The Pomo Bulletin
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Lake County Historical Society Officers and Directors The Pomo Bulletin a publication of the Officers Lake County Historical Society President: Phil Smoley Vice President: John Parker Box 1011 Vice President: Catherine Quistgard Lakeport CA 95453 Secretary: Bonnie Skee Office phone 707-274-8323 Corresponding Secretary: Jackie Ridgel Website: LakeCountyHistory.org Treasurer: vacant The Lake County Historical Society Asst. Treasurer: Florence Peck welcomes submissions for the Pomo Membership: Nick Voegtly Bulletin, either by email or snail mail. See instructions below. Board of Directors District 1: Kevin Engle The Pomo Bulletin reserves the right to District 2: Val Onellion accept or edit for length and District 3: Patricia Wilson appropriateness, and to make corrections as District 4: Vi Smoley needed. Please verify facts and spellings District 5: Floraine Chalk before submitting your story. If you are Director At-Large: Ruby Glebe submitting something that was previously published in another publication, please Committees provide the complete publication Books: (vacant) & Vi Smoley information. Copyright restrictions may Cable Car: Pat Ridgel prevent the re-publication of some Clubhouse: P. Wilson & V. Onellion material. Submissions that do not pertain to Digitization: vacant Lake County history will be returned. Ely Stage Stop: Greg Dills Deadlines Jan. 25, May 25, & Sept. 25. Events: Val Onellion Herndon Cemetery Project: K. Engle To submit by email: Inventory Staff: K. Engle & V. Onellion Text Opportunity Drawing: Floraine Chalk Type or paste the text into an email and Oral History Project: vacant send to [email protected]. Photo & Location Project: Photographs George Stimson & Sandy Collins Attach photographs to the email and send Pomo Bulletin: Jan Cook to [email protected]. Include as Programs & Meeting Places: P. Smoley much information as possible about the Publicity: Randy Ridgel photographs: date, place, names of people, Refreshments: B. Skee & V. Smoley anything about the event, name of Scholarship: Tony Marchese photographer, if known. Please include Scrapbook: vacant your name, address, phone & email. Webmaster: George Stimson To submit hard copies: Mail paper copies of articles, memories or Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum photographs of Lake County history to 9921 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville CA Lake County Historical Society, PO Box Open Saturday & Sunday 1011, Lakeport CA 95453, attention Pomo 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Bulletin. Please type or print legibly. LCHS office phone 707-274-8323 Photographs can be scanned and the A joint project of the Lake County originals returned to you if you request. Historical Society and the County of Lake, Please enclose a SASE for returning your made possible through the generosity of materials. Please include your name, Beckstoffer Vineyards. address, phone & email. Lake County Historical Society * Pomo Bulletin June 2012 1 Table of Contents President’s Message 3 Editor’s Message 3 In Memoriam: Wanda Wolf 1914 -2012 4 Little Known Pioneer John McGreer 5 Lake County Celebrates the Golden Gate Bridge 8 Historical Resources in Lake County: 11 California Indian Library Collection The Book Shelf: Helen Rocca Goss and The Life and Death of a Quicksilver Mine 12 Just For Fun: Lakeport photograph, about 1900 14 Index 15 Meeting Dates: September 23, location to be announced November 18, location to be announced Meeting information is subject to change without notice. Advertising in the Pomo Bulletin Business card sized advertisement, black & white only. The cost for an ad is $25.00 / issue. The Lake County Historical Society Officers, Directors, and Pomo Bulletin staff and LCHS as an organization does not verify the claims made by advertisers nor their license status (if required) and the presence of advertising shall not be considered an endorsement or approval of products or services. LCHS may reject or refuse any advertisement for any reason LCHS deems proper. Submit a business card and a check for your ad to the Lake County Historical Society. Lake County Historical Society * Pomo Bulletin June 2012 2 President’s Message Our General Membership Meeting/Summer Picnic at the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum was a success! About 100 folks attended the event under the trees with Mount Konocti looming as a backdrop. The weather was superb, a sunny, breezy day in the low 70’s. John Parker took us back in time to the days of stage coaches and highwaymen, Greg Blinn reviewed the history of Ely, Greg Dills acknowledged the many people who made the Ely project possible, including our dedicated docent group, and Randy Ridgel spoke of the unique nature of the project and its future possibilities. Scholarship chair Tony Marchese introduced this year’s scholarship winner, Rachel Sutton, of Middletown. Rachel spoke about the importance