DELTA HERITAGE COURIER
March/April 2019
Only two and a half months in, 2019 has become an important year for Delta and Carquinez Strait heritage. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (NHA), which covers an area from West Sacramento to Stockton to Vallejo, is now a reality. Congress passed and the President signed the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (see story below), so now the Commission will begin the process of preparing a management plan, which will provide guidance for the newly created Delta NHA.
The second annual Delta Heritage Forum, scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2019 (see Save the Date below) will be an opportunity for those interested in Delta and Carquinez Strait heritage to discuss the implications of the Delta NHA and other important heritage topics.
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CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT ESTABLISH NEW DELTA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA!
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After passing the US Senate and House of Representatives, the President signed S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, a large public lands and conservation bill that includes the establishment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (NHA), on March 12. The Delta Protection Commission will be the local coordinating entity for the Delta NHA.
NHAs are a grassroots, community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Through public-private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects. NHAs have no effect on water rights, property rights, or hunting and fishing rights within the designated area.
The Commission will have three years to prepare a management plan. Work will start on the management plan after July 1, subject to approval of the Governor's proposed budget. For more information, see the
National Heritage Area webpage
.
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SAVE THE DATE FOR THE DELTA HERITAGE FORUM - THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019
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Join us for a full day event focused on efforts to preserve and tell Delta stories, opportunities for partnerships and collaboration, and networking. Invitees will include cultural organizations, federal, state, and local officials, business and civic organizations, and those interested in Delta heritage.
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The Delta Protection Commission is currently collecting historical and cultural materials on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Selections and excerpts from these materials may be published in an anthology for high school and college readers as well as for those interested in learning more about this region's rich culture and heritage.
We are collecting writing that represents the experiences of Native Americans, travelers and settlers, owners and workers, and rural and urban dwellers in the Delta from pre-1800 through the 21st century, including those which suggest alternative futures for the region. We will consider materials such as short stories, novels, family histories, biographies, autobiographies, poems, and songs.
If you know of manuscripts, citations, archives, or leads on sources that we can research, please contact us.
The deadline for submissions has been extended to September 30, 2019.
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PROHIBITION CENTENNIAL RESEARCH
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January 16, 2019 was the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes", though the United States did not officially go dry until exactly one year later. We're getting ready to celebrate the centennial and we are seeking out documents and photographs that tell the story of Prohibition in the Delta and Carquinez Strait. Please contact
Blake Roberts
if you can provide assistance.
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MARCH IS NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH - SPOTLIGHT ON TILLIE LEWIS
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Tillie Lewis (1904-1977) of Stockton achieved things never done before her time. She first introduced Italian tomatoes as an American crop, started the first cannery owned by a woman, and powered San Joaquin County to become the top tomato-producing county in the United States. Her company, the Flotill Foods Corporation, became the largest supplier of Army C-rations during World War II. In 1951, the Associated Press named her businesswoman of the year. Later, she established TastiDiet Foods and became one of the earliest marketers of artificially sweetened fruits and soft drinks. She continued to grow her company by adding the Anderson Split Pea Soup line in 1962. By 1971, Tillie Lewis Foods had sales of more than $90 million per year. A Stockton treasure, Tillie Lewis fought both sexism and anti-Semitism to make a significant mark on the Delta and on American agriculture and food.
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DAWN MABALON POSTHUMOUSLY RECEIVES
2019 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
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The Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) will give a lifetime achievement award to the late Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon for her work on Filipino-American history in California, including her focus on Stockton. The award will be presented to Jesus Gonzales on behalf of Dr. Mabalon on April 27th at the annual AAAS Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
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EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS, AND UPDATES
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Pittsburg Historical Museum Unveils New Facade
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The Pittsburg Historical Society completed a renovation of the
Pittsburg Historical Museum
facade to restore the building's original Coast Counties Gas & Electric Company sign and seals. The CCG&E sign had been covered up for 64 years by the iconic but deteriorated Post Dispatch newspaper sign.
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Governor's Historic Preservation Awards Deadline Approaching
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Do you know of an individual, organization, or project that exemplifies the best in historic preservation in California? Nomination forms are now available for the
2019 Governor's Historic Preservation Awards
. The deadline for nominations is April 16. Good work is worth celebrating!
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88th Annual McKee Student Art Contest & Exhibition - March 14 - April 28
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The Haggin Museum will be hosting the longest running student art exhibition in the country! Showcasing the work of San Joaquin County students from kindergarten through high school, the Museum's Tuleburg and West galleries will feature two- and three-dimensional artworks in crayon, colored pencil, pastel, watercolor, oil and acrylic paint, photography, and other mediums. For more information, visit the
Haggin Museum website
.
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California Preservation Foundation Webinar: Affordable Housing through Adaptive Reuse - March 22
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What can affordable housing developers, nonprofits, financiers, and city planners learn from past success? This California Preservation Foundation webinar will look at real tools and reusing existing building material to achieve a win-win project that provides quality housing at the lowest possible cost. Register
here
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Sacramento River Delta Historical Society Program: Sacramento Central and Southern Pacific Railroad Shops - March 19
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Mary Helmich, a Sacramento author and historian, will discuss her new book on the Central Pacific and later Southern Pacific Railroad Shops at Sacramento from the beginning of the Transcontinental Railroad. For more information, see the
flyer
.
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Sacramento Historical Society: Presentation on World War II and Sacramento - March 26
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Sacramento Historical Society presents speakers Eric Webb, James Scott and Amanda DeWilde discussing World War II and Sacramento. To RSVP for this event, please visit the
Sacramento Historical Society website
.
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East Contra Costa Historical Society Museum Opening Day - April 6
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The East Contra County Historical Society Museum will host their Opening Day on Saturday, April 6 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Free activities include museum tours, lessons in a one-room schoolhouse, music, 19th century games, a quilt show, and a true farm-to-fork experience of cow milking to butter churning and ice cream making. The museum is located at 3890 Sellers Avenue in Brentwood.
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San Joaquin Asparagus Festival - April 12-14
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Visit the BIGGEST Asparagus Festival in the West! The San Joaquin Asparagus Festival offers everything from food to fun. Bring your family and friends and enjoy Asparagus Alley, Asparagus Plaza, live entertainment, the Health & Wellness Fair, countless vendors, the Craft Beer and Wine Pavilion, Recipe Contest, Kids Zone with carnival rides and games, country farm animals, and more! Visit the
San Joaquin Asparagus Festival
site for more details.
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Community Archiving Workshop - April 22-24
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The Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library is looking for one or two groups to participate in a three-day Community Archiving Workshop that will provide hands-on collection processing and identification for community organizations with trained audiovisual archivists. The workshop, which will be held at Sacramento’s Central Library at 828 “I” Street, is grant-funded through the California State Library. Parking will also be fully covered.
Please contact James Scott (
[email protected]
or 916.264.2795) by March 15, 2019, if you have questions or are interested in participating.
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FANHS Invitational Golf Fundraiser - May 17
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The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Invitational Golf Tournament is being held on