Malakoff Diggins Park Association 23579 North Bloomfield Road, Nevada City, Ca 95959Volume 25 Issue IV Winter 2009-10

Dueling FrenchmenSeptember 26, 1866

A Real Duel

Two Frenchmen, residing at North Bloomfieldfought a duel near that place Sunday last.

Dispute arose between Souchett and Picardin relation to an account of $14.00,

which the former claimed to have against the latter.

Challenge was accepted.Preliminaries arranged, weapons chosen,

Colt six shooters.Principals and Seconds repaired to the field,

the latter, desiring to prevent effusion of blood,capped weapons. Loaded them with ball, -no

powder.

Principals stationed. Discovered trick of seconds.

Determined to fight without Seconds.Pistols loaded and parties repaired to field

alone.At 25 paces fight began,

parties firing rapidly and advancing.One fired six shots, the other five,

the cap snapping in one case.Souchett advanced upon his antagonist

and beat him over the headuntil he was nearly dead.

Save this, neither injured by shooting.Picard almost insensible from effects of

whipping.

September 27, 1866Souchett and Picard, arrested and taken before

Justice Carter on Tuesday. Tried upon two charges.

“Unlawfully assembled together by previous agreement

and fighting to the great terror of the citizensof the town of North Bloomfield and to the great terror to the citizens of this state, with

pistols loaded with powder and leaden bullets,the place where they were assembled

being a public place.”

Sentenced to county jail,

Picard got 20 days, Souchett 21 days.

Doin’s at the Diggins

BEHINDS THE SCENES AT MALAKOFF…

Wes Nelson, President, MDPA

As in most productions, there are always many individuals “Behind the Scenes” that assist in pulling things all together or helping in a somewhat unrecognizable way. Some of these patron saints are given a pat on the back, while others names are placed into a hyper speed scroll of the world’s smallest font size at the end of a movie.

Besides our interpretive mission here at Malakoff Diggins, we are also in survival mode in attempting to cut expenses and provide a cleaner, better environment without affecting the cultural landscape of our beautiful park. A committee was created approximately 6 months ago to implement and obtain funding to convert Malakoff’s 24/7 diesel generation of electricity into renewable energy, aka: Solar Power. Not only would this cut the park’s total expenses by approx. 20% or more, but would eliminate our dependency on diesel fuel, reduce our carbon footprint and return our historic town of North Bloomfield to it’s once peaceful self.

In order to accomplish this feat, estimated funding could reach approximately $200,000 for the complete set-up and operation of a solar photovoltaic panel system with backup battery capabilities. With most of today’s equipment lasting decades with minimum maintenance and hardly any reoccurring costs, we estimate the payback to be within four years with

what’s normally paid out in diesel fuel, oil and maintenance of our generators! Naturally, the buildings and appliances supplied with the sun’s mighty powers will be dialed in to their utmost efficiency while maintaining their historic ambience.

I’d like to take this opportunity to raise the curtain, place onto center stage and applaud the efforts of one of these individuals behind the scene, Mr. Ron Kapper! Ron has spent countless hours submitting grant applications, letters and proposals for all of us in attempting to acquire funding for this project.

Ron also volunteers for the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City and was elected Secretary in November 2008. His duties include grant writing, publishing their newsletter, meeting minutes and taking part as a docent. Mr. Kapper is also a grant writer for the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. Prior to retiring, he spent the last 27 years in leading Integrated Product Teams and managing multi-million dollar sophisticated electronics, laser and r/f millimeter wave programs for the Military, NASA, FDA and the commercial industry.

The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is a division of the Nevada County Historical Society, a non-profit organization. The museum was opened in 2003 and is dedicated to the preservation of local transportation history and artifacts from the narrow gauge era.

Visitors are offered docent-led historical tours of the museum, rail yard and the restoration shop. Exhibited in the main gallery is Engine #5, an 1875 Baldwin steam engine which has made over 100 movies and television appearances. cont.

The rail yard houses a collection of century year old wooden railcars. The restoration shop is staffed by volunteers doing rolling stock restoration and they’ve completed fabrication of a Porter-replica steam locomotive. This locomotive was built from the ground up with only the wheels being obtained from a scrap yard. A recently completed $70K expansion of the shop will enable more railcars to be restored and protected from the winter elements.

