COAST TO COLOMA
San Francisco, was the site where the infusion of change sped up increasingly into the 20th Century. The history of the region changed dramatically culturally, politically and geometrically beginning in 1842. Even the coastline was modified repeatedly, not just the region's hills and travel routes. Travelers as well as crews of merchant and transport boats would often abandon their ships, and run for gold prospecting. Time and fill would turn bay shore into land upon which buildings (commercial districts now) would later rise. I remember watching the work as the excavators dug foundations for downtown's sky scrapers and hearing about the discoveries of old ship parts and rotted piers.
My first eye opener took place when I visited the Library at UC Berkeley and saw the first available map of California's central coast line. The map was drawn by Sir Francis Drake, depicting the explorer's discovery of San Francisco Bay.
The often hard, cruel but also phenomenal history that ensued after Sir Francis Drake drew me in, and I read more. My move here focused me on the Park and subsequently the Small shed, "post office".
IN THE 1840's
The prominences of Spanish colonists and Catholic church were literally affronted with the landing of the first west-bound settlers from the American east coast. These were Mormons, followed by a full diversity of cultures and religions/no religion. The Native American Slave trade, the seduction of young men to mine for gold by supply provisioning prospectors and realtors changed everything, intensely. The "firsts of..." are innumerable during that era.
The famous San Francisco, first called Yerba Buena, was crowded and more culturally diverse than most other US cities, a close second to New York. The city and then Mexico's-California economy grew from expenditures for rental lodging and provisions made by "want to be" gold miners.
Travel "to" California by ship meant buying mining and camping supplies, labor, rent, food, entertainment, liquor and more. The scams and outright killings of all ethnic and colonizing groups, including starvation of working native tribes, sinking boats with colonists, on board and more occurred. Still, at the same time a rich and rather positive history also developed.
The period of the mid 19th century to the early 20th is when the geography, ethnography, natural history of Coloma's as well as California's history was reset. Mostly based on the publicity, rather than the reality, that Coloma was loaded with gold.
GOLD
Gold-time may not seem "long ago" to Native American, Europeans, Mediterranean, Asian and African cultures, but it is "old" as far as the recent US version of California is concerned. Coloma's history is a fascinating and concentrated history that stretches orders of magnitude beyond any simple centuries.
Gold was discovered in Culloma, California, on January 24, 1848.
"Culloma" is the Maidu name for the site that after time transformed to "Coloma". Coloma has a unique history. Not only was it the site for the new Gold Rush, it was the first Japanese colony established itself in the United States. Also along with much of California at the time it was the site for many minors and Chinese 'laborers'.
The influx of students from Universities in the eastern US was drawn out of the legal, medical, professorial ....and ivy league training, not only poor struggling immigrants. This inflow was so dramatic that money had a tight grip on subsequent social and political changes. Gold was the minor part of it all. The Sierra Nevada foothills drove a change underwent major vegetation, faunal and topographic transformation.
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POSTAL SERVICE
The Coloma Post Office was established November 8, 1849.
It was Jacob (John) T. Little who operated the first local merchandise store. He also decided to establish a post office on site. Through a special agent "Allen", responsible for reviewing the distributions of post offices in the region, it was recommended that Coloma be part of the Post Office Department. Allen's letter of August 29, 1849 resulted in the Coloma Post Office's registry date, November 8, 1849. Although, as the Post Office's brochure indicates... "actual earlier postmarks of October 1849, Culloma, Alta Cal exist."
LIFE
The vegetation surrounding Coloma is rather young, essentially growing back after the 1800's and much of early 1900's ranching, mining and forestry. Oaks and other trees over 100+ years old are not common in these low elevation foothills, but many of the trees are still large and robust. Old cattle lands have regenerated manzanita, oak, madrone, buckeye, pine and dogwood, add some poison oak. Fire and rural urbanization are a major part of the vegetation change. It's hot and dry here most summers, and low elevation forests are not immune and burn, over time. This type of forest has "fire" built into its ancestry, though this is not entirely compatible with urbanization.
Our day begins with songs of countless passerine birds, quail, turkeys (not so bright ones) and hawks. The reptile species abound also including legless lizards, skink, king snakes and the less well loved rattlers. invertebrates are countless, as usual, and include real daddy long legs, color rich butterflies, walking sticks and preying mantises, itsy bitsy scorpion imitators, and velvety tarantulas that hide and keep the pests under control.
Miraculously much of the wildlife, at least the most visible and resilient species survive, so far. We still fall asleep to the sounds of Coyotes and foxes singing, joined by all the tree frogs.
SITUATED
The sunrise is our first view over the western Tahoe Sierra peaks. Dawn bears a bright golden flash, turning the snow white into a prism of color.
Coloma is a bit lower, at about 1000 feet elevation. There the south fork of the American River flows through the town. The adjoining hills associated with small hamlets of "Cool", "Lotus" and the county's seat, "Placerville", are mostly between 1200-1800 feet.
FLAVORS
Alongside the Gold Rush, cattle grazing and forestry industries expanded. It was not until recently that residential communities, many retired folks, new ranchers, computer geeks, and city (Sacramento) commuters began to join the earlier cultures. The "old" remains and is only diversified with change.This makes for interesting discussions regarding local politics and elections or proposition vote campaigns.
Here we are one of the premier sites for rafting , young but excellent vineyards & wineries, a few brewing facilities, equestrian stables, horse trail riding, mountain biking, kyaking, and recent llama ranching.
MORE HISTORY
Check out more detail, folklore and historical accounts regarding the gold rush at some of the link websites I've listed. (Go to Links or click here.)
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