Angels Camp and the California Goldrush
Snoqualmie Falls in a time of COVID-19
Okay, for those of you unfamiliar with the Pacific
Northwest, Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot waterfall on the Snoqualmie River,
between the cities of Fall River and Snoqualmie, Washington. Perhaps it is
easier to visualize if I just tell you that from downtown Seattle, get on eastbound Interstate 90 and drive for about fifty minutes and you will run right
into it. There is free parking, a gift shop, a nice lodge, and a 1.4-mile round trip hiking path that runs from the upper viewing area down to a lower viewing
platform. Of course, the real star is the falls themselves. They are beautiful year-round,
but I gather that some dedicated individuals drive up there after a few days of
heavy rain to get a view of the falls on steroids.
The falls have been a spiritual site for Native Americans for thousands of years. The Snoqualmie Tribe, a subgroup of the Coastal Salish people, would gather at the falls each year for trade. (See the official website for a complete history.) Anglo-American settlers moved into the area after the middle of the nineteenth century. Soon after came industrialization. The 1870s brought logging operations. The 1880s brought a town and a railroad. The 1890s brought a hydro-electric powerplant still operating today.
We are still working with COVID-19 restrictions and I was
happy to see that although viewing the falls is an outdoor activity, a vast
majority of people were wearing their masks and doing their best to stay
socially distanced. That social distancing was easily accomplished up top and
on the trail down. But as you get to the bottom, the trail narrows to a
boardwalk that goes past the old 1911 powerplant building and out to a viewing
platform. Unfortunately, when we got down there, it was busy. A crowd that
could stay distanced in the upper viewing area could not on the sidewalk-width
of the boardwalk. Folks were patient and queued up nose-to-back along the
boardwalk waiting for their turn to go out onto the viewing platform. But that’s
not the point.
Everyone was cooperating and waiting their turn. That was great. But there was no guide or park ranger (this is not a state or national park) to keep people distanced. And hardly anyone would have seen this situation as dangerous while we are fighting a pandemic. We decided it was not worth it and left the line after about a minute when we realized that it could very well be a “super spreader.” I am writing that tongue-in-cheek, but it is true. Sheila and I both have had the “Rona” virus as some of my students call it. Trust me. You do not want it. And we didn’t want to get it again.
Enjoy the pictures and videos. Stop by and see Snoqualmie Falls when
you are driving from Spokane to Seattle. It is worth the stop. Look at the Falls
and think of a much longer history that you are seeing. And double-down on those
protocols: mask, wash hands, stay distanced. The only way to get through the
pandemic is with a little dose of discipline and good judgment.
The California State Railroad Museum
Memories from a pre-covid trip...
Our Oregon Field Trip: Fort Clatsop
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| Map image from NPS |
The Whalers Cabin at Point Lobos
Welcome to Monterey Bay!
We tried retirement, it just didn't stick. In reality, I just took the summer and fall off. That was long enough to get me back to work. Since January, Sheila and I have been living on Monterey Bay in the central California coast. I'm back to teaching alt ed high school, currently at a county juvenile hall. When you mention this area, most people probably think of beautiful views of a rocky coastline, Big Sur, or Cannery Row. But there is no doubt that there is a lot of history here in the Monterey - Salinas area too, especially compared to the rest of California. I wanted to share with you a hidden gem where you can get both scenic beauty and a little dose of history: Whalers Cove at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.
Point Lobos SNR is just a short ten mile drive south on Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Traveling south on Hwy 1, about a mile or two outside of Carmel you will make a right turn into the reserve. It costs ten dollars per car to get in, but totally worth it. Come early (the reserve opens to vehicles at 8 am), because this can be a popular place. I know I said it is a hidden gem, but that doesn't mean that the locals don't know about it. The ranger at the main gate can give you a map and directions, but it is a short drive to the parking lot at Whalers Cove. From there, you take a short walk back up the road to the Whalers Cabin museum that you drove by on your way in.