So, besides visiting and supporting your local State Parks, next time you and the family are in the area, stop by and check out the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City! Museum hours are 10am - 4pm Sat & Sun (Nov. 1 - April 30) and 10am - 4pm Fri - Tues (May 1 - Oct. 31).

Once again, all of us with the Malakoff Diggins Park Association wish to thank you Ron for your dedication, time and efforts!

If you or anyone else you know has access to possible solar equipment donations, experience or funding please feel free to contact Wes Nelson at (916) 412-3277 or at wesleynelson@comcast.net.

Woman Lynched at DownievilleFollowing California statehood in 1850, Mexicans and Mexican Americans were subjected to both legal-ized and mob-inspired discrimination and persecution. One of the most shocking incidents was the lynching at Downieville of a young Mexican woman.

Juanita,( or Josefa ) Segovia lived with a young man named Jose, who was either her husband or her lover. She was an attractive young woman of a reputable na-ture who reportedly “had come from Matzalan, Mexi-co.” (James J. Sinnott, History of Sierra County, p. 48)

On the evening of July 4, 1851, Joseph Cannon (a popular Englishman from Australia) after a hard day-and-night celebrating Independence Day and in a drunken stupor inadvertently fell through or broke down the frail door of the cabin shared by Juanita and Jose. After staggering to his feet, he was hustled from the cabin by a companion.

The next day, either Jose went to Cannon and demand-ed payment for the damaged door, or Cannon, real-izing what he had done, set off to make restitution. In any case, Jose and Cannon got into a heated argument. At that point, Juanita reportedly thrust herself be-tween Cannon, who weighed “about 230 pounds and was well over six feet tall,” and Jose, a slightly built individual. Juanita and Cannon then continued the argument in Spanish. Some, in the gathering crowd, later reported that Cannon had called Juanita a whore. Enraged, Juanita supposedly told Cannon to come into her house if he was going to call her names. When he did, she grabbed a knife and stabbed him to death, al-though some said that she “sprang out from a place of concealment”.” (Sinnott, p. 48)

Infuriated miners, demanded Juanita’s death, but were persuaded that she deserved a trial at the very least. Although there were a number of notable individu-als in Downieville for the Holiday, including Colonel (later Governor) John B. Weller, few tried to defend Juanita. Weller himself did not attend the trial, and those who tried to speak for her were quickly silenced.

Downieville’s rush to hang Juanita in defiance of es-tablished precedent and in an era when the scarcity of women in California prompted almost a reverential awe of any woman, and in a town in which there were only 25 women out of a population of 5,000, can be explained only by the harsh, unyielding anti-Mexican sentiment that pervaded the era.

Thus the only woman ever lynched during the gold rush was hanged from Durgan Bridge on July 5, 1851. Unrepentant to the end, Juanita declared that, if so insulted again, she would defend her honor in the same way.

Editor’s source: ParkNet / NP Image: Wikipedia

O’ Pioneers

Tucked in behind St. Columncille’s Church and the North Bloomfield School is the Humbug – Bloomfield – North Bloomfield Cemetery.

Operated by the Nevada Cemetery District of Nevada County, the place was also known as the North San Juan Cemetery at Humbug – Bloomfield - - - -you get the idea. As one of the first establishments to pop up out of necessity, with the inception of gold mining here; people were just dying to get in. Explosions, landslides, falls, duels, suicides, pneumonia and frontier child-birth required an available plot to plant. However, I was unable to find graves for any of the characters who perished at the hands of others as listed in the state park history. Many stones in the pioneer area are dated 1870-1890, which would be a logical span for the miners, etc. who came here in the 1850s-1860s. Names we know well, of individuals and families who made North Bloomfield what it was; Carter, Gaus, LeDue, Sherwood, Landsburg, Skidmore, etc., lie juxtaposed for eternity, as they may have been in life. It is natural to try to interpret the meager carvings on tombstones, hoping for a clue to the resident’s circumstances. Much is left to one’s imagination.

Strikingly, Charlie Gaus, 1832-1916, outlived his wife, a son and three daughters. The melancholy graves are neatly lined up, together in death as in life.

