Three Rivers Historical Museum

In honor of #WomensHistoryMonth, let’s talk about the trail-blazing botanist Alice Eastwood! Alice Eastwood began teaching at the California Academy of Sciences... in 1890, and dove into a lifelong fascination with the native plants of California. No blushing flower herself, she was known among her coworkers for her willingness to endure the most rugged of field conditions, and travel almost anywhere. In the summer of 1899, Eastwood travelled with friends into the remote Kings River Canyon, and deep into modern-day Kings Canyon National Park, planning to collect a sample of every plant species she encountered. Over a 12-day period, the group traveled on foot with two pack animals, covering ground from Grant Grove to Kearsarge Pass, all the way to the 13,963-foot summit of Mount Stanford. Anyone who has hiked in the high Sierra knows that even today, such a trip is quite a feat! In 1902, the Sierra Club published Eastwood’s research from this trip in a 100-page pamphlet entitled A Flora of the South Fork of the Kings River from Millwood to the Head Waters of Bubbs Creek, the first publication of its kind. During her illustrious career, she collected over 340,000 plants, authored over 300 scientific papers, and left countless adventurous footprints behind her to guide the way for future scientists and lovers of the natural world. First photo: Portrait of Alice Eastwood in 1883, from the California Academy of Sciences Archives Second photo: Alice Eastwood with her plant press in Warner Hot Springs, 1913, from the California Academy of Sciences Archives Third photo: Alice Eastwood leading a botany trip to Point Reyes, 1950, photo by Milo Woodbridge Williams

Posted @withregram @sequoiakingsnps In honor of #WomensHistoryMonth, let’s talk about the trail-blazing botanist Alice Eastwood! Alice Eastwood began teaching at the California Academy of Sciences in 1890, and dove into a lifelong fascination with the native plants of California. No blushing flower herself, she was known among her coworkers for her willingness to endure the most rugged of field conditions, and travel almost anywhere. In the summer of 1899, Eastwood travelle...d with friends into the remote Kings River Canyon, and deep into modern-day Kings Canyon National Park, planning to collect a sample of every plant species she encountered. Over a 12-day period, the group traveled on foot with two pack animals, covering ground from Grant Grove to Kearsarge Pass, all the way to the 13,963-foot summit of Mount Stanford. Anyone who has hiked in the high Sierra knows that even today, such a trip is quite a feat! In 1902, the Sierra Club published Eastwood’s research from this trip in a 100-page pamphlet entitled A Flora of the South Fork of the Kings River from Millwood to the Head Waters of Bubbs Creek, the first publication of its kind. During her illustrious career, she collected over 340,000 plants, authored over 300 scientific papers, and left countless adventurous footprints behind her to guide the way for future scientists and lovers of the natural world. First photo: Portrait of Alice Eastwood in 1883, from the California Academy of Sciences Archives Second photo: Alice Eastwood with her plant press in Warner Hot Springs, 1913, from the California Academy of Sciences Archives Third photo: Alice Eastwood leading a botany trip to Point Reyes, 1950, photo by Milo Woodbridge Williams.

In honor of Women’s History Month, below are two great women in Mineral King’s History. Written by another incredible woman, Laile Di Silvestro, who was so gene...rous to share her research with us and make these posts in our #minermonday series. Photo 1 - Anna Mills Johnston (1855-1921). She had a disability that affected her ability to walk and an indomitable sprit that took her places. In addition to claiming a Mineral King mine, she was an adventurous traveler, a celebrated teacher, president of the County Board of Education, and the first woman to run for office in Tulare County. She was also in the first party of women to climb Mt. Whitney, and is often credited with being the first woman to place her feet on the peak. Image taken in 1890, property of the Porterville Public Library. Photo 2- Leah Jackson Davis. On July 27, 1888 she took soul ownership of the Discovery Claim on the Cherokee Lode in Mineral King. It was a twenty-acre gold and silver claim on a steep slope carved by treacherous ravines and frequented by avalanches and landslides. It was fourteen years after the first woman had courageously signed her name on a mine claim notice in Mineral King, but women had quit claiming mines there in 1879. Our Leah was the sixth woman to own a claim after the hiatus, and after her there was another long pause in female claim ownership. Leah arguably had different motivations than the other women. Her husband had died only a year earlier, and this mine claim had been his. It represented both his lost future and their shared past. Leah spent the requisite $100 annual investment in the claim for two years, and then passed it to her son before marrying long-time miner Richard Chatten. Decades later, Leah had developed a reputation as one of the best loved Tulare County pioneers. She enjoyed entertaining friends, family, and visitors with tales of her trip west over the plains in 1856 and her adventurous first decades in the county. Indeed, she was held in such high esteem, her thoughts on the weather shared front page news wth President Taft. Leah died in 1928. Photo by Robinson & Churchman, Visalia; public image courtesy of Leah’s descendants.

Look what we were working on 5 years ago! #3rhistory #3rmuseum #mineralkingroom #ThrowbackThursday #tularecounty #tularecountyhistory #mineralkingpreservationsociety #threerivershistory #threeriversca

A fun piece shared by our friends at the Mineral King Preservation Society.

We've been working to improve access to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks! Please join us on Monday, 2/22, at 4pm to kick off our series of new films abou...t accessibility in the parks. This first film in the series provides an overview of places in the parks that are easier to reach and enjoy. Stay tuned for more content in the coming days and weeks!

Updated: For the safety of our visitors and docents the Three Rivers Historical Society Board of Directors has decided to close the Museum and Bequette House, we continue to be closed until further notice. We wish all docents and visitors to be safe during this time and appreciate your understanding. Three Rivers Historical Society Board of Directors

Over the past weeks, fire crews have been working to protect Hockett Ranger Station and surrounding area by limiting the Castle Fire’s spread. Ground resource...s continue to work the northern part of the fire and are reporting increased containment between Homer's Nose and Cahoon Rock. Ground resources are preparing trails and connecting natural barriers to prevent northerly fire growth towards Horse Creek. Structure wrap remains in place on the Kern Ranger Station, Hockett Ranger Stations, and private structures in the Kern River Canyon. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are grateful for all the hard work and dedication by these firefighters in what seems like a never-ending fire year. #FireYear2020 #HistoricProtection

We received such a generous donation that we have decided to up our goal! Remember your donation supports the Museum and your local Three Rivers volunteer firefighters!

Don't forget to grab your tickets for the Drive Thru BBQ next Wednesday, November 4th from 3-6 pm. Tickets are just $10 Available online at 3rmuseum.org or at the Museum by calling 559-561-2707. https://3rmuseum.square.site/product/bbq-full-meal/341

See this cool post that was shared with the Tulare County History Group by Armando Hinojosa. Thank you for sharing!

You can buy your tickets online. https://3rmuseum.square.site/product/bbq-full-meal/341 Link in our bio. Or call the Museum at 559-561-2707.

Want to support the Museum and Volunteer Firefighters but can't make it to the drive thru? Donate to this fundraiser and we will add this money to our ticket sales. Proceeds will be split between the Museum and the Three Rivers Volunteer Firefighters.

The drive thru BBQ is happening . . . With a few edits. See our flyer for more information.

It's finally happening . . . Help support two great groups in town!

We were contacted recently through our website with a wonderful list of questions about Mineral King and the surrounding southern Sierra. I didn't have all (OK,... most) of the answers but reached out to a few of our great volunteers and Laile di Silvestro took on the task of answering them for me. We decided there is just too much good info on each of these answers so we should share them with all of you too! One at a time, so as to not overwhelm you, or Laile! Hope you enjoy. - Lisa Q: Were beavers ever present in Mineral King? If so, are there plans to reintroduce them for the huge ecological benefits they could offer to the valley? A: According to biologists and historians, there was never any North American beaver population (Castor canadensis) in Mineral King. There is, however, a different, much smaller, and arguably awesome species of rodent in the Mineral King area commonly known as the Sierra mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa californica). The miners’ records don’t mention these rodents. This isn’t surprising, however, as they are very elusive animals and the populations are small. Any miners who cornered a mountain beaver would have found themselves face to face with a small creature wildlife biologists describe as ferocious, voracious, vicious, cantankerous, and thirsty. They are only about three pounds and a foot long with half-inch tails. Their fur ranges from gray-black to auburn to light brown. Given their reputation, it should be no surprise that they have claws, and sharp teeth. The mountain beavers live in burrow systems that host from one to eleven rodents. Their burrow systems and stacks of vegetation have been noted in the Redwood Creek and Atwell Mill drainages. It is uncertain how the rodents fared during the recent dry years; however, they are survivors. Indeed the fossil records indicate that they have existed relatively unchanged for 35-45 million years, making them the most primitive of living rodents. Public domain image from https://commons.wikimedia.org//File:Aplodontia_rufa_(Harva.

10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT GIANT SEQUOIAS. 1. AGE: The oldest known Giant sequoia is 3,200+ years old. When the Roman Empire was at its height in 117 AC..., this tree was already over a thousand years old. 2. SIZE: Growing 20 to 26 feet in diameter, and 164 to 279 feet in height, Giant Sequoias are the world’s natural skyscrapers. The limbs of a giant sequoia are bigger than most trees, sometimes reaching eight feet in diameter and 100 feet in length. 3. BIGGEST: The General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park is the world’s largest living thing by volume, with a height of 274.9 feet and maximum diameter at the base of 36.5 ft. 4. RESILIENCE: Giant sequoias have an amazing resilience to forest fires because of the high tannin levels in their bark. In some of Visalia’s historic homes, mulched redwood bark was used as attic insulation because of its fire-retardant qualities. 5. NATURAL ENEMIES: Though resilient to fire, the Giant sequoia is susceptible to high winds, moist soil, heavy snow loads, root rot, fungi, carpenter ants, and other insects. 6. GROWING CONDITIONS: Requiring a specific soil type and climate, they are unique to the 260-mile strip on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. 7. HOW FAST: The average growth is about two feet a year until they mature; however, this can vary greatly depending on environmental factors 8. REPRODUCTION: A Giant sequoia produces 60 million seeds in its lifetime, but only 3 or 4 of those seeds will grow to be 100-year-old trees. 9. SEEDS: The seeds, which are almost pure tannin, are flat like a grain of oatmeal, and only about 1/8 inch in diameter. 90,000 Giant sequoia seeds = 1 lb. When they fall, they can drift as far as 100 feet from the trunk. 10. CONES: Cones may stay on the tree for up to 21 years. Douglas squirrels eat the conenot the seeds. This is one way the seeds are dispersed. For more information on how to visit these amazing trees, get your free copy of the Sequoia Visitor 2020 guidebook at www.sequoiavisitorsguide.com

It’s #minermonday ! With the election just around the corner and our staff experiencing some miner chaos with fire evacuations and other excitement, it seems ...the perfect time to celebrate the chaos caused by Mineral King’s female electorate in 1876. By taking on ownership of mine claims at a time when that was unthinkable, the women of Mineral King did something even more unthinkable. They gained the right to vote in Mineral King Mining District elections thirty-five years before being legally permitted to vote in California and forty-four years before gaining the right to vote in federal elections. Only two women were brave enough to vote in 1876; however, their votes made the difference in an extremely close race. George Washington Thurman won the powerful position of district recorder by those two votes! Chaos ensued, and there were angry letters to the editor. In the end, however, the election judge decided that the women’s votes counted. The two women who voted thereby set the precedent for all other mining women in the district. We hereby celebrate them all with their names as they were entered in the official mining district records. Let them inspire you. Your vote matters. #sequoianationalpark #mineralking #mineralkingpreservationsociety #vote #righttovote #womenvoters #womenvote #historical #mining #minermonday See more

We have packed up important records and artifacts and they are on their way down the hill to a safe location. While artifacts have been taken out, our buildings are still under security surveillance. We would like to thank Amy King from the Tulare County Museum for coming up and helping not only us but Mineral King Preservation Society pack up important documents and artifacts. Stay safe everyone!