of preserving, teaching and learning our history, and thanked her mother for instilling an appreciation on history in her. The president thanked Bill Lane for his work in installing the flag pole and Frank and Suzanne Shutes for their donation of the pole. Gerry Shaul was thanked for his coordination of the Trowel and Trellis Garden Club’s donation of planter boxes for the front of the Ely building. The food was tasty and plentiful, topped by Kevin Engle’s grilled oysters and prawns. All in all, a splendid time was had by all! The new website is up! Go to LakeCountyHistory.org and check it out. This is version 1.0 and needs additional proofing and updating. Your feedback and ideas are critical, so please take the time to look it over carefully and report any problems or need for improvement. Our organization is volunteer-driven and we are in need for volunteers. Would you like to help with book sales? Events? Serve on a committee? Be a director? Help with fund raising? Any help you can give would be appreciated and be helping an organization that has become vital and integral to our community. Thanks to all of our volunteers for making the Lake County Historical Society the success that it is! Phil Smoley, President Editor’s Message Greetings, What is history, when is history? Perhaps we think of history as things that happened before we can remember them, but live long enough and you are a witness to history. Since the Lake County Historical Society formed in 1955 much has happened here. For instance - 1959: Konocti Harbor Resort opened. 1966: Redbud Library opened on Golf Avenue in Clearlake 1968: the Forbes St. courthouse opened. 1978: the Lake County Museum moved into the renovated old courthouse. 1978: MacDonalds came to Lakeport. 1978: several Lake County residents died at Jonestown. 1980: the City of Clearlake incorporated. 1981: Willow Tree Plaza was built on 11th Street in Lakeport. 1981: Deputy Richard Helbush was killed in the line of duty. 1990s: Indian casinos began operating in Lake County. 1995: Redbud Library moved to Burns Valley Rd. 2009: Konocti Harbor in closed. 2010 the County of Lake bought parkland on Mt. Konocti. And, in 1972: Wanda Wolf joined the Lake County Historical Society, becoming membership chairman, the first of many jobs she did over the next 30+ years before she moved to Sonoma County. Wanda died May 23, 2012 in Sonoma County. Read more about Wanda’s life and accomplishments in this issue of the Pomo Bulletin. I remember the inseparable Wanda Wolf and Norma Wright as active members of the historical society, always working hard to support the society. On our cover we show that it’s hard to keep a good woman down. I invite LCHS members and friends to submit articles and photographs for the Pomo Bulletin. New material that tells stories not already seen in these pages is especially welcome. The PB is a venue for histories of families, businesses, organizations and towns; archeology updates; ethnic and social history; all of these, and more, are welcome. The Pomo Bulletin now accepts emailed submissions, while still accepting typed or hand-printed material. More details and guidelines for submissions can be found on page 1. Deadlines are now January 25. May 25, and September 25. I look forward to working with you to tell the stories of Lake County’s past. Jan Cook Lake County Historical Society * Pomo Bulletin June 2012 3 Wanda Bean Wolf June 23, 1914 – May 23, 2012 Wanda Wolf (r.) helping assemble the Pomo Bulletin, February 1988, Lakeport. (Clark photo) From Wanda’s obituary, published in the Lake County Record-Bee, Saturday, June 2, 2012. Wanda is survived by two brothers, Vincent Donald Bean and Lesley Bean; a son, Jerry Wolf; a daughter, Colleen Trouse; six grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. A resident of Kelseyville for over 40 years, Wanda was very involved in the life of Lake County. Vice president and membership chairman of the Lake County Historical Society, she attended many State conferences and received an award as an outstanding member of the California State Historical Society. In 1989 Wanda is pictured in the Lake County Record Bee receiving a certificate of recognition for her role as a docent with the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association. She was one of the founders of the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Society and served as the first President. Besides being a docent at the State Park, her great joy was being Smokey the Bear’s assistant and going to schools to educate children about fire prevention. Wanda was born in Elwood, Kansas but, given an opportunity, she would tell you about the adventures of her extended family traveling to the promised land of California in 1924 in three Fords. They camped every night. Sometimes the men worked in the fields helping harvesters along the way. It took many weeks to get to California. During World War II, Wanda worked in a Defense Factory making wing gas tanks for fighter planes.