Another son, also Charlie, lived to be 95, 1878-1973.

Markers often reflected a need to connect the frontier-departed with the “world” whence they came: George Wolders, 1821-1897, a Native of Holland and his wife Adelaid, 1826-1907, a Native of Ireland. Simple words conjuring up enough fleeting impressions for a Historical Romance Novel. Tommy-knockers wonder if this fascinating family record is written down in an old bible somewhere. North Bloomfield Cemetery is listed as an “Active” burial site. The District was not amused when I inquired whether “Active” was a pun. They take their responsibilities deeply. The lower area, on your right as you enter, (upright, I hope), is the “active” area. Cost of residency is $660 with prior arrangements. No drop-ins allowed! Veterans and memorial markers will be set by the District for $200. They have a brochure available with all necessary information. Included there-in is a list of Active and Inactive Cemeteries so the dearly departed do not get cited for trespassing. Visitors may tour the North Bloomfield Cemetery any day of the year. Aficionados are invited in to relax beneath a full moon. Just recline against a comfortable monument and quietly watch shadows passing in the moonlight. Not to worry, any breathing you hear will just be a bear or mountain lion! Sources: 1. Nevada Cemetery District of Nevada County 530-265-3461 2. The Forgotten Pioneers of the Gold Country. By Loni Patterson

Interpreted to Death

Long ago in a park far away, the Department of Fish and Game graciously unloaded upon our park staff, one Great Horned Owl. Flightless, with one of its tufted “horns” askew and exhibiting an annoying imitation of a proper “hoot”, this survivor of some unknown owl calamity would be known today as a “rescue bird”.

While my rangers gathered around and extolled of the endless interpretive mileage they could squeeze out of “hoot-less”, I saw trouble and potential disaster ahead. I was quickly branded a skeptic and a non-team player for not jumping on the owl pellet band wagon.

Soon, it was a regular sight, to behold one of my minions hustling off to some program, with Brer Owl perched on their arm.

Thus it went:Campfire Program: Exhibit the owl during warm-up.

Nature Walk: Take the owl along to interpret predator-prey relationships.School Groups: Time to debut the owl to the delight of the kiddies.

Boating Safety Demonstration: Trot out the owl.Now you might wonder, what is the purpose of an owl at a Boating Safety Demonstration?

My point exactly!The ease with which one, dilapidated owl, wreaked havoc upon a previously

well-functioning interpretive staff, was something to behold.Themes, creativity and variety went out the window.

Interpret the owl, became their credo.Campfire Warm-up evolved into, Owl Campfire Program.

School talks became mono-themed, featuring, Great Horned Owl.All cumulating with; Boating Safety Owl Demonstration.

There was no reining them in.

Then, (just when it seemed our golden bear logo, might be usurped by a one-horned owl), fate, or tommy-knockers, intervened. Morning muster around the owl cage, revealed said interpretive celebrity, on its back, feet pointing to the heavens, eyes crossed, stone dead!

A ranger asked mournfully, “what do you think killed it?”

Smugly sauntering away, I gave my best John Wayne, over the shoulder retort, “Interpreted to Death!”

Larry Clark, Supervising Ranger (retired)

Tommyknockers ask:

What do owls provide for all to enjoy?

Lice

Readers Give Editor the Bird

Jay Bird Typo Causes Feathers to FlyEditor Eats Crow

Mockingbirds AtwitterAudubon rolls over in grave

Mrs. Terwilliger reincarnated as a Magpie(seen Cawing & Flapping in the Diggins)Heckle & Jeckle Join Protest (for a fee)

Our editor’s innocuous Typo, in the Fall, Jay Bird article,

misspelling family Covidae as Cordivae, then repeating the error further on,

has ruffled the feathers of some bird-watching members.

At first a bird-brained excuse was given suggesting the article lead-in was merely identifying Birds

as belonging to the phylum Chordata, along with other vertebrates,

thus the misspelling. But that Turkey didn’t fly either.

Our editor is now in seclusion digesting aHumble Crow Pie while endeavoring

to differentiate a Piapiac from a Picidae

Page 1 Photo: Hydraulic Mining Elevator and Impounding Works at North Bloomfield Frontier Trails of the Old West

DOINS BOARD MEETING MARCH 6 10 A.M.

