Archive Record
Images
Additional Images [2]
Metadata
Catalog number |
1997.2.2578 |
Object Name |
Newsletter |
Date |
1984 |
Description |
TITLE: Quicksilver County Park News SUBTITLE: Newsletter of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association Issue # 5 August 1984 ASSOCIATION OBTAINS NON-PROFIT STATUS On June 19, 1984, the New Almaden Quicksilver Park Association became incorporated. Our Articles of incorporation were approved by the State of California and we received our non-profit status. Contributions to the Association are now tax-deductible. Now we can proceed with our major goal of reconstruction of the mine office at the reduction works site in New Almaden to serve as a park office and visitors center. The Board of Supervisors will be soon reviewing the proposal from Larry Norris, Santa Clara County Parks Department, and we will then begin the process of choosing the architect for the development of the eleven acre site. The Board of Directors of the Association will be working closely with the architect, the director, and the association members to formulate the design for the property to coincide with the needs of the public for the use of the Quicksilver Park. Quicksilver Night at the Opry was a terrific success. We packed the house, had a wonderful time and added much needed revenue to the Association's treasury. Now we can add more pages to our newsletters, improve on our tour guide and provide a special day for our pioneers. -- Kitty Monahan 2nd ANNUAL QUICKSILVER PIONEER DAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13th The Quicksilver Park Association, in cooperation with the staff of Club Almaden, will hold its second annual Quicksilver Park Association Pioneer Day at Casa Grande in New Almaden on Saturday, October 13th from I pm to 5 pm. The purpose of the day will be to bring back and talk with some of the of 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. NEW ALMADEN DAYS - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th The 5th annual New Almaden Days celebration will be held on the grounds of the Club Almaden (Casa Grande), 21350 Almaden Road in New Almaden on Saturday, September 8th from 12:00 pin to 7:00 pin. This year's festivities will include a parade, arts and crafts, music, food, games, magicians, clowns, etc. The Association will have an ice cream booth to raise money for our activities. If you would like to help us in the booth, contact Kitty Monahan at (408) 268-6541. Otherwise, just drop by and have some ice cream. QUICKSILVER PARK ASSOCIATION MEETING SCHEDULE The general meetings of the Association are usually held on the last Wednesday evening of each month, beginning at 7:30 pin. Each meeting features programs related to the various facets of Almaden Quicksilver County Park, including its recreational, historical, and natural resources. Date Program Sept. 27 Clyde Arbuckle on New Almaden History Location: Club Almaden, 21350 Almaden Road, New Almaden Note: In order to obtain noted historian Clyde Arbuckle for this presentation, we have moved our meeting night to a Thursday, rather than our usual Wednesday meeting night. Oct. 24 Cornish Customs Nancy Mason, member of the Association's Board of Directors and the Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission will describe customs of the Cornish miners and their families in New Almaden. Location: Club Almaden Nov. 28 "Quicksilver" We will show once again the fascinating documentary film showing New Alrnaden and the [nines in the early 1960's. Location: Club Almaden ORGANIZED EVENTS SCHEDULE - SEPT., OCT., NOV. Sept. 8 New Almaden Days (see article for details) Oct. 13 Pioneer Day (see article for details) Oct. 13 Living History Day, San Jose Historical Museum (see article for details) SANTA CLARA COUNTY EQUESTRIAN TRAIL FEES On June It, 1984, the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department began collecting fees and issuing permits for the use of equestrian trails located within the County Park System., Fees will be charged on an annual basis, from January 1 to December 31. The fee schedule adopted by the County Board of Supervisors is as follows: Individual Daily --- $2.00 Individual Annual --- $25.00 Family Annual --- $35.00 Commercial Annual --- $50.00/per horse Seniors (over 61) -- Free Handicapped and youth under 16 --- Free Permits may be purchased at the Calero Lake Check Station daily between 8:30a.m. and 5:OOp.m. THE NEW ALMADEN MINE CLOSURE PROJECT Beneath the serene beauty of Almaden Quicksilver County Park lie an estimated 42 miles of underground mine workings, ranging in elevation from 1700 feet above sea level to 643 feet below sea level. Time, nature, and the efforts of the County Parks Department have sealed off most of these hazardous mine areas. From time to time, however, nature re-opens some of these mine workings and they need to be re-sealed. To protect the public from these hazards, the Mine Hill area of the Park has remained off limits since the Park was acquired in the early 1970'5. To help further abate existing safety hazards within the off-limits areas of the Park, the County Parks Department recently contracted with Michael Cox to provide consulting services relating to mine closures in the Park. Michael is on our Board of Directors and is also our Geology and Mines Committee chairman. With Mike's guidance, the Association hopes that ways will be found for the expeditious abatement of existing safety hazards in ways that will preserve opportunities for eventually re-opening some sections of the mines for public tours. (An outstanding example of a park with underground mine tours is the East Bay Regional Park District's Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch.) In the meantime, we very strongly urge everyone to obey Park rules, observe posted warning signs, and stay out of restricted areas. Old mine tunnels and shafts can be extremely hazardous. NEW ALMADEN MUSEUM HOURS Connie Perham's New Almaden Museum is one of the outstanding historical resources of the New Almaden area. 