Archive Record
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Metadata
Catalog number |
1997.2.2621 |
Object Name |
Newsletter |
Date |
1997 |
Description |
TITLE: Quicksilver County Park News SUBTITLE: Newsletter of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association Issue # 49 Fall 1997 QUICKSILVER COUNTY PARK NEWS Newsletter of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association FALL 1997ISSUE 49 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE We have two dates for you to put on your calendars and join the Association and the County Parks Dept. The first is Wednesday , Sept. 24, 1997 at the New Almaden Community Club building on Bertram Rd. This will be the first public meeting with the consultant who is designing the interior of the Casa Grande for the museum. This meeting will start at 6:30p.m. and will be conducted by the consultant for community input into the designs. On the next page of this newsletter you will find the plan for the space available for these designs and the concept provided by the consultant. Robin Shout, the interpretive coordinator for the County Parks Dept., has been following the process closely and will present preliminary designs to the N.A.Q.C.P.A. Board on Sept 10. Our recommendations will be given to the consultant and he will present his concepts to our Association and interested community members. The progress on the building is slow but sure as the ramp for the handicapped is completed and the retrofit for earthquake protection is partly finished. We plan to be in the building by Dec 1, 1997, if Murphy's law fails. The second date is October 11, 1997 PIONEER DAY. You and your family and friends are especially invited to our 14th ANNUAL day in Quicksilver Park. The day will start at 10:00a.m.as the convoy of County vehicles starts up the hill to the VICTORIA SHAFT to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Please arrive early because the celebration will be three miles up the hill , the gates to the park will close by 11:30a.m., and lunch tickets will be limited to the first 250 guests. Hope to see you on both occasions and bring your ideas and stories with you. KITTY TOMBSTONE IN THE HACIENDA CEMETERY IN NEW ALMADEN Dick Hill, a member of the California Pioneers, and great protector of the cemetery owned by the Pioneers, had one of the carved headstones translated. Following is the picture of the wooden marker, the original Spanish and the English translation. Aqui descanzan en paz los restos de Refugio Morantes. Fallecio el dia jueves 23 del mes de agosto del ano de 1866. De 23 anos de edad. 7 anos padecio las enfermedades que fue[ron} tres. Partio a la ultima hora de su vida que fue el funesto dia jueves a [las] 4 o 5 y media de la tarde. Le entrego la mama al Creador, teniendo la dicha de haber sido esposa por la iglesia 3 dias del doliente Rafael Rodriguez y Estorena. Here rest in peace the remains of Refugio Morantes. She died on Thursday, August 23, 1866, at 23 years of age. For seven years she suffered from three illnesses. The last hour of her life was spent from 4 Or 5 thirty in the afternoon on Thursday. Her mother commended her to the Creator, having been married by the Church only three days to the sorrowing Rafael Rodriguez y Estorena. Pioneer Day, Saturday, October 11 Walk in the Steps of Mr. Bulmore as You Remember the Queen Empress One hundred years ago at New Almaden there must have been plenty of enthusiasm for celebrating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Labor and management could agree on the importance of honoring the Queen on the sixtieth anniversary of her coronation. Up on the hill at English Camp the six hundred residents were nearly all British subjects or former British subjects. They were primarily Cornish miners living beside a few Irish miners, some Englishmen and a Scottish engineer. Down in the Hacienda the mine manager himself was a native Londoner. Robert Bulmore, the last managing agent of the Quicksilver Mining Company, was thoroughly British. He was a veteran of the British army who had served during one of its most horrendous campaigns, the Indian Mutiny of 1857. He had served in the civil service as an assayer in the Calcutta Mint. He came to California to work in the San Francisco office of the Commercial Bank of India and from there he found his way to New Almaden. In all probability he was