

2009-08-20T03:54:18Z

Sacramento gamblers tired of driving to Las Vegas to get their gaming fix can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sacramento History Museum is bringing the games to Old Sac with the first-ever Gold Rush Gambling Day. Although the dealers may be playing Three Card Monte instead of Texas Hold 'Em and the sinning might give way to educational outreach, it still promises to be a fun day.

The event, which will be held on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sacramento History Museum (101 I St.), is one of the weekend events that the museum holds every second and fourth Saturday. It is expected to last about one hour.

The day will begin with a lecture about Gold Rush-era gambling games and life in the typical saloon by one of the museum's docents. This will be followed by an opportunity to give the games a try, although the official game list will depend on the day's attendance.

Although this is the first time the museum has had a formal Gold Rush Gambling Day, the museum has held numerous gambling activities.

"We've had classes before, and we've had events at the Gold Rush Days event which is coming up," said Janessa West, a museum educator at the Sacramento History Museum.

Citizens hoping to participate will simply have to pay the normal entrance fee, which is $4 for youth and $5 for adults. But West certainly didn't want the fee to discourage potential attendees. "If you like to gamble, if you like to play cards, then this is a great way to learn the roots of many of the games we play today," she said. Besides, it's a lot cheaper than Vegas.

Traces of Italy in Sacramento

2009-08-01T03:17:50Z

Sacramento's Italian community is known to produce gourmet food, but there's much more to the community than Biba, Sofia's and Hot Italian.

With this weekend's Festa Italian opening Saturday and running through Sunday at The Croatian Culture Center, we take a look back at the role Italian immigrants and their descendants played in Sacramento's history.

Italian Americans have a long history in the Sacramento area. Agriculture and food processing are just some of the many successes of Italian Americans who settled in the area in the early 1850s, but their successes are hardly limited to that.

Early Italian Americans

Many of the earliest Gold Rush settlers who migrated in the "Mother Lode" area surrounding Sacramento were from the Liguria region of Italy -- specifically the city of Genoa. That was followed by a second wave of Italian immigrants from other areas such as the Veneto region.

By 1880 an estimated 10,000 people from the area around Genoa began to dominate the farming industries to meet the demands of the local population. The people are known as "The Genovese," which also refers to the regional Italian dialect they speak.

By the end of the century, Italians were one of the largest groups of immigrants working in the deep gold mines. But they were also masons, woodcutters and ranchers.

The Italians continued to thrive after the Gold Rush, Italian farmers produced large amounts wine, olive oil and other crops. Italian fishermen established themselves on the Northern California coast.

After the Gold Rush, Ligurians Antonio Cerruti and Marco Fantana founded the Del Monte canned food label. Giovanni Lombardo built the Lombardo Winery in El Dorado County, which is now the award-winning Boeger Winery.

Domenico Ghiradelli, who had traveled through the Gold Rush towns selling chocolate and candy, settled in San Francisco and built a chocolate empire. Many local Italian Americans shared similar stories of success.

"Italians in Sacramento had a concentrated community," said Bill Cerruti, founder and executive director of the Italian Cultural Society. "Many had farms and lived in East Sacramento near East Portal Park."

By the mid-1900s, the community, now unofficially referred to by elders as "Little Italy," had a weekly newspaper called La Capitale, which ran from 1906 to 1945, as well as festivals and dinners.

Men were known to play bocce ball in East Portal Park. The group is now the East Portal Bocce Club.

Italian American Internment

As America’s involvement in World War II became imminent, many Japanese, German and Italian immigrants in Sacramento were detained and forced to relocate. Italians, who were at the time the largest immigrant group in the United States, were interned, restricted and taken from their homes.

"Ten thousand were forced to relocate," Cerruti said. "The Exclusion Act used on Italian Americans destroyed the [Northern California coastal] fishing industry."

After the end of the war, Italians built East Sacramento's St. Mary's Catholic Church in 1948. This was the "golden era" of the community, according to Cerruti.

