Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council

Our Build a Legacy Brick buy Brick program allows donors to buy a brick and have it engraved with an inspiring message. The bricks will be placed throughout the ranch in permanent areas and the funds used for our continued restoration. During the month of May and especially this Memorial Day, May 31st, we are asking supporters to consider purchasing a Legacy Brick and help us "Pave the way toward creating lasting memories". Some suggested ideas for your Legacy Brick inclu...de: 1. Honoring Brave Soldiers for their service. 2. Honoring the name of a "First Responder". Each year thousands of children are saved by first responders like police, fire, nurses and doctors. This is a great opportunity to show your gratitude for their selfless work and a great positive message for your community. 3. Honor the name of your Law Enforcement or Fire Department. A 2018 survey showed that there are more volunteer firefighters (745,000) in the US than those who are paid (370,000). Of those volunteers, 78,500 are women. Their willingness to serve their community for free is certainly something we could all celebrate. 4. Honor your business. Businesses not only provide the products and services we need and enjoy, but they also support our schools, little league teams, non-profits and more. What a great positive message to celebrate with a Legacy Brick. 5. Honor your family. Families provide a safe and secure environment for us to grow into productive citizens. What a great way to memorialize and celebrate your special family for all they have done. 6. Commemorate your wedding anniversary. 7. Celebrate the birth of a child. 8. Honor a champion athletic team. 9. Honor the name of a deceased friend or relative. 10. A religious sentiment. 11. A special thank you. 12. An inspirational message. We hope you will support WSSR and the good work we are doing for our community by purchasing a Legacy Brick. We are a non-profit so your purchase is tax deductible. For more information about our Legacy Brick program or to buy a brick, contact Janet Reihsen 530-836-2495, [email protected]. House tours are available by appointment. Call Judy at 530-836-0254.

THE KITCHEN AT WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH Back in 2010 when the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) acquired the property at 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, the kitchen of the old ranch house was a complete wreck..torn up uneven floor, frayed carpeting, old tile, dirt and stored junk everywhere. Just recently, the volunteers of the MVSC returned it to what it was in the days the house was operated as a bed and breakfast. Thanks mostly to the efforts of John Barker, Robert Wa...re, Mark Cowan and an army of volunteers, the kitchen has been transformed to what can be seen in the accompanying photos. A complete set of kitchen appliances have been donated and installed.. another important step in the renovation of the old ranch house. Every room, upstairs and downstairs, contains a framed description of each of the period furnishings and by whom it was donated. The living and dining rooms have been featured in news releases in the last few months but the repaired kitchen, until now, has remained unexposed. Individual house tours are still available. Call Judy at 530-836-0254 for an appointment. A complete history and information about membership and how to contribute to the ongoing restoration, appears on the website, www.WhiteSulphurSpringsRanch.com. The pandemic year has been a year of trials for the MVSC. Again, as in last year, this year’s Summerfest, the main fund raiser has had to be canceled. Look for a few smaller affairs later this year. Plans are in the works for another rummage sale and a new one called the White Elephant Sale. Continuing progress depends on community support. Photo Captions The remodeled kitchen at White Sulphur Springs Ranch featuring new floors and new furniture. Another view of a portion of the kitchen showing some of the new cabinets and donated appliances. See more

The first batch of legacy bricks installed at White Sulphur Springs Ranch. From left: Judy Simpton; Judy Porep-Lullo; Janet Reihsen; and Dink Rife.

BUILD WHITE SULPHUR SPSRINGS RANCH WITH BRICKS There are very few bricks on the exterior of the ranch house at White Sulphur Springs Ranch(WSSR) but another kind of brick will be very important to the completion of the renovation project. In 2016 a new fundraising campaign was started by the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC), stewards of the WSSR site in Plumas County. The idea was to sell bricks inscribed with whatever message the buyer wished and then have these br...icks become a part of the landscape at the historic site. The campaign slogan was Build a legacy brick by brick. To date over 100 bricks have been temporarily installed near the entrance to the ranch house. These legacy bricks, and new ones, will be permanently located as the landscaping plan for the entire ranch site is completed. The volunteers of the MVSC are encouraging the community to purchase a brick with a personal message that will forever become a part of the historic ranch site. Covid-19 has dealt a serious blow to the fundraising efforts of the MVSC. The main source of income, Summerfest 2020, had to be canceled and Summerfest 2021 next June, is in doubt. The brick campaign and the virtual rummage sale are the only fundraisers active at this time. Community support is needed to continue the restoration of the historic site at the head of the Mohawk Valley in Clio. The MVSC is non-profit so contributions and brick purchases are tax deductible. Legacy bricks can be ordered via a brochure available in the information box near the north gate at WSSR, online at www.WhiteSulphurSpringsRanch.com, or by calling membership chairperson Janet Reihsen at 530-836-2495 See more