the leader of the 1897 celebration at the mine and the Cornish, English and Scots were right behind him. Even the Irish celebrated out of admiration for the person, if not the empire, of the Queen. All we know of their celebration is that the company granted a holiday, that there was a potluck picnic with singing and instrumental music, and that it probably lasted until after dark. Diligent research (by NAQCPA board member Jeannie Carevic) has failed to uncover any additional details about the event on Mine Hill, but it has revealed that people throughout Santa Clara Valley were riveted by the reports of "England's week of glorious pageantry." The San Jose Mercury was filled with stories and sketches from London describing the mass celebration, the impassable streets, the splendor of empire. Stories chronicled Victoria's life - twenty-one years a maid, twenty-two years a wife, thirty-six years a widow, and sixty years Queen Empress. Additional stories speculated about her health, her possible abdication (she never did) and the American reaction. What the accounts failed to convey was a sense of the mass celebration that on Jubilee Day was taking place all around the globe, wherever the sun rose on British people. Next month we will re-capture the enthusiasm of the great jubilee. At Pioneer Day on Saturday, October 11, we'll have a picnic on the hill at the Victoria Shaft. The Union Jack will fly beside the Stars and Stripes. We will hear "The Charge of the Light Brigade," enjoy the music of Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory," and stand to sing "God Save the Queen." Some of us may wear Victorian dress, as the miners and their wives would have done. Some of us will walk a little more erect that day, remembering the dignified bearing of Robert Bulmore, or even of the Lords and Ladies who attended the Queen. We'll all come prepared for good' food and a good time. To join in the Jubilee arrive at the Hacienda (Main) entrance to the park at 10:00 am,when trucks and vans will begin taking people up on the hill. The last truck ascends the hill at 11:30, so don't be late. Trucks will begin bringing people down about 2:30 p.m. The cost per adult is $8.00 and $4.00 for children under twelve (6 pounds per adult if paid in sterling We'll have a celebration to remember for the next hundred years. ROUNDUP HIKERS, MTN. BIKERS, EQUESTRIANS HELP US DEDICATE 6 MILES OF THE BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL AT J. D. GRANT COUNTY PARK ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1997 11:00 A. M. -JOHN MUIR WILL START THE FESTIVITIES IN THE ROSEGARDEN 12:00 P. M. -RIBBON CUTTING FOLLOWED BY REFRESHMENTS 1:00 P. M. -HIKES AND TRAIL RIDES TALKS AND EXHIBITS WILL FEATURE OHLONE INDIAN HISTORY, MEXICAN HERITAGE AND THE GRANT FAMILY ACTIVITIES INCLUDING A CATTLE ROUND-UP AND A PACKING DEMONSTRATION LICK OBSERVATORY HOSTED BY THE BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL COUNCIL & SANTA CLARA COUNTY PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR INFORMATION CALL JUDY ETHERIDGE 408 248-3900 A High and Holy Place: A Mining Camp Church at New Almaden by Gage McKinney, 96 pages, $14 at the Mercury Mining Museum For lovers of local and western history, another interesting and very readable book has been added to the list. _AJ/1gi. and i oCy place is the story not only of the Methodist Church in the mining camp at New Almaden, but of the circuit riders and pastors, families, teachers, movers and shakers who made the church a vital and influential part of the life of that community.~'-? Gage McKinney has used church documents and family histories as well as interviews with old timers and their descendants to document his research. Clyde Arbuckle, San Jose historian and noted author, has said of McKinney's book: "Gage's careful research produced a story that I wished I had written". Find outfor yourself by reading this delightful, informative book. NEED SOME FUN IN YOUR LIFE! JOIN US IN THE MOVE TO THE CASA GRANDE! Give your name to Kitty at 268-6541 anytime and you'll be notified when the move begins. Any help before hand with archival protection would be appreciated. Also, we purchased some file cabinets and other things from Terry Espland .Perhaps you would like to help us with the financial burden. Following is the list: We would put your name on the item if you so desire. Stuff from Terry Espland 3 fire safe files$155.00 Table and Credenza$250.00 Refrigerator $40.00 Computer tables and top$175.00 Book case $ 5.00 Archival case $100.00 Book case $15.00 3 stands and coffee pot.