Italians from other areas in the city moved to East Sacramento, and the community reached new heights. But in the 1960s, Cerruti explained, many second generation Italian Americans looked to drop their "foreign" identity to assimilate into a more "American" identity. The next generation, in the '70s and '80s, wanted to learn about their Italian roots again.

Italian Cultural Society

In 1981 Cerruti created the Italian Cultural Society (ICS) with several goals in mind. His dream was to create a newsletter, have a location where Italians could gather and learn to speak Italian and hold a cultural festival. All of these dreams were realized in the first five years of the ICS' operation, which was originally headquartered in a room at the Sierra 2 Community Center in Curtis Park.

As the ICS grew, so did the need for new facilities. The group used a second classroom in the Sierra Center and other facilities such as Cal Expo and the Croatian Cultural Center, for its festivals.

Then, in 2007, the ICS moved into a building in Carmichael, near Carmichael Park.

Complete with custom marble flooring, a library, four classrooms, a full kitchen, a ballroom with multimedia equipment and alabaster chandeliers and a patio overlooking Carmichael Park, the Italian Cultural Center is a sight to behold.

Cerruti took out a mortgage for the center, located at 6821 Fair Oaks Blvd. The biggest question is how to pay it off.

"Basically we figured to pay it off in 10 years," Cerruti said. That was before the economy tanked. Now the ICS must cut costs and hold more fund-raising efforts, he said.

Currently the ICS has more than 1,000 members, and its monthly newsletter Altre Voci (other voices) is sent to nearly 11,000 households. Annually, more than 1,000 students attend 13 levels of Italian language classes at the center.

The original location in the Sierra 2 Community Center still holds half of the ICS' language classes.

Lately, Cerruti said, traditional dinner dances have become less popular. In order to increase community involvement, a youth group named Gioventú formed to bring together a younger 18- to 40-year-old Italian American crowd.

"I'm amazed at the activity in the Italian American community," Cerruti said. "Right now there's more activity than ever before, due to a revitalization in Italian American culture."

A "Hot" Italian

Igor De Angelis is one young Italian immigrant from Milan who wants to bring an authentic Italian flavor to the community. Currently working as a waiter at Hot Italian, Igor's dream is to be a successful rapper.

"It was an obsession," De Angelis said of his love of hip hop. "My dream was always to make my music."

As a teenager, he became a member of a graffiti team, break danced and studied the lyrics of American emcees. After moving to the United States to pursue his dream, he bought a laptop and began making beats.

By chance, De Angelis ran into an old friend of 2Pac's, who listened to his music. She told De Angelis that his beats were better than many other musicians’ who had been in the industry for years.

This motivated him to find a recording studio, and he eventually record an album. In 2008, De Angelis was finally able to achieve his dream of creating his own album, called La Nona - The Ninth District of Milan, rapped almost entirely in Italian. It was recorded under the stage name "Rigo of Di Casa Nostra."

"Rigo" was his nickname name back in Milan, when he was in a graffiti crew called Di Casa Nostra, or DCN for short. It means "our house."

A single from the album, "Grand Prix," was recently played on Yuba City's KRYC 105.9. Having a friend tell him, "I heard your song on the radio," De Angelis said, was a great moment.

Festa Italiana

This weekend, everyone is Italian at Festa Italiana. The ICS' 24th annual celebration of all things Italian will be held Aug. 1-2 at the Croatian Cultural Center at 3730 Auburn Blvd. (The Italian Cultural Center would hardly hold the estimated 3,500 attendees)

The highlights include an Italian marketplace, car show, children’s activities, festival queen pageant, bocce ball, music and dancing. The festival features food from Northern California's Italian restaurants and caterers. On the menu is calamari from Monterey Bay Calamari, lasagna from La Famiglia and Gelato from Hot Italian, among other dishes. The ICS describes the festival as "like attending two-day wedding reception."

