Join us on Saturday, May 9th for a tour of 3 cemeteries in Northern El Dorado County. We’ll be visiting:
- Coloma Pioneer Cemetery, arguably the most historic cemetery in the county. Home to the founding Veerkamp and Gooch families, as well as Mormon Battalion veteran Nathan Hawk, much loved madam Ellen Wilson and samurai Matsu Sakuri, who stayed on after the failure of the Wakamatsu Silk Colony down the road.
- Pilot Hill Cemetery, rural cemetery where members of the historic Bacchi ranch family are buried. We hope to get a living Bacchi to tell us about their family. The cemetery is also intimately linked to “salty and savvy” Georgetown rancher, farmer, winemaker and immensely popular Gene Chappie, who served as a county supervisor, state assemblyman, and US congressman before retiring in 1987.
- Hogg’s Diggings Cemetery, a prime example of the hundreds of small settlements now lost to time, except for a few graves in a family cemetery. The Ferguson family were neighbors and friends of the Baileys, whose house is still standing a couple miles down Highway 49. They arrived in 1849 and their two young daughters, buried here, died in 1850. Ferguson family descendent Nancy Porter is a genealogist who has written a book that tells the tragic story of her family. She will be on hand to talk about it.
Details:
This is a car caravan tour. Plan to meet about 9:45 am at the Coloma Pioneer Cemetery- 521 Cold Springs Road (across from the old Vineyard House). PLEASE NOTE: Coloma Pioneer Cemetery is part of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. There is a $10 fee to park even for a couple of hours. If you have cash, you can pay in the parking lot of the cemetery. If you are paying by credit card, you need to pay at the Gold Discovery Museum on Hwy 49 in the Park. If you’re not sure where that’s at, there’s a map and more information on the Park’s website: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=484
Tour is suitable for all ages.
Bring:
Cemetery questions, sturdy shoes.
Optional lunch in Coloma afterwards. Location TBD.