Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog number |
1997.2.2575 |
Object Name |
Newsletter |
Date |
1983 |
Description |
TITLE: Quicksilver County Park News SUBTITLE: Newsletter of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association Issue # 2 September 1983 QUICKSILVER COUNTY PARK NEWS Newsletter of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association ISSUE #2 September 1983 AUTUMN TO BE BUSY SEASON AT ALMADEN QUICKSILVER COUNTY PARK As the summer heat cools down, the pace of activity picks up at Almaden Quicksilver County Park and in the community of New Almaden. A busy schedule of historical and recreational events are planned this fall. Take advantage of the nice weather and come out and participate in them! NEW ALMADEN DAY - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th The annual New AImaden Days celebration will be held on the grounds of Casa Grande in New Almaden on Saturday, September 10th from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, This year's festivities will include arts & crafts, music, food, games, magicians, clowns, etc. The Association will have a food booth to raise money for our activities. Drop by and see us, Ist ANNUAL QUICKSILVER PARK PIONEERS DAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1st The Quicksilver Park Association, in cooperation with the staff of Club Almaden, will hold its first annual Quicksilver Park Pioneers Day at Casa Grande in New Almaden on Saturday, October 1st from l pm to 5 pm, The purpose of the event will be to bring back and talk with some of the "old timers" who lived and worked in Englishtown, Spanishtown, or the Hacienda during the era when the mines were in operation. Miners who worked in the New Almaden Mine and members of the pioneer families who lived up on Mine Hill in Englishtown or Spanishtown, or were early settlers of the Hacienda will be our guests for a barbeque, entertainment, and tour. If you know the present whereabouts of former New Almaden miners, CCC members stationed at Almaden Quicksilver during the 1930's, or other former residents of the Hacienda, Englishtown, or Spanishtown areas, please contact Kitty Monahan at (408) 268-6541. Please join us in discovering first hand the life and times of the mining era of New Almaden. The Casa Grande is located at 21350 Almaden Road. PO. Box 124. New Almaden, CA 95012 ASSOCIATION MEETING SCHEDULE The general meetings of the Association are held on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month beginning at 7:30 pm. Meetings for September and October will be held in the second floor meeting room of Santa Clara County's Blossom Valley Multi-Service Center located at 5671 Santa Teresa Boulevard (corner of Coleman Avenue and Santa Teresa) in San Jose. Each meeting features programs related to the various facets of Almaden Quicksilver County Park, including its recreational, historical, and natural resources. Bring along your family and friends. Date Program Speaker Sept. 28 "The Trails of Almaden Quicksilver" Dick Forst, Quicksilver Park Association Vice President and Trails Committee Chairman Oct. 26 "Horses and Equestrian Events at Almaden Quicksilver" Nov. 30* "Casa Grande & New Almaden" Norman Pope, former owner of Casa Grande *Note: The November 30 meeting will be held at Casa Grande, 21350 Almaden Road, New Almaden. ORGANIZED EVENTS SCHEDULE Sept. 10 New Almaden Days at Casa Grande in New Almaden For further information: See article in this issue. Sept. IS Great Grape Race 10 kilometer run, starting at Castillero Junior High School. For further information: Fleet Feet (415) 723-7223 Sept. 24 West Coast Endurance Ride 50 & 100 mile equestrian rides. For further information: Courtney Hart (408) 353-3927 Oct. 8 Quicksilver Endurance Ride 25, 50, & 100 mile rides, and a ride & tie. For further information: Mike Barger (408) 268-7535 Oct. 9 Quicksilver Challenge 1/2 marathon run. For further information: Fleet Feet (408) 723-7223 Oct. 22 History tour of Quicksilver Park led by Kitty Monahan. For further information: See article in this issue. HISTORY FIELD TRIP - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22nd Kitty Monahan, President of our Quicksilver Park Association, will lead a history tour of Alrnaden Quicksilver County Part< on Saturday, October 22nd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm as part of Nature Explorations' fall series of outdoor programs. The outing will include visits to the former sites of Englishtown and Spanishtown. Registration fees: $8 adults; $4 children; $18 family. For reservations or further information, contact Nature Explorations, 2253 Park Boulevard, Palo .Alto, CA 94306. Phone: (415) 324-8737. TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Members of the Association and the County Parks Department staff have been busy this summer repairing trails damaged by last winter's storms and preparing the trails for this winter's rains. Erosion damage has been repaired and additional culverts installed to help prevent future erosion. More work remains to be done. If you'd like to volunteer to help maintain the Park's trails, contact Dick Forst at (408) 264-9559. TRAINING RUNS IN THE PARK Quicksilver Park is popular with local runners who enjoy