2019 News for the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association

Contents: Home About NAQCPA, Membership, Donations News Newsletters Almaden Quicksilver Park Info Mining Museum, Museum Archives, Outdoor Museum Pioneer Days, New Almaden Days Media, Pictures Events Links _____________ Webmaster Contact	News: News Archive: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Old pictures of Kitty Monahan Pictures and videos of Kitty's Celebration of Life 2023 2023 Latest news (2024) 2019 News: Ron Horii had an exhibit at the Campbell Library in downtown Campbell from 2/1 to 2/28/19. It was based on his 2011 exhibition at the Santa Teresa Library. He had posters with pictures of Santa Teresa County Park, Almaden Quicksilver County Park, other County Parks, open space preserves, San Francisco Bay parks, and San Jose parks. Here is an album showing the exhibition. A new map is available for Almaden Quicsilver County Park. Maps are being updated for all the County Parks. They show numbers at every trail junction. Trail signs will have those numbers on them eventually. The idea is that problems can be reported by listing the nearest trail junction numbers. On 4/13/19, there was a BioBlitz held at the Mockingbird Hill Lane entrance to Almaden Quicksilver County Park, sponsored by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and organized by biologist Merav Vonshak. "A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms that live in a place." A large group of participants divided up into smaller groups and documented plant and animal life around the staging area and the nearby trails. These are the results of the BioBlitz. Here are pictures of the BioBlitz (need to sign onto Facebook to view them). Nearly all the interpretive signs in the park have been replaced with new signs, made of a more durable material. The signs were getting faded or discolored after years of exposure to the elements. The worst was the incline tramway sign, which suffered damage from the heavy rains of 2017. Above shows the sign from before (from 3/13/19) and after (4/12/19) replacement. On 7/7/19, there was a small grass fire on the north side of Alamitos Road below the Alamitos Vineyard. San Jose Fire Department and CalFire crews, including a Calfire helicopter, were able to stop the fire before it could spread to the vineyard or surrounding hills in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The Alamitos Vineyards has their own fire truck, which has appeared in the New Almaden Parade. It also fought the fire. From 7/8-7/12/19, the Casa Grande was closed for fumigation to kill pests. The annual Play Like a Miner event was held at the Casa Grande on 8/3/19. About 450 people attended. Here are pictures: Play Like a Miner Part 1, Outside Activities 8/3/19, Play Like a Miner Part 2, Casa Grande & Blacksmith Shop 8/3/19 On 8/16/19, several NAQCPA members went on a boat tour of the Alviso Slough. It was narrated by Park Interpreter Luke Bailey. Here are more pictures of the boat tour. The boat went down the Alviso Slough all the way to its confluence with Coyote Creek. We saw lots of birds along the way, including an osprey. Luke talked about the history of the Bay, plants and animals in the wetlands, and the future challenge of sea level rise. The New Almaden Day Parade was held on 9/14/19. Afterwards, the carnival was held at the Community Center. On 9/28/19, there was an ice cream social event for County Parks volunteers at Vasona Lake. On 9/29/19, there was a Quicksilver History Hike, led by Park Interpreters Chris Carson and Steve Leong, accompanied by Park Docent Ron Horii. The hike went along the Wood Road Trail to Mine Hill and the Rotary Furnace. There will be more hikes like this on 10/26/19, 11/24/19, 12/28/19, 1/26/20, 2/29/20, 3/29/20, 4/25/20. On 9/30/19, a County Parks ranger promotion and badging ceremony was held at the Casa Grande. Flint Glines was promoted to Chief Park Ranger. Julie Cooper and Frank Weiland were promoted to Park Ranger Supervisors. Ruben Suarez, Melissa Rodriguez, Christopher Shear, Jackson Bramham, Bryce Winter, and Carley Bolitho received their badges as Park Rangers. Above, left to right are Supervising Ranger Aniko Millan, Ruben Suarez, Melissa Rodriguez, Christopher Shear, Frank Weiland, Flint Glines, Julie Cooper, Jackson Bramham, Bryce Winter, and Carley Bolitho. On 10/12/19, NAQCPA, the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association, celebrated their 37th anniversary at their annual Pioneer Day event. This year, it was held at the Casa Grande. It featured the wagon restoration and Estaban Tunnel at the Blacksmith Shop. On November 3, 2019, long-time NAQCPA member Bob Meyer passed away from natural causes. He joined NAQCPA a year after it was formed and served as its treasurer for many years. He helped at Pioneer Days, collecting donations. Here is his obituary: "Robert Warren Meyer, May 2, 1932 – November 3, 2019, Resident of Los Gatos. Robert passed away peacefully at his home in Los Gatos. Robert is survived by his loving wife Patricia, his children Robert, Kathleen, David, Gary, and his 6 grandchildren Samantha, Elizabeth, Brian, Spencer, Jennifer, Olivia and great grandchild Jacob. Robert was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri. He met Patricia while they both attended the University of New Mexico. Robert and Patricia were married in 1953 and called Los Gatos their home for 53 years. Robert served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. He loved the outdoors and filled his days with activities including skiing, running, biking, swimming and working in his yard. He will be missed. A celebration of life will be held at the First Congregational Church on November 23rd at 2pm, reception will follow the service." On November 7, 2019, at 7 pm in the Santa Teresa Golf Club Upper Banquet Room, New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association President and Friends of Santa Teresa Park (FOSTP) Vice-President Kitty Monahan gave a talk on "New Almaden and Its Quicksilver Mines." This was the description of the talk: "FOSTP is honored to present Kitty Monahan, President of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association. She is known for giving entertaining presentations about New Almaden Quicksilver County Park's natural, cultural, and mining history. Don't miss this colorful slideshow event with her expert experience and humorous storytelling. The New Almaden mine was once the wealthiest mine in North America and one of the reasons for the success of the 1849 California Gold Rush. Learn about what mining life was like for the 1848-1972 miners and settlers, who worked, lived, and died at this fabulous historical wild west mining town!" Here's the flyer for this event. On 11/16/19, there was another BioBlitz held at the Mockingbird Hill Lane entrance to Almaden Quicksilver County Park, sponsored by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and organized by biologist Merav Vonshak. It was a follow-up to the spring BioBlitz held here on 4/13/19 (see above). See here for pictures of the BioBlitz and links to the results. On Sunday, December 15, 2019, this event was held at the Casa Grande: "Learn about the Victorian era at Casa Grande while participating in activities from the 1880s with costumed staff and docents. There will be demonstrations, crafts, and guided tours of the museum. Fun for the whole family." Here are pictures of the event (Facebook sign-in required). Above are park interpretive staff members Whitney, Victoria, and Lynda in period dress. Below are pictures of the historic wagon restoration project from 2014 to 2019: Front of wagon, 6/29/14 Rear of wagon, 6/29/14 Wagon 2/14/15 Wagon 10/26/19 Wagon Restoration 12/15/19 NAQPA members have been restoring an historic wagon at the Blacksmith Shop. It was once parked in the yard behind the Casa Grande and used as a stage. The elements have taken their toll on the wooden parts. They have been replaced with new wood. The latest addition is the bench on top. The most challenging part will be restoring the wooden wheels. Top of page Copyright © New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association For more information about the organization and activities, send us an email at naqcpa.newalmaden@gmail.com. For questions about the website, contact our webmaster, Ron Horii. Updated 6/17/24.