$30.00 Shelves $35 Cabinet in bathroom0.00 TOTAL $805.00 As Kitty and I were clearing out boxes of papers in our anticipation of the museum's move to Casa Grande, we came across the following letter. We hope you enjoy reading this gem as much as we did. Virginia Hammerness THE NEW ALMADEN QUICKSILVER COUNTY PARK ASSOCIATION Established in 1983 The association welcomes you to it's third annual Pioneers day to be held at the historic San Cristobal Mine October 12, 1985, Pioneer Day, Pioneers Day was established to make new friends and to bring together old friends who share a common bond through New Almaden.Today is for memories, some aged and mellow, others new and fresh. Today is for those things which made New Almaden so special to us all. Today is for you, our honored guests. The Cristobal Tunnel which was 500 feet long is made to bring ventilation to other tunnels' below. Food and refreshments were served at the opening of this tunnel located almost the top of the hill where the Old English Colony was once thriving. Sitting opposite me at the long table full of goodies was a young handsome priest by the name of Fr. Noya who conducts the masses at the old St. Anthony Church in the old Almaden Town now renamed New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association. Our conversation' was getting more interesting by the minute. He asked where I lived. I told him and also told him that 1 was very anxious to move! He asked, "Why" I told him that 'I want to 'raise a rooster! His pretty dark eyes widened, A rooster, for what?"'"To entertain the sick at the convalscent. homes or anyone that is ill." .'He thought that was a brilliant goal and assured me he'll try to find an appropriate place so I do not have to leave this beautiful Almaden 'Country, Once a month the congregation can voice their opinion, aloud at mass. I did not attend the following day after I met' Fr. Noya. I was told by one in Attendance that Fr. Hoye said at the Mass. 'Yesterday I met a most profound woman----she is. old, but. does not look her age and what do you think her ambition is 'to raise a rooster and train him to crow and bring cheer to the sick.Usually when people become old they think of only oneself: Mrs. Tietz. rose to the floor. "Oh! I know Clementine, she taught me how to kill chickens so they don't suffer!" "Also she told my young daughter 'there comes a time in Life where you must use your head instead your heart." And thus the day on the Hill! Clementine Old Timer ---? MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY SEPTEMBER 16th DIEZ Y SEIS September 16th 1997 marks the 187th anniversary of Mexico's Independence from Spain. It was always celebrated as a general holiday at New Almaden with all inhabitants partaking of the festivities. In the spirit of Pioneer Day ( Saturday, October llth)the following description of the 1874 celebration when fifteen nationalities participated is presented. It was found while preparing R.J. ( Dick ) Pearce's memoir for publication. It appeared as a letter in the San Francisco Chronicle September 20th, 1874. " New Almaden, Santa Clara County, September 17- Yesterday was a gala day for the Mexican population of New Almaden, being the anniversary of Mexico's freedom from the thraldom of Spain. Before sunrise the flags of several South American Republics were floating to the.breeze, while a salute of twenty-one anvils reverberated from canon to hill-top in coRmeration of the great event. Being a general holiday throughout the mine, due deference was accredited the occasion. A band of music, engaged specially for the celebration, discoursed sweet notes at intervals throughout the forenoon while religious services filled up the interim. At midday the procession formed in the following order: Band; a Spanish military company; a group of six children, the largest of them representing the Goddess of Liberty; next came the bannerman, with flags and ribbons flaunting to the breeze, bearing also huge oil paintings of General Jose de San Martin, Hidalgo-y-Costello, Saragosa, Juarez, and other representative men of Mexico and Chile. A guard of citizens brought up the rear. Marching down through the American camp they saluted the flag and