Take a break from the scenery and check out the long history of Point Lobos. The area has been occupied by non-native Americans since the 1850s. Until 1879, this spot was one of seven whaling stations along the California coast. Portuguese immigrants started shore-based whaling at this location. Crews would row out of the calmness of the small cove and past the breaking waves to hunt the grey whales that migrate up and down the California coast. You can still spot these giants as they pass by on their way south from Alaska to their breeding and calving lagoons in Baja during December through January. Or you might spot them as they return to their feeding grounds in the north, passing Monterey Bay from March through May. Of course there is more to the history of this particular spot. A community of Asian fishermen hunted abalone and canned the product here. There was a granite quarry here. The cove was used as the shipping point for a nearby coal mine. And troops trained here for specific missions during World War II. See artifacts and pictures of each of these periods in the small museum located in the Whalers Cabin.
Luckily, Point Lobos was never developed as any kind of residential property. Ownership eventually passed to the state of California, and the site was made into an ecological reserve in 1973. That also includes 775 acres of underwater reserve, the first designated in the United States. That's good for us normal folks because the real treat here is the views of plants and animals and rocky California coast. On the day that we went, we saw sea lions, an otter, and plenty of birds. The best way to see it all is to walk. Hiking trails honeycomb the shoreline around the point. There are three main parking areas, so you'd never have to walk more than a mile from your car. Or you can leave the car where it is and walk the whole point and probably not log more than five miles.
When you vacation to Monterey, take the opportunity to visit Point Lobos. It is very accessible and worth the time to stop. If I haven't sold you on visiting, then take a look at the Whalers Cove Live Stream, or take a virtual hike with Google street view. When you do come, bring a light jacket or sweatshirt as the coast here gets a marine layer at times that can be a bit chilly, especially if you just left the warmer interior.
Take a break from the scenery and check out the long history of Point Lobos. The area has been occupied by non-native Americans since the 1850s. Until 1879, this spot was one of seven whaling stations along the California coast. Portuguese immigrants started shore-based whaling at this location. Crews would row out of the calmness of the small cove and past the breaking waves to hunt the grey whales that migrate up and down the California coast. You can still spot these giants as they pass by on their way south from Alaska to their breeding and calving lagoons in Baja during December through January. Or you might spot them as they return to their feeding grounds in the north, passing Monterey Bay from March through May. Of course there is more to the history of this particular spot. A community of Asian fishermen hunted abalone and canned the product here. There was a granite quarry here. The cove was used as the shipping point for a nearby coal mine. And troops trained here for specific missions during World War II. See artifacts and pictures of each of these periods in the small museum located in the Whalers Cabin.
Luckily, Point Lobos was never developed as any kind of residential property. Ownership eventually passed to the state of California, and the site was made into an ecological reserve in 1973. That also includes 775 acres of underwater reserve, the first designated in the United States. That's good for us normal folks because the real treat here is the views of plants and animals and rocky California coast. On the day that we went, we saw sea lions, an otter, and plenty of birds. The best way to see it all is to walk. Hiking trails honeycomb the shoreline around the point. There are three main parking areas, so you'd never have to walk more than a mile from your car. Or you can leave the car where it is and walk the whole point and probably not log more than five miles.
D-day plus 75 years and other stories to be heard.
I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that even if you
are not a fan of history, but you participate in social media, or certainly if
you watch the evening news, you know that it is the 75th anniversary
of the WWII Allied invasion of France. Over the past eight years we’ve had a
number of significant anniversaries of our country’s military history. They
include the 150th anniversary events that took place during the
American civil war, the 100th anniversary of WWI battles, and now
the 75th anniversary of World War II and the 50th
anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing. I appreciate these benchmark anniversaries
because like James Holzauer’s winning streak bringing new fans to Jeopardy, the
buzz about the anniversary of a significant historical event will make more
people take note and hopefully learn about these great trials and triumphs of
our past. The difference between the 75th anniversary of the
Normandy invasion and the other wars mentioned is that we still have a lot of
regular people who can tell us what it was like.
Surviving veterans and eyewitnesses to the Second World War
are in their nineties. I heard on ABC News the other night that over 300 World
War II veterans pass away every day. And the thought occurred to me that we
aren’t considering how many non-veterans we are losing who can tell us what it
was like on the home front during the war years. Of course I love my military
history, but one of the most fascinating and educational places I’ve visited is
the Rosie the Riveter and WWII on the Home Front National Historical Park. There
is a lot to learn from those who stayed home, worked, and sacrificed to win the
war.