DIRECTORS

Wes Nelson President Morley Hardaker Director916-412-3277 weslwynelson@comcast.net 530-756-4137 hardaker@pacbell.net

Jenny Warden Secretary Mary Moore Director530-264-6174 jjwarden@aol.com 530-470-8439 paulmoore@wildblue.net

Jennifer Stark Treasurer Greg & Christy Sherr Park Rangers530-265-5679 gizzmo6089@yahoo.com 530-265-2740 gsherr@parks.ca.gov

Larry Clark Director Cooperting Association Liaison Newsletter Jeremy McReynolds - Supervising Ranger530-432-1706 fentclark@att.net 530-273-3024 jmcreynolds@parks.ca.gov

Ranger ReportAs the snow gently falls at the Diggins, I can just barely hear the constant whine of our diesel generators. On Tuesday, January 12th, Ranger Christy Sherr met in Nevada City with the Alternative Energy Team to discuss the solar project for Malakoff Diggins. The group is moving forward in finding corporate partnerships and assessing the parks current energy needs. One item discussed was an energy efficiency audit for all park buildings that would be supported by this courageous endeavor. Because of our extinct park budget, we will be relying on docents this year to help staff the museum. The Sector Docent training is March 17-19 at Empire Mine SHP. A field trip with prospective docents will be held onMarch 19 to South Yuba River State Park and Malakoff Diggins SHP.Our cabins and campground are currently closed. The miners cabins will reopen after safety repairs are made to the wood stoves. We have not received a scheduled repair date at the publication of this newsletter. Our campground will reopen on Memorial Day Weekend, but we are unsure if both loops will be open due to budget constraints. Environmental Living Program teacher training will be held in March. Our ELP schedule is full and we are anticipating another great year! We have scaled down on our day school programs due to staffing. Day hikers have been enjoying the snow at Malakoff and Christy, Delaney and I have been sledding and making snowmen (and snowwomen). It is truly a beautiful time of year at Malakoff Diggins! Ranger Greg Sherr

Page 1 Photo: Hydraulic Mining Elevator and Impounding Works at North Bloomfield Frontier Trails of the Old West

DOINS BOARD MEETING MARCH 6 10 A.M.

DIRECTORS

Wes Nelson President Morley Hardaker Director916-412-3277 weslwynelson@comcast.net 530-756-4137 hardaker@pacbell.net

Jenny Warden Secretary Mary Moore Director530-264-6174 jjwarden@aol.com 530-470-8439 paulmoore@wildblue.net

Jennifer Stark Treasurer Greg & Christy Sherr Park Rangers530-265-5679 gizzmo6089@yahoo.com 530-265-2740 gsherr@parks.ca.gov

Larry Clark Director Cooperting Association Liaison Newsletter Jeremy McReynolds - Supervising Ranger530-432-1706 fentclark@att.net 530-273-3024 jmcreynolds@parks.ca.gov

The Malakoff Diggins Park Association is a non-profit charitable organization, dedicated to enhancing educational and interpretive programs in Malakoff DigginsState Historic Park. We strive to enrichvisitors’ experiences and increaseunderstanding of the park’s rich history.

Through public donations, membership dues, Humbug Day each June, and sales of interpretive materials in the North Bloomfield Museum Sales Center, the association raises money to help finance the conservation and interpretation of the natural and man-made features of the Park’s 3,000 acres and the wonderful old mining town of North Bloomfield.

Please join us as an individual or family for just $10 per year. Each membership year begins on June first. As a member, enjoy a 10% discount in the Sales Center in the Museum. Applications are welcomed there, or by mail

I would like to be a member of the Malakoff Diggins Park Association

Name ___________________________________________________Address__________________________________________________________________City_________________________________State_____ZIP________________Email (private)_________________________Phone_______________New __ Renewal__ Interested in Volunteering? Yes__ No__

Please send check or money order for $10 to:

MDPA Membership23579 North Bloomfield Road

Nevada City, CA 95959

North Bloomfield Cemetery

Malakoff Diggins Park Association23579 North Bloomfield RoadNevada City, CA 95959