Festa Italiana will take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10. Visit italiancenter.net for more information.

Gold Rush Ghosts Saga: A Haunting in Arnold

2008-10-25T10:13:06Z

Gold Rush Ghosts Saga: A Haunting in Arnold
By Paul Dale Roberts, General Manager/Ghostwriter

Date: October 17, 2008, Friday.
Briefing at Paul's Home conducted at 1900 hours.
Arrival Time at Arnold Residence: 2200 hours.
Time investigation Seance Ended: 0400 hours.
Debriefing for the Occupants/Investigators at 0415 hours. Conducted by Lead: Paul Dale Roberts.
Arrival time back to Elk Grove: 0530 hours.

Nancy Bradley - Celebrity Psychic of Ghost Girls www.ghostgirls.net and Robert Reppert of Gold Rush Ghosts www.goldrushghosts.com receive a phone call from Amy Lynn and Vincent Scotto. A frantic Amy explains to Nancy that her home is haunted. Nancy explains to me what the situation is and asks if I would take on the assignment. I agree. I immediately started looking through my dossier of possible paranormal investigators for this case. Amy wants her story told. I decided to bring along the following: Chantal Apodaca, Lia La Bella, Tony Gold and Leatherface. Tony Gold and Leatherface would be able to document any paranormal events for their production company - Off-the-Hook TV.

Tagging along with us would be the media from Stockton, representing the Stockton Record: Christine & Paul J. Taylor. The road to Arnold is a long road. There is a certain part of the road, I call the roller coaster ride road. The road goes up and then it goes down, up and down...well, you get the picture. We past by Murphys and I glance at the very haunted Murphy's Hotel, a place I once visited, but never investigated. Murphy's Hotel first opened in 1856. It is 83 miles southeast of Sacramento. It has hosted notable guests including Mark Twain, John Jacob Astor, and President Ulysses S. Grant. Manager Roxana McClelland says that ghosts are really active and plenty of strange happenings such as "lights on in rooms and signs that someone has been on a bed, even though no one has rented the room and the door was locked."

I was tempted to take my crew into Murphy's Hotel, but decided it was getting late and we needed to get to Arnold, where Amy Lynn Scotto (occupant) would be waiting for us at a Chevron Station at Arnold. Amy was patiently waiting for us and lead us to her gorgeous two-story home in Arnold. We met her husband Vincent and her two playful black Labradors.

On this night, Christine, Leatherface and I would conduct our interview with Amy by pen and notepad, recorder and video recorder. After the interview, teams would be split up to investigate the 2nd floor bedrooms and basement where there was the most activity. Later, lights would be turned off and a second round of investigations would commence. After the 2nd investigation sweep, then we would perform a seance in the most haunted bedroom on the 2nd floor.

Interviewing Amy, we discovered:
They lived in this home for 3.5 years.

In the first 2 or 3 months living in this home, they started to witness activity.

Amy once went into the back room and felt hands on her back.

Amy feels she is a sensitive and has identified 3 entities. Timothy - a 7-year old, an entity that followed Amy to this new home from the place she once lived. The second entity is the ex-girlfriend of Vincent that followed Vincent to this new home. The third entity has always been here. The entity is a black shadow, only the head and torso can be seen and it appears to be a male. Amy feels the third entity is a negative entity.

Amy discovered she was a sensitive at the age of 8 years old.

Amy brought objects from her other home to this new home and feels Timothy followed her to this home, because he was attached to the objects she had brought over.

Amy said at the other home, there was paranormal activity. The stove would come on, on its own. The thermostat would turn on, on its own.

While at this home, one of the strangest incidents is that her friend was sleeping on the bed in the most haunted bedroom n the second floor and was pushed off the bed by Timothy.

Her home is located near a powerline, a good conduit for energy consumption, if there are entities in her home.

People in her home, have felt hands on their backs.

People have felt cold chills in her home.

The thermostat will change temperatures on its own.

Moving shadows have been seen on the second floor steps.