And what about veterans and civilians from other countries? When
it comes to meeting folks from our “Greatest Generation,” I’m lucky to be a
baby boomer. When I was in my twenties most WWII veterans were in their sixties,
so I have met a few in my time. Moreover, having been stationed in Germany for
three years, I met a few German veterans and civilians who experienced the
tragedy of war first hand. My landlord’s father (I called him “Opa Willie”)
fought on the Russian front, but deserted at the end of the war so that he
could surrender to American forces. Good thing he did. I dated a German woman
for a while whose father was a POW held by the Russians. They did not
repatriate him for eleven years. And I met that girl’s apartment manager, who
was married at age 19 and only spent three weeks with her husband before he
went off to fight in the war. He never returned and remained missing in action.
She never remarried.
As an aside, do you think that Germany has learned from its
history? I think so. When I visited the concentration camp at Dachau, I saw
school children arrive on a bus for a field trip. That is just one example of
how the Germans don’t hide from their past. This week, Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the Allies for “liberating Germany from the Nazis.” I’m sorry, but I
just can’t see the United States being that forthright, especially when you
read reports that say that only about forty percent (40%) of Americans can correctly answer the history questions on the citizenship exam.
I regret that I didn’t start a serious study of history
until after my years in the army. I believe my conversations with the veterans
I had met would have taken a different turn. Like many young people, I had
different priorities. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wish I could go back and
take the opportunity to conduct an in-depth oral history interview with all of these
people I’ve met over the years. Of course, there are members of this great
generation still with us. And it is not too late to hear their stories and it
is never too late to learn our history, so that we don’t have to repeat it.
End of the Oregon Trail
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| There is a nice garden display and plenty of outdoor seating for a picnic. |
I never played the Oregon Trail computer game when I was a kid. But I've been fascinated by the Oregon Trail most of my life. Some day I'm going to devote a vacation to traveling the the modern day route and visit all of the sites and museums along the way. But while we are here in Oregon, I can at least say that I visited the end of the trail.
The early history of the state of Oregon can be generalized in decades. The fur trappers were here in the 1810s to 1820s, setting up forts and trading posts. The missionaries arrived and created their stations in the 1830s. From 1840 was the time of the settlers and farmers. Thousands of them arrived by the Oregon trail that ran from the area around Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon Territory. It is estimated that over 50,000 emigrants traveled the trail until 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was completed.
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| What tools would you take with you on the trail? |
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| At the end of your tour, find out how travelers fared in Oregon. |
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| "You have died of dysentery" on the Oregon Trail. |
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| My very own office bison! |
The Mussel Slough Tragedy
About five miles to the northwest of Hanford, California, in Kings County you will find California Historical Landmark #245, that is titled Location of the Famous Mussel Slough Tragedy. It's located on a country road almost indistinguishable from all of the other farm roads in the San Joaquin Valley. Don't drive too fast or you'll miss it. I believe I drove by it at least four times before I finally recognized it for what it was. The text on the monument reads:
Here on May 11, 1880, during a dispute over land titles between settlers and railroad, a fight broke out in which seven men - two deputy U.S. marshals and five ranchers lost their lives. The legal struggle over titles was finally settled by a compromise. Location: 5833 14th Ave, between Everett and Elder Aves, 1.5 miles SE of Hardwick.
It seems like a short description (in error) for what happened here. Especially since there are no original structures left, or even a tree that witnessed the event. Here's a summary of what happened.
In the nineteenth century the area was called the mussel slough region due to a slough off of the Kings River that backed into Tulare Lake. The lake and the slough are no longer present due to modern agriculture. The Southern Pacific Railroad was granted odd numbered lots of a square mile each as an incentive to build a line through the Central Valley of California. The line through this area was completed in 1872. Settlers had come into the area and homesteaded the even numbered lots and began to create improvements such as buildings, fencing, and irrigation ditches. This included hand-dug canals to bring water from the Kings River, more than two miles away for some.
In the meantime, the railroad put out brochures to sell the land they controlled. Farmers would be able to settle on the land for a few years, then gain title when a price was fixed. Brochures from the railroad advertised prices at $2.50 per acre and up. Of course the purchasers assumed that they were getting their land at that bargain price, and set about improving the land. When it came time to complete the transaction, the railroad insisted on valuing the land with improvements, inflating their asking price to twenty dollars an acre. After the railroad filed suit against settlers and won, the price inflated again up to $35 an acre. There was also an element of rancher versus farmer in that some cattlemen who had the wherewithal were stepping front of the farmers to purchase the improved land.