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2019 News:

Ron Horii's Photo Exhibition at the Campbell Library

Ron Horii had an exhibit at the Campbell Library in downtown Campbell from 2/1 to 2/28/19. It was based on his 2011 exhibition at the Santa Teresa Library. He had posters with pictures of Santa Teresa County Park, Almaden Quicksilver County Park, other County Parks, open space preserves, San Francisco Bay parks, and San Jose parks. Here is an album showing the exhibition.

A new map is available for Almaden Quicsilver County Park. Maps are being updated for all the County Parks. They show numbers at every trail junction. Trail signs will have those numbers on them eventually. The idea is that problems can be reported by listing the nearest trail junction numbers.

On 4/13/19, there was a BioBlitz held at the Mockingbird Hill Lane entrance to Almaden Quicksilver County Park, sponsored by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and organized by biologist Merav Vonshak. "A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms that live in a place." A large group of participants divided up into smaller groups and documented plant and animal life around the staging area and the nearby trails. These are the results of the BioBlitz. Here are pictures of the BioBlitz (need to sign onto Facebook to view them).

Nearly all the interpretive signs in the park have been replaced with new signs, made of a more durable material. The signs were getting faded or discolored after years of exposure to the elements. The worst was the incline tramway sign, which suffered damage from the heavy rains of 2017. Above shows the sign from before (from 3/13/19) and after (4/12/19) replacement.

On 7/7/19, there was a small grass fire on the north side of Alamitos Road below the Alamitos Vineyard. San Jose Fire Department and CalFire crews, including a Calfire helicopter, were able to stop the fire before it could spread to the vineyard or surrounding hills in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The Alamitos Vineyards has their own fire truck, which has appeared in the New Almaden Parade. It also fought the fire.

From 7/8-7/12/19, the Casa Grande was closed for fumigation to kill pests.

Play Like a Miner 8/3/19

The annual Play Like a Miner event was held at the Casa Grande on 8/3/19. About 450 people attended. Here are pictures: Play Like a Miner Part 1, Outside Activities 8/3/19, Play Like a Miner Part 2, Casa Grande & Blacksmith Shop 8/3/19

On 8/16/19, several NAQCPA members went on a boat tour of the Alviso Slough. It was narrated by Park Interpreter Luke Bailey. Here are more pictures of the boat tour. The boat went down the Alviso Slough all the way to its confluence with Coyote Creek. We saw lots of birds along the way, including an osprey. Luke talked about the history of the Bay, plants and animals in the wetlands, and the future challenge of sea level rise.

The New Almaden Day Parade was held on 9/14/19. Afterwards, the carnival was held at the Community Center.

Volunteers Ice Cream Social, Vasona, 9/28/19

On 9/28/19, there was an ice cream social event for County Parks volunteers at Vasona Lake.

History Hike at Rotary Furnace, 9/29/19

On 9/29/19, there was a Quicksilver History Hike, led by Park Interpreters Chris Carson and Steve Leong, accompanied by Park Docent Ron Horii. The hike went along the Wood Road Trail to Mine Hill and the Rotary Furnace. There will be more hikes like this on 10/26/19, 11/24/19, 12/28/19, 1/26/20, 2/29/20, 3/29/20, 4/25/20.

Ranger Promotion/Badging Ceremony, Casa Grande 9/30/19

On 9/30/19, a County Parks ranger promotion and badging ceremony was held at the Casa Grande. Flint Glines was promoted to Chief Park Ranger. Julie Cooper and Frank Weiland were promoted to Park Ranger Supervisors. Ruben Suarez, Melissa Rodriguez, Christopher Shear, Jackson Bramham, Bryce Winter, and Carley Bolitho received their badges as Park Rangers. Above, left to right are Supervising Ranger Aniko Millan, Ruben Suarez, Melissa Rodriguez, Christopher Shear, Frank Weiland, Flint Glines, Julie Cooper, Jackson Bramham, Bryce Winter, and Carley Bolitho.

On 10/12/19, NAQCPA, the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association, celebrated their 37th anniversary at their annual Pioneer Day event. This year, it was held at the Casa Grande. It featured the wagon restoration and Estaban Tunnel at the Blacksmith Shop.

On November 3, 2019, long-time NAQCPA member Bob Meyer passed away from natural causes. He joined NAQCPA a year after it was formed and served as its treasurer for many years. He helped at Pioneer Days, collecting donations. Here is his obituary: "Robert Warren Meyer, May 2, 1932 – November 3, 2019, Resident of Los Gatos. Robert passed away peacefully at his home in Los Gatos. Robert is survived by his loving wife Patricia, his children Robert, Kathleen, David, Gary, and his 6 grandchildren Samantha, Elizabeth, Brian, Spencer, Jennifer, Olivia and great grandchild Jacob. Robert was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri. He met Patricia while they both attended the University of New Mexico. Robert and Patricia were married in 1953 and called Los Gatos their home for 53 years. Robert served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. He loved the outdoors and filled his days with activities including skiing, running, biking, swimming and working in his yard. He will be missed. A celebration of life will be held at the First Congregational Church on November 23rd at 2pm, reception will follow the service."

Kitty Monahan's talk, 11/7/19, Santa Teresa Golf Club

On November 7, 2019, at 7 pm in the Santa Teresa Golf Club Upper Banquet Room, New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association President and Friends of Santa Teresa Park (FOSTP) Vice-President Kitty Monahan gave a talk on "New Almaden and Its Quicksilver Mines." This was the description of the talk: "FOSTP is honored to present Kitty Monahan, President of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association. She is known for giving entertaining presentations about New Almaden Quicksilver County Park's natural, cultural, and mining history. Don't miss this colorful slideshow event with her expert experience and humorous storytelling. The New Almaden mine was once the wealthiest mine in North America and one of the reasons for the success of the 1849 California Gold Rush. Learn about what mining life was like for the 1848-1972 miners and settlers, who worked, lived, and died at this fabulous historical wild west mining town!" Here's the flyer for this event.

On 11/16/19, there was another BioBlitz held at the Mockingbird Hill Lane entrance to Almaden Quicksilver County Park, sponsored by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and organized by biologist Merav Vonshak. It was a follow-up to the spring BioBlitz held here on 4/13/19 (see above). See here for pictures of the BioBlitz and links to the results.

Interpretive staff at Living History Day, 12/15/19

On Sunday, December 15, 2019, this event was held at the Casa Grande: "Learn about the Victorian era at Casa Grande while participating in activities from the 1880s with costumed staff and docents. There will be demonstrations, crafts, and guided tours of the museum. Fun for the whole family." Here are pictures of the event (Facebook sign-in required). Above are park interpretive staff members Whitney, Victoria, and Lynda in period dress.

Below are pictures of the historic wagon restoration project from 2014 to 2019:

Wagon front 6/29/14

Front of wagon, 6/29/14

Wagon rear 6/29/14

Rear of wagon, 6/29/14

Wagon 2/14/15

Wagon 10/26/19

Historic wagon restoration, 12/15/19

Wagon Restoration 12/15/19

NAQPA members have been restoring an historic wagon at the Blacksmith Shop. It was once parked in the yard behind the Casa Grande and used as a stage. The elements have taken their toll on the wooden parts. They have been replaced with new wood. The latest addition is the bench on top. The most challenging part will be restoring the wooden wheels.

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