Happy Holidays from White Sulphur Springs Ranch! The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of our lives this year, but it hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm, efforts, and generosity of the volunteers and members of the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council, stewards of historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR)! We’ve had to bend to the times, cancelling our Summerfest concert and barbecue, holding meetings by Zoom, being cautious of safety protocols while working on pr...ojects, and so on, but we’ve continued to make good progress in preparing the ranch for community enjoyment. Some of our major accomplishments on the historic ranch house include repairing the sagging foundation at the west (Hwy 89) side of the house, restoration of the main (north) entrance porch including the restoration and re-use of the original balusters on the porch railings, and restoration of the south porch. Outside the house we completed installation of electrical service to the deck/stage area, and laid 1800 feet of pipe which will soon connect the ranch house and new bath house to the septic leach field at the south end of the property. Even the interior of the ranch house has seen some major improvements. WSSR volunteers put in many hours decorating the house with furniture items and heirlooms donated by local patrons. The volunteers then beautifully decorated it in the spirit of old-time Christmas in time for the Holidays. With such efforts the house was made ready for viewing by the community and guided tours were offered. Tours are still available, weather permitting, and may be arranged by calling Judy at 530-836-0254. I want to take this moment to extend my most sincere thanks to all of our members, volunteers, and patrons who helped us make this, in the face of unprecedented headwinds, a successful year for WSSR! I wish you all the peace of the season, and warm wishes for a healthy, prosperous (and normal!) 2021. Mark Cowan President, MVSC See more

SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH WITH A 2020 CHRISTMAS PURCHASE. The White Sulphur Springs Ranch presides over the Mohawk Valley, not far from the towns of Clio and Graeagle. Its 162-year-old ranch house has been home to a family and served as a bed and breakfast. It and its grounds have hosted community celebrations for decades. The Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council formed in 2009 with the primary goal of restoring the ranch for the public’s enjoyment.... It purchased the ranch in 2010 thanks to grant funding as well as a sizeable donation from the then property owner. While the original ranch was 400 acres, the stewardship council bought a 42-acre portion that contains the house, barns, warm springs and swimming pool. Since assuming ownership, the council has addressed critical infrastructure needs as well as begun work to restore the property’s interior spaces. But all of that takes money and the public can help in a couple of ways. Historically the major fundraiser has been Summerfest, but COVID nixed that event this year. Instead, individuals can give monetary donations in the form of memberships or by buying a brick that will be used to build pathways and borders in the garden areas. Council members say that either or both would make excellent Christmas present choices his year. More information on both opportunities can be found at www.whitesulphurspringsranch.com or by calling 836-2495. See more

With warm wishes to all for a safe holiday season. If you have plans to celebrate Black Friday on Nov. 24 with deals, making purchases on Amazon, MVSC reminds you to choose our non profit association for Amazon's donation of a portion of your sales price. You can make an impact while you shop for Black Friday deals. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/26-3910738 and AmazonSmile will donate to Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council, at no cost to you. Thank you for all of your past support of MVSC. May you stay warm and safe over the holidays.

THE CLIO STOVE IS BACK HOME The old story is that while sitting around this old wood burning stove, the prominent citizens of a town called Wash, decided that the name of their city was too often mistaken for the town of Washington, in Nevada County on the south fork of the Yuba river. These citizens of Wash decided the new name of their community should be Clio, a name prominently cast into the door of the old stove they were looking at. Clio is the name of one of the nin...e muses of Greek mythology. She is the patron of history. The dictionary allows the pronunciation to be either Clee Oh or Cl-eye Oh, but the people in and around Plumas County know that the only correct pronunciation is the latter one, ie, Clio. The stove was cast at the Bridge & Beach foundry in St. Louis, MO. The company name changed a few times due to a change of owners, but this particular name first appeared circa 1857, which ties in well to the origins of White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR) ranch in 1852. No reference could be found as to why the name Clio was boldly cast in the door of the stove. Since the stove also has an identifying model number cast in (no 22), the name Clio had to be a specific brand within a complete line of this kind of stove. This fact then adds credence to the belief that the name Clio, refers to the Greek muse mentioned above. In 1974, the old stove was found, along with some other old furnishings, in the attic of the old ranch house at WSSR. It was cleaned and put in one of the upstairs bathrooms. It was then purchased by Molly’s Bed & Breakfast at the infamous auction of 2002. The owner graciously gave it back to the, Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) soon thereafter. During the restoration of the historic ranch house the stove was loaned to the owners of the Blackbird Inn which was then doing business in the building that was once the old general store in downtown Clio. As mentioned above, this was where the early citizens of Wash decided to change the name of their town to Clio. This building now contains the Ricochet restaurant. When most of the interior renovation of the old ranch house was complete, the stove was reclaimed by MVSC volunteers and put on display in the newly remodeled living room at WSSR. Visitors are invited for a personal tour to see the old stove and the great progress that MVSC volunteers have made in restoring the old ranch house. Call Judy at 530-836-0254 to make a tour appointment. See more