Diane the entity has actually talked to Amy and told her to calm down during stressful times and will comfort her.

Diane will pat Amy on the back during the comforting stage.

Footsteps have been on heard on the second floor and their cat will stare at areas of the house where there is nothing there.

With my interview with Vincent, he has only witnessed the thermostat changing temperatures and had a professional electrician look at the wiring and there was nothing wrong with the wiring of the home.

FINDINGS:
Note: I will not try to identify each investigator to what they saw, I will keep the identity of the investigators generic, because it would be too hard to try and identify what investigator experienced what. Even though their were many experiences, the investigation is inconclusive and hard evidence that this home is haunted is elusive. Further studies of this house is warranted.

During our investigation of this home, the following incidents occurred:
The rocking chair on the second floor rocked on its own for a period of 30 seconds and then stopped, this was witnessed by one investigator and one occupant. This occurred during the time that Leatherface was filming upstairs and the rocking chair area became distorted. Leatherface's video went off during the rocking of the chair, no evidence is obtained of this event.
One investigator felt a sharp coldness on her hand as she investigated the basement.

Seance Activities:
Strange movements were heard in the attic. When looking in the attic, no signs of an animal could be found. The roof is unobtainable to wildlife. The attic was exceptionally clean. Note: These strange movements were also heard during the initial investigation by 4 investigators.
We asked the entities if they could tap on the wall - everyone in the seance heard a minor one tap on the wall. The taps occurred perhaps 14 times. To indicate intelligence, we asked for 2 taps. Two investigators claim to have heard 2 slight taps on the wall, while other investigators did not hear it.
Two investigators claimed to have seen a multicolored orb cross the wall with their own eyes, while other investigators did not see it.
Two investigators claimed to have heard footsteps in the hallway, while others did not hear it.
Two investigators heard a muffled sound of either a woman or child, while others did not hear it.
Walkie talkes were set up in the seance and no transmissions took place.
Paul conducted a hedge of protection prayer on the two seances that were conducted this evening. Two lighted candles were placed in the seance circle.
Closing prayer was performed.
Facilitators for the seance were conducted by Chantal, Lia and Amy.

Investigation & Seance Final Results to this date: Inconclusive. Pending are any EVP results.

Equipment used: Two video cameras, 4 digital cameras, 3 digital recorders, 1 temperature gauge.

Paul Dale Roberts, Lead Investigator's Final Comments:
I believe there could be activity at this home, but plausible explanations need to be looked at further, such as wildlife activity near the home. Raccoons, opossums, deer were seen outside of the home. Since the investigation lasted throughout the night, fatigue may have set in for most of the investigators, causing sensations and visual sightings to occur that could have been misinterpreted. EVPs are still pending from this investigation. Digital photographs display unusual orb activity and in one case a strange shadow configuration near a curtain. Orb photographs cannot be deemed paranormal, unless some type of intelligent response by orb(s) can be obtained. I would say this is a House of Mystery, because there was activity that was seen or felt, that people could perceive as 'paranormal'. As I left this family and their home, I could only wonder at the activity I had witnessed. What was real and what was not real? Like I said, this is a House of Mystery. The Ghost Girls - Nancy Bradley and Shannon McCabe are waiting for the final EVP results of this investigation.

To see pictures of this investigation, go here:
http://www.meetup.com/HPI-International/photos/?photoId=5918147&photoAlbumId=461120

Paul Dale Roberts, HPI General Manager, Paranormal Investigator & Ghostwriter
Haunted and Paranormal Investigations International
www.HPI.paranormal.net
www.ghostgirls.net
www.GoldRushGhosts.com
www.nancybradley.org
WPRT Paranormal Radio - Content Editor
Email: JazmaPika@cs.com
Paranormal Cellular Hotline: 916 203 7503 (for comments on this story).

Special Note: Christine & Paul J. Taylor of the Stockton Record are actually Christine & Paul J. Teldeschi.
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