With the stage now set, on May 11, 1880 a meeting of settlers was being held when false rumors where spread that U.S. marshals were conducting evictions. The settlers grabbed their guns and went to intercept them. The truth was that a railroad appraiser, two potential buyers from the cattlemen's side, and a U.S. marshal along for protection, were driving around in a carriage looking at properties. The two belligerent parties met at the site of the monument, the homestead of one Henry Brewer. While the marshal and a leader of the group of farmers stepped off to talk about resolving the situation peacefully, the bad blood between the farmers and the two from the cattlemen's side spilled over. No one knows who shot first or even what was said to start it. But in the end, the two cowboys and five farmers were dead.
No marshals were killed despite what the marker says. Five farmers were convicted of interfering with a marshal in the performance of his duties, each spending eight months in jail and paid a $300 fine. Although there was a high level of animosity toward the railroads, the people could not get the government to change the policy of providing land grants to railroads. In the end, the railroads reduced their asking price a token amount and most of the settlers stayed on their land and paid the asking price. At the time of the incident, the dead and wounded were brought to the shade of a large oak tree on the property that was referred to as the "Tragedy Oak." It blew down in the 1990s. A piece of the tree is reportedly put on display in front of a local elementary school. Ultimately the fight was lost to history, with the exception of some local interest and fans of old west history.
The Mussel Slough Tragedy took on a bit of mythology over the years and like so many wild west gunfights there are multiple versions of what actually happened. The three that I consulted, each with a little bit different take, are the Wikipedia article on the incident, "Garden in the Sun: A History of the San Joaquin Valley 1772-1939" by William Seacrest, and "Hanford" (Images of America Series by Arcadia Publishing by Robin Roberts.
Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
Fort Humboldt State Historic Park is the site of the fort that was occupied from 1853 to 1870. The fort was built overlooking
Next stop in this little "Grant Pilgrimage" I've got going on will be
NARA's Prologue To End Print Version
I have a glorious week off from Teaching for Thanksgiving, something to be thankful for, surely. It's a great time to catch up on some reading and writing of my own choosing. ;-)
Prologue is the quarterly journal of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It has been in publication since the spring of 1969, highlighting programs and news about NARA. The articles are all based on the holdings of NARA in and around Washington, DC., the regional archives located around the United States, as well as the Presidential Libraries.
I have been a subscriber to Prologue off and on for a little over ten years. Needless to say, I enjoy this publication very much. So I was very sad that my Fall issue came in the mail recently with a letter that stated that the next issue (Winter 2018) will be the last print issue. Of course, they will continue to put content on the NARA website, but no longer will I be able to hold a printed copy.
So along with the letter, there is only a one-line statement on the journal's website that says, "The Winter 2018 issue will be the last printed edition." I did a quick Google search and did not find any news release, there is not even a statement in the NARA news on the archives.gov website. Moreover, I haven't found any statements of shock, surprise, or disappointment.
I won't go into a lament on the switch from print to online content. Business is business and I'm sure it's hard to keep a print publication like a history journal on a paying basis. Additionally, I am sure that NARA will come up with an engaging way to present the content that was once provided exclusively in the print medium. In fact, their notification letter asks for input on what that content should look like. I'm just sorry to see Prologue (for me anyway) get lost in the flood of online information that comes at me every day. I will miss the print version coming up in my reading stack. Which is where I go to escape that flood of electronic noise at the end of the day. I just thought someone should mark the passing.
Point Reyes and Drake's Bay
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| It is 308 steps down to the lighthouse, and 308 back up! |
So what does this trip have to do with history? Well, it's not about the lighthouse, although I do love them. If you look at a map of Point Reyes (Google Maps will do), you will see that the point wraps around a body of water named "Drakes Bay." Remember the story of Sir Francis Drake from elementary school? From 1577 to 1580, Drake and his ship, the Golden Hind, sailed into the Pacific to raid Spanish shipping, with the full
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| Waysides at the visitor center tell the story of Drake's stay in California. |
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| The cliffs along this bay supposedly reminded the English sailors of home. |
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| The only visitors to the beach on the day we visited were some elephant seals. |
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