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 1-5pm (1-4pm when daylight savings time ends); Saturday & Sunday 10-5pm (10-4pm after daylight savings time ends); closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Admission: Children ages 6-10 75C; ages 13-59 $3.00; senior citizens $2.50. Group rates for ten or more persons. New Almaden Museum, 21570 Almaden Road, P.O. Box 1, New Almaden, CA 95042. (408) 268-7869 BY THE COOL OF THE BAY Now that the hot time of the year we all yearned for has finally arrived, we're beginning to have second thoughts. For people and beasts that frequent the now sun-drenched landscape of Almaden Quicksilver Park it is now time to head for the moist shady canyons for relief. Streambeds and wet spots are where one of the major shade producing trees does best. Call it Bay, California Laurel, or Spice Tree, its a life saver on a hot day. These trees have leaves two to five inches long that are one-half to one and one-half inches in length. New leaves begin to appear in late winter or early spring and keep emerging until late fall. Many leaves fade during the summer and slowly turn yellow or orange in color. They begin to drop from the trees during their second season but may last for six seasons. Flowers usually appear in January and the round one-inch fruit is generally not used by man but the pungent leaves are used in small quantities to spice up beans and other foods. Bay trees survive in a variety of habitats and may be 20-175 feet in height when full grown. The trunk may be three to six feet in diameter. Sometimes there is one main stem but frequently there are several. It may be surprising to you but the hard, strong, dense wood of the Bay is one of the finest woods available for the interior finish of houses and for furniture. In southwestern Oregon, where it achieves its greatest success as a forest tree, it is a valuable commercial resource. Bay trees add deep green beauty to the pleats in our corrugated hills. They add a pleasant fragrance to the air with the volatile oil they produce in their foliage. When the temperature hits 95 degrees there's no doubt about their most important contribution. Relief is spelled S--H--A--D--E. Cool, moist, shade! -- Bob Clement - CALLOWAYS WIN COUNTY HISTORICAL AWARD The Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission has selected Henry "Hank" Calloway and his wife Laura as the recipients of the Award of Excellence in Historic Resources Preservation. Laura Calloway and her husband were nominated for a decade of outstanding service as editors of "The Trailblazer", the quarterly bulletin of the California Pioneers of Santa Clara County, and for the numerous volunteer contributions to the San Jose Historical Museum. Hank has painted signs for the Historical Museum since 1971 and Laura has been a Museum tour guide since 1972. Laura served as tour guide coordinator in 1973-1974 and tour guide chairperson in 1974-1975. Currently, Laura volunteers six hours a month as a tour guide. Hank restored and now maintains the historic Hacienda Cemetery at New Almaden for the Pioneer Society. Also, he has written many historical articles for the "Santa Clara American." The Calloways have given years of dedication and devoted service to the preservation of our heritage in the Santa Clara Valley. They were honored for their outstanding contributions by the County Board of Supervisors and the Historical Heritage Commission at an awards ceremony and reception on May15,1984 during National Historic Preservation Week. Congratulations, Hank and Laura. GEOLOGY AND MINES COMMITTEE SEEKS MEMBERS The Association's Mines and Geology Committee is looking for additional members. If you think rocks, landslides, maps and the earth's tough of rind might be your thing, contact the Committee's chairman Mike Cox at P.O. Box 228, New Almaden, CA 95042. QUICKSILVER PARK SLIDE SHOWS AVAILABLE The Quicksilver Park Association has two 30-minute slide presentations available to show to community organizations. One presents Almaden Quicksilver County Park -- its past, present, and future. The other features wildflowers and wildlife of the Park. The latter is the beautiful slide show that was so professionally presented by Bob Clement at the Association's April general meeting. If you would like to arrange for a showing of either of these shows to your group, contact Kitty Monahan at (408) 268-6541. TRAINING RUNS IN THE PARK The challenges and rewards of its hilly and scenic trails make Quicksilver Park popular with local runners. The Fleet Feet Running Club sponsors training runs in the Park throughout the week starting from Castillero School on McAbee Road. Monday - Friday morning runs of 5-8 miles begin at 6:00 am. On Saturday mornings, there is a 14-mile training run starting at 6:30 am and a 5-mile run beginning at 8:00 am. On Monday and Wednesday nights, a 6-mile run begins at 5:15 pin. For more information contact Fleet Feet at (408) 723-7223 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. LIVING HISTORY DAY A fourth living History Day is being planned by the San Jose Historical Museum for Saturday, October 13, 1984, from 11 am until 5 pin. High wheel bicycles, antique fire engines, side saddle equestrians, poker players, suffragettes, and temperance groups will add authenticity to the day's events. Come and be a part of the varied array of crafts and entertainment. Perhaps some miners from New Almaden could arrive with their families to enjoy the displays, medicine shows, tuba players, and Civil War regiment reunion. For further information, contact Virginia Beck at the San Jose Historical Museum at (408) 2872290. |
People |
Monahan, Kitty Cox, Michael Mason, Nancy Clement, Bob Norris, Larry Arbuckle, Clyde Calloway, Henry (Hank) Calloway, Laura (Mrs. Hank) |
Cataloged by |
Meyer, Bob |