returned by way of the hill. The day by this time had become so excessively hot that it was deemed desirable to disband until the afternoon. At exactly 4 P.M. they formed in line again. The soldiers under the leadership of Ramon Lopez, acquitted themselves remarkably well. Other festivities- The procession now formed a semi-circle in front of-the Catholic Church. The Declaration of Independence was read by Adolpho Ruis, which called for occasional bursts of applause . In the evening a grand display of fireworks took place, whereat blooming belles , escorted by courageous beaux were there and enjoyed it immensely. At 10 P.M. the ball-room doors were opened and dancing commenced which was kept up until daylight. The whole proceedings from beginning to end were conducted on the decorum and good-order plan. " The letter was unsigned but bears the style of Charles F. O'Brion. He was for many years Surface Foreman and a chronicler of the mine's affairs for numerous publications. A brief sketch of the national heroes mentioned follows: General Jose de San Martin ( 1778-1850 ) Liberator of the South. Liberator of of Chile. His victory at the Maipo River April 5, 1818 broke the power of Spain in Chile. Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla ( 1753-1811 ) Father of Mexican Independence. Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 forcing the abdication of King Ferdinand VII. He placed his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne. The French seen as 'Godless' had few friends in Mexico. Societies formed in Mexico supporting King Ferdinand VII and for independence. Padre Hidalgo supported independence. On September 16, 1810 , he rang the church bell in Dolores calling for an end to rule by Spanish 'peninsulars'. He urged racial equality and land reform. He urged his followers to fight under the banner of the Mexican Virgin, ' Our Lady of Guadalupe' . His forces captured Guanajuato, a mining center,and other towns. Massacre and pillage occured during the capture of Guanajuato which pushed the moderates into the Royalist cause. Padre Hidalgo's forces were defeated at the Battle of Calderon on January 18,1811. He was captured and executed July 31, 1811. General Ignacio Zaragoza ( 1829-1862 ) Mexican General. He fought for the Constitutional President of Mexico, Benito Juarez. His victory on May 5, 1862, ( Cinco de Mayo ) at Puebla was aganist 6000 French troops under Gen. Laurencez. The French lost 1000 troops in the first charge. Zaragoza's troops then pushed the invaders back to the east coast. He died of typhoid fever September 8, 1862. Benito Juarez ( 1806-1872 ) A Zapotei Indian. Lawyer. Governor of Oaxaca, Constitutional President of Mexico 1857-1872. 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' The Holy Mother of God appeared to an Indian convert December 9, 1531 leaving a picture of herself impressed upon his mantle. The ' Patroness of Latin America'. Her shrine at New Almaden is located off the Main Tunnel in a worked out labore- now inaccessible. The writer would like to thank Richard Dillon of Mill Valley, Prof. Robert Miller of Santa Barbara, Lilia Aguilera, David Lemus and Russel Clark of Consulate General of Mexico, San Francisco for their help in preparing this article. VIVA MEXICO Russell Pearce Note: Please examine your mailing label. Your dues are paid through the year shown in the upper righthand corner of the label. How much salt would there be if the entire ocean evaporated? - K.N., Redding If the entire ocean - all 329 million cubic miles - were to evaporate, it would leave behind a crust of sea salt 150 feet thick. Calendar of Events September 27 - Saturday - Trail Building in Santa Teresa Park . Meet at the Pueblo at 9:00 am and work until 12:00 noon. October 11 - Saturday - Pioneer Day, Quicksilver Park. Meet at Hacienda entrance between 10:00 and 11:00 am. Lunch $8.00. October 18 - Saturday - Pumpkins in the Park, Guadalupe River Park. Come to Discovery Meadows between 10:00am and 4:00pm for Halloween fun. October 25 - Saturday - Bay Area Ridge Trail Dedication at Grant Park. Be there at 11:00. |
People |
Arbuckle, Clyde Bulmore, Robert Esplanade, Terry Etheridge, Judy Hammerness, Virginia Giannini Hill, Richard Lopez, Ramon McKinney, Gage Monahan, Kitty Morantes, Refugio O'Brion, Charles F. Pearce, Russell Rodriguez y Estorena, Rafael Ruis, Adolpho |
Cataloged by |
Meyer, Bob |