2022 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 Latest news (2024) 2022 News: History hikes have resumed in Almaden Quicksilver, led by park interpreters. On 2/26/22, Park Interpreter Luke Bailey, with help from NAQCPA member Mike Cox, led a history hike on the Wood Road Trail to the Rotary Furnace and English Camp. There was a huge turnout. Over 70 people came to it. Here are pictures of the hike. See the events schedule below for future hikes. Update 4/15/22: Starting in January 2022, Melissa Hippard, the County Parks Strategic Partnership and Revenue Development Manager, wanted to have a discussion about NAQCPA's partnership with the department. This started a series of Zoom meetings, initiated by Tere Johnson, to discuss NAQCPA's fate and future plans. The first meeting was on 1/24/22. We decided to keep NAQCPA going, maintain and possibly enhance our partnership with the County Parks, elect new board members, recruit new members, start a Facebook page, keep the small maintenance group active, publish an e-newsletter and email it to members, participate in park activities at the Casa Grande, and hold a Pioneer Day. Tere Johnson was elected President. Art Bouldreault volunteered to serve as temporary treasurer. Mike Cox agreed to serve as temporary secretary. In later meetings, Mike Cox was elected vice president and Lisa Laymon was elected secretary. Sue McLain is being trained by Art to eventually become treasurer. Ron Horii continued as webmaster. NAQCPA now has a Facebook page. If you're a Facebook member, check it out and join it. You can see the latest news, as well as historic pictures and stories. You can comment on them, ask questions, or post your own. At the County Parks' 27th Annual Volunteer Recognition event on 4/23/22, Kitty Monahan talked about the history of the volunteer program. Several Almaden Quicksilver volunteers and NAQCPA members were recognized at the event. The County Parks' PixInParks Challenge runs from May 1 until December 15, 2022. Participants hike 7 trail routes in different parks, take a picture at the prescribed destination points, and post the pictures on social media, with the hashtag #PixInParks. After completing the challenge, they can get a t-shirt or bandana. The route at Almaden Quicksilver follows the Deep Gulch Trail to English Camp and returns on the Mine Hill Trail, with a picture spot at English Camp (above). Other hikes are at Santa Teresa, Ed Levin, Mt. Madonna, Coyote Lake/Harvey Bear, Upper Stevens Creek, and Sanborn. Sat. May 21, 7-9 pm. Preservation Awards Night. History San Jose Park. $15 General Admission, Under 18 Free. In recognition of this year’s National Preservation Month, the newly formed Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance will host a Preservation Awards Night to bring the public and local preservation groups together for a celebratory event. NAQCPA President Kitty Monahan and NAQCPA member Bruce Bartlett will be honored at this event. See here for more information and to purchase tickets. The intent of the SCCPA Awards Night is: To recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community who have made outstanding contributions to historic preservation. To showcase exemplary preservation throughout the community that may serve as inspiration for future preservation. To encourage preservation of historic homes or buildings that may prevent future demolition of historic properties. To educate the community on the merits of historic architecture and preservation. To share ideas and projects various preservation groups throughout the county. Here are pictures from the 1st Annual Preservation Alliance Awards Night, 5/21/22. This is NAQCPA's and FOSTP's table at the Preservation Alliance Awards Night at History San Jose. Veronica Jordan staffed the table, talked to visitors, and passed out information. The table, which had pictures and brochures, was shared with Mike Boulland and the Friends of Santa Teresa Park. Mike had pictures of Kitty Monahan, who besides serving as President of NAQCPA, was also Vice President of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park. At the Preservation Alliance Awards Night, Bruce Bartlett received the Distinguished Preservation Service Award for his work on projects at Almaden Quicksilver. At the Preservation Alliance Awards Night, former NAQCPA President Kitty Monahan was awarded the Preservation Lifetime Achievement Award. Tere Johnson (left), read the award, while Mike Cox (right) accepted the award for Kitty. She could not attend due to her health conditions. Kathy Sutherland (center), assistant to County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, is holding a commendation from the Board of Supervisors to Kitty. Here's a link to the video of the award presentations to Kitty. On June 1, NAQCPA members visited Kitty Monahan at her house and presented her with the awards. She was happy to see everyone and receive the awards. On July 9, 2022 from 11 am to 3 pm, after a 2-year absence, the Play Like a Miner event was held again at the Casa Grande: "Imagine a day in the life of a mercury miner and other 19th century residents of New Almaden at this fun family event, featuring games, crafts, rocks, and mining-era activities for all ages." There was a simulated mine tunnel (above). Here are pictures of the event. Here are pictures from the previous Play Like a Miner in 2019: Play Like a Miner Part 1, Outside Activities 8/3/19, Play Like a Miner Part 2, Casa Grande & Blacksmith Shop 8/3/19. NAQCPA has been holding its annual Pioneer Day celebration event since 1983. Its purpose has been to celebrate the New Almaden miners and their families or to dedicate signs or projects in the park. However, due to the pandemic, it was canceled in 2020 and 2021. We are planning to hold it this year on 10/8/22 starting at 11:00 am at the Casa Grande. Planning is in progress. Here is a poster for the event. Come meet our new NAQCPA Board, hear from local community leaders and listen to live music from the fabulous StarGeezers. We will serve a tasty empanada lunch around 12:00 and will pay tribute to Kitty Monahan and other dear NAQCPA friends who have passed in the last couple years. Here are pictures of some of the past Pioneer Days, with a list of all them and excerpts of newsletter articles about them. Above is Pioneer Day 2016. The County Parks are conducting a user survey. These signs are posted all over the parks. If you take the survey, which is free, you are entered into a contest to win a prize. NAQCPA donated the prizes, which are 5 $100 gift cards. Here is the survey website. We are very sad to report that NAQCPA's co-founder and President for nearly 40 years, Kitty Monahan, passed away on July 25, 2022. She has been in declining health the past few months. Most recently, she fell and suffered a hip fracture. She received hospice care and passed away peacefully at home. A celebration of life/memorial for Kitty will be held at the Santa Clara County Horsemen's Association at 20350 McKean Road, San Jose, on September 4 at 1:00 pm. Here's a biography of Kitty from 2018. Here's an article about her death in the Mercury News. Here's her obituary. Here are pictures of Kitty over the years at different events for different organizations: Kitty Monahan at Almaden Quicksilver Events 2002-2020 Kitty Monahan at NAQCPA Christmas Parties Kitty Monahan at New Almaden Days 2006-2019 Kitty Monahan at Santa Teresa Park and related park events (Kitty was Vice President of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park for 30 years.) Top of page On 9/4/22, there was a Celebration of Life for Kitty Monahan at the Santa Clara County Horsemen's Association. Kitty was a lifelong member of the club. She joined it in 1983 and was an avid equestrian. A couple hundred people came to the celebration. There were scheduled speakers and an open mic where anyone could come up and share their memories of Kitty. Here are pictures and videos of the event: Pictures of the celebration Videos of the scheduled speakers Videos of the open-mic speakers Kitty's awards Slideshow of Kitty shown at the event Top of page There will be 2 weeding work days at the Hacienda Entrance to Almaden Quicksilver County Park on 9/11/22 and 10/9/22 from 9 am to 12 pm. Come and help remove invasive plants. If you can help, contact the County Parks Volunteer Office. Sign up here. Here's a flyer for the event. The 38th annual Pioneer Day, in the 40th year since NAQCPA was founded, was held at the Casa Grande on 10/8/22. The theme was to honor and memorialize NAQCPA leaders who have recently passed away. They included John Slenter, John Atwood, Mary Lee Baiocchi, Bob Meyer, and of course, Kitty Monahan. Speakers and audience members gave tributes to them. Visiting dignitaries included San Jose City Councilmember Matt Mahan, State Senator Dave Cortese, and Melissa Hippard representing County Parks Director Don Rocha. Senator Cortese presented a recognition certificate to NAQCPA. Boy Scouts led the flag salute. The Stargeezers provided musical entertainment during lunch, which was empanada meals from the Big E Cafe. Russell Pearce showed a New Almaden voter registry from 1896, showing names of many well-known New Almaden ancestors. Photo albums from the NAQCPA archives, containing hundreds of pictures of past NAQCPA events and historic scenes of New Almaden were on display. There was a door prize drawing. For pictures and videos of the event, see these Facebook albums: Facebook: Pioneer Day, Casa Grande, Almaden Quicksilver County Park 10/8/22 Facebook: Pioneer Day 10/8/22 Videos Facebook: 1896 New Almaden Voter Registry Facebook: Photo Albums on Display at Pioneer Day, 10/8/22 This is artist Gillian Altieri with the cutout figure of Kitty Monahan. Rich Robertson made the cutout from plywood. Gillian painted it. It will be installed in the Hacienda Outdoor Museum. Kitty's figure will greet visitors. John Drew, long-time NAQCPA member, passed away in 2022 at the age of 92. He was the descendant of New Almaden miners. Here's his obituary. This is an excerpt from it: "John reconnected with his family roots at the Almaden Quicksilver Mines by volunteering his time at the Museum as a researcher and docent. He was there for over 25 years and was awarded a plaque for his many hours of service." Celebration Of Life: 11/5/22, 12:00 p.m. Foothill Presbyterian Church, 5301 McKee Rd., San Jose, CA. John attended NAQCPA's annual Pioneer Day celebrations in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. At the events, he often spoke about his family and their connections to the New Almaden Mines. Here are pictures of John at Pioneer Days. Composite animated photo prepared by Charles Cox from 1863 Carleton Watkins photo of New Almaden and the same scene recently photographed by Charles Cox. Please credit the gif to Charles Cox if sharing or reposting, and please do not post to online photography resellers or use for commercial purposes. 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 6/12/24.

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Old pictures of Kitty Monahan
Pictures and videos of Kitty's Celebration of Life

2023
Latest news (2024)

2022 News:

History Hike 2/26/22

History hikes have resumed in Almaden Quicksilver, led by park interpreters. On 2/26/22, Park Interpreter Luke Bailey, with help from NAQCPA member Mike Cox, led a history hike on the Wood Road Trail to the Rotary Furnace and English Camp. There was a huge turnout. Over 70 people came to it. Here are pictures of the hike. See the events schedule below for future hikes.

Update 4/15/22: Starting in January 2022, Melissa Hippard, the County Parks Strategic Partnership and Revenue Development Manager, wanted to have a discussion about NAQCPA's partnership with the department. This started a series of Zoom meetings, initiated by Tere Johnson, to discuss NAQCPA's fate and future plans. The first meeting was on 1/24/22. We decided to keep NAQCPA going, maintain and possibly enhance our partnership with the County Parks, elect new board members, recruit new members, start a Facebook page, keep the small maintenance group active, publish an e-newsletter and email it to members, participate in park activities at the Casa Grande, and hold a Pioneer Day. Tere Johnson was elected President. Art Bouldreault volunteered to serve as temporary treasurer. Mike Cox agreed to serve as temporary secretary. In later meetings, Mike Cox was elected vice president and Lisa Laymon was elected secretary. Sue McLain is being trained by Art to eventually become treasurer. Ron Horii continued as webmaster.

NAQCPA now has a Facebook page. If you're a Facebook member, check it out and join it. You can see the latest news, as well as historic pictures and stories. You can comment on them, ask questions, or post your own.

Kitty Monahan Speaking at the Volunteer Recognition Picnic, 4/23/22

At the County Parks' 27th Annual Volunteer Recognition event on 4/23/22, Kitty Monahan talked about the history of the volunteer program. Several Almaden Quicksilver volunteers and NAQCPA members were recognized at the event.

The County Parks' PixInParks Challenge runs from May 1 until December 15, 2022. Participants hike 7 trail routes in different parks, take a picture at the prescribed destination points, and post the pictures on social media, with the hashtag #PixInParks. After completing the challenge, they can get a t-shirt or bandana. The route at Almaden Quicksilver follows the Deep Gulch Trail to English Camp and returns on the Mine Hill Trail, with a picture spot at English Camp (above). Other hikes are at Santa Teresa, Ed Levin, Mt. Madonna, Coyote Lake/Harvey Bear, Upper Stevens Creek, and Sanborn.

Sat. May 21, 7-9 pm. Preservation Awards Night. History San Jose Park. $15 General Admission, Under 18 Free. In recognition of this year’s National Preservation Month, the newly formed Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance will host a Preservation Awards Night to bring the public and local preservation groups together for a celebratory event. NAQCPA President Kitty Monahan and NAQCPA member Bruce Bartlett will be honored at this event. See here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The intent of the SCCPA Awards Night is:

To recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community who have made outstanding contributions to historic preservation.
To showcase exemplary preservation throughout the community that may serve as inspiration for future preservation.
To encourage preservation of historic homes or buildings that may prevent future demolition of historic properties.
To educate the community on the merits of historic architecture and preservation.
To share ideas and projects various preservation groups throughout the county.

Here are pictures from the 1st Annual Preservation Alliance Awards Night, 5/21/22.

FOSTP-NAQCPA Table at Preservation Alliance Awards

This is NAQCPA's and FOSTP's table at the Preservation Alliance Awards Night at History San Jose. Veronica Jordan staffed the table, talked to visitors, and passed out information. The table, which had pictures and brochures, was shared with Mike Boulland and the Friends of Santa Teresa Park. Mike had pictures of Kitty Monahan, who besides serving as President of NAQCPA, was also Vice President of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park.

Bruce Bartlett with Preservation Alliance Award

At the Preservation Alliance Awards Night, Bruce Bartlett received the Distinguished Preservation Service Award for his work on projects at Almaden Quicksilver.

Awards for Kitty Monahan at Preservation Alliance Awards

Awards for Kitty Monahan at Preservation Alliance Awards

At the Preservation Alliance Awards Night, former NAQCPA President Kitty Monahan was awarded the Preservation Lifetime Achievement Award. Tere Johnson (left), read the award, while Mike Cox (right) accepted the award for Kitty. She could not attend due to her health conditions. Kathy Sutherland (center), assistant to County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, is holding a commendation from the Board of Supervisors to Kitty. Here's a link to the video of the award presentations to Kitty.

Presentation of awards to Kitty Monahan, 5/25/22

On June 1, NAQCPA members visited Kitty Monahan at her house and presented her with the awards. She was happy to see everyone and receive the awards.

Mine Tunnel at Play Like a Miner, 7/9/22

Mine Tunnel at Play Like a Miner, 7/9/22

On July 9, 2022 from 11 am to 3 pm, after a 2-year absence, the Play Like a Miner event was held again at the Casa Grande: "Imagine a day in the life of a mercury miner and other 19th century residents of New Almaden at this fun family event, featuring games, crafts, rocks, and mining-era activities for all ages." There was a simulated mine tunnel (above). Here are pictures of the event. Here are pictures from the previous Play Like a Miner in 2019: Play Like a Miner Part 1, Outside Activities 8/3/19, Play Like a Miner Part 2, Casa Grande & Blacksmith Shop 8/3/19.

NAQCPA has been holding its annual Pioneer Day celebration event since 1983. Its purpose has been to celebrate the New Almaden miners and their families or to dedicate signs or projects in the park. However, due to the pandemic, it was canceled in 2020 and 2021. We are planning to hold it this year on 10/8/22 starting at 11:00 am at the Casa Grande. Planning is in progress. Here is a poster for the event. Come meet our new NAQCPA Board, hear from local community leaders and listen to live music from the fabulous StarGeezers. We will serve a tasty empanada lunch around 12:00 and will pay tribute to Kitty Monahan and other dear NAQCPA friends who have passed in the last couple years.

Here are pictures of some of the past Pioneer Days, with a list of all them and excerpts of newsletter articles about them. Above is Pioneer Day 2016.

The County Parks are conducting a user survey. These signs are posted all over the parks. If you take the survey, which is free, you are entered into a contest to win a prize. NAQCPA donated the prizes, which are 5 $100 gift cards. Here is the survey website.

We are very sad to report that NAQCPA's co-founder and President for nearly 40 years, Kitty Monahan, passed away on July 25, 2022. She has been in declining health the past few months. Most recently, she fell and suffered a hip fracture. She received hospice care and passed away peacefully at home. A celebration of life/memorial for Kitty will be held at the Santa Clara County Horsemen's Association at 20350 McKean Road, San Jose, on September 4 at 1:00 pm. Here's a biography of Kitty from 2018. Here's an article about her death in the Mercury News. Here's her obituary. Here are pictures of Kitty over the years at different events for different organizations:

Kitty Monahan at Almaden Quicksilver Events 2002-2020
Kitty Monahan at NAQCPA Christmas Parties
Kitty Monahan at New Almaden Days 2006-2019
Kitty Monahan at Santa Teresa Park and related park events (Kitty was Vice President of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park for 30 years.)

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Kitty Monahan's Celebration of Life at SCCHA

On 9/4/22, there was a Celebration of Life for Kitty Monahan at the Santa Clara County Horsemen's Association. Kitty was a lifelong member of the club. She joined it in 1983 and was an avid equestrian. A couple hundred people came to the celebration. There were scheduled speakers and an open mic where anyone could come up and share their memories of Kitty. Here are pictures and videos of the event:

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There will be 2 weeding work days at the Hacienda Entrance to Almaden Quicksilver County Park on 9/11/22 and 10/9/22 from 9 am to 12 pm. Come and help remove invasive plants. If you can help, contact the County Parks Volunteer Office. Sign up here. Here's a flyer for the event.

The 38th annual Pioneer Day, in the 40th year since NAQCPA was founded, was held at the Casa Grande on 10/8/22. The theme was to honor and memorialize NAQCPA leaders who have recently passed away. They included John Slenter, John Atwood, Mary Lee Baiocchi, Bob Meyer, and of course, Kitty Monahan. Speakers and audience members gave tributes to them. Visiting dignitaries included San Jose City Councilmember Matt Mahan, State Senator Dave Cortese, and Melissa Hippard representing County Parks Director Don Rocha. Senator Cortese presented a recognition certificate to NAQCPA. Boy Scouts led the flag salute. The Stargeezers provided musical entertainment during lunch, which was empanada meals from the Big E Cafe. Russell Pearce showed a New Almaden voter registry from 1896, showing names of many well-known New Almaden ancestors. Photo albums from the NAQCPA archives, containing hundreds of pictures of past NAQCPA events and historic scenes of New Almaden were on display. There was a door prize drawing. For pictures and videos of the event, see these Facebook albums:

Gillian Altieri with Kitty Monahan Cutout

This is artist Gillian Altieri with the cutout figure of Kitty Monahan. Rich Robertson made the cutout from plywood. Gillian painted it. It will be installed in the Hacienda Outdoor Museum. Kitty's figure will greet visitors.

John Drew, long-time NAQCPA member, passed away in 2022 at the age of 92. He was the descendant of New Almaden miners. Here's his obituary. This is an excerpt from it: "John reconnected with his family roots at the Almaden Quicksilver Mines by volunteering his time at the Museum as a researcher and docent. He was there for over 25 years and was awarded a plaque for his many hours of service." Celebration Of Life: 11/5/22, 12:00 p.m. Foothill Presbyterian Church, 5301 McKee Rd., San Jose, CA. John attended NAQCPA's annual Pioneer Day celebrations in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. At the events, he often spoke about his family and their connections to the New Almaden Mines. Here are pictures of John at Pioneer Days.

Merry Christmas at New Almaden from Charlie Cox

Composite animated photo prepared by Charles Cox from 1863 Carleton Watkins photo of New Almaden and the same scene recently photographed by Charles Cox. Please credit the gif to Charles Cox if sharing or reposting, and please do not post to online photography resellers or use for commercial purposes.

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