the challenges and rewards of its hilly, scenic trails. The Fleet Feet Running Club sponsors training runs in the Park three days a week starting from Castillero School on McAbee Road. The Saturday morning training run begins at 8:00 am (6-8 miles). On Monday and Wednesday nights, the training run begins at 5:15 pm (6 miles). For more information: Fleet Feet (408) 723-7223 QUICKSILVER PARK PROPOSED TO GET ITS OWN RANGER STAFF If a staff re-organization proposal prepared by County Parks Director Larry Norris is approved, Almaden Quicksilver County Park will get its own park ranger. Presently, Quicksilver shares two park rangers with Calero Reservoir County Park and Santa Teresa County Park. The proposed reorganization would improve park patroling, expedite the abatement of existing mine safety hazards, and facilitate maintenance of trails and other recreational facilities. PARK RANGER OFFICE The park ranger office for Almaden Quicksilver County Park is located at Calero Reservoir County Park. The phone number there is (408) 268-3883. (One of the Quicksilver Park Association's objectives is to get a separate ranger office established at Almaden Quicksilver County Park.) DR. EDGAR BAILEY (1915-1983) The New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association mourns the passing of Dr. Edgar H. Bailey, a noted U.S. Geological Survey geologist and member of the Association's Advisory Board, who died July 28th. Dr. Bailey, 68, was one of the world's foremost experts on mercury resources and California Coast Range geology. He was an authority on the geology of the New Almaden Mine, and was very familiar with its history. USGS Professional Paper 360, "Geology and Quicksilver Deposits of the New Almaden District, Santa Clara County, California;" co-authored by Dr. Bailey and Donald L. Everhart, is the most extensive and detailed study of a single mercury district ever published. It is an excellent source of information concerning the history and geology of the New Almaden Mine. The Association hopes to be able to construct a small picnic area in memory of Dr. Bailey at the Day Tunnel site, which was a favorite of his. NEW ALMADEN MUSEUM HOURS One of the most outstanding historical resources of the New Almaden area is Connie Perham's New Almaden Museum. If you want to learn about the history of the New Almaden and the New Almaden Mines, Connie's Museum is a great place to start. Museum hours are: Monday, Thursday, & Friday 1-4pm (1-5pm when daylight savings time begins); Saturday & Sunday 10-4pm (10-5pm when daylight savings time begins); closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Admission: Children (6-12) 75r; adults $2.00; senior citizens $1.75. Group rates for ten or more persons. New Almaden ;Museum, P.O. Box 1, New Almaden, CA 95042. (408) 268-7869 READING ABOUT NEW ALMADEN Many books and articles have been written about the history and mining activity at New Almaden. Here are a few books you may find of interest: Cinnabar Hills: The Quicksilver Days of New Almaden, Milton Lanyon and Laurence Bulmore. Village Printers. 1967 Includes an excellent collection of historic photographs. Available at New Almaden Museum and selected bookstores.) Life in the Mines of New Almaden, San Jose Historical :Museum Association, 1978 (Reprints of Harper's Magazine articles from the 1800's. Available at the San Jose Historical Museum in Kelley Park.) A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West: The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote, edited by Rodman W. Paul. The Huntington Library. 1972 (A fascinating journal. Available at the :New Almaden Museum,) Geology and Quicksilver Deposits of the New Almaden District, ,Santa Clara County California, `J Edgar H. Bailey and Donald L. Everhart. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 360. 1964 (Technical, but an excellent source of geology and mine history information. May be available from U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park.) - Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner. 1971 (Fiction, based loosely on the life of Mary Hallock Foote. Won Pulitzer Prize. Available at most bookstores.) BLACK DIAMOND MINES - ANOTHER PARK LIKE ALMADEN QUICKSILVER Almaden Quicksilver County Park is not the only park in the Bay Area which was once the site of mining activities and mining communities. Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve located near Antioch in Contra Costa County was once the site of coal and silica mining activity. The 3,600-acre preserve is owned by the East Bay Regional Park District, which has restored some of the mine tunnels for public tours. Each year, they hold their annual Black Diamond Days which is "a celebration of the history and culture of the coal miners of Contra Costa County;" This year's Black Diamond Days will be held on September 24th & 25th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. It will feature mine tours, music, dance, oral history, games, and historical displays. For further information, contact Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, Route 1, Box 1402, Antioch, CA 94509. Phone: (415) 757-2620. |
People |
Monahan, Kitty Forst, Dick Pope, Norman Bailey, Edgar H. |
Cataloged by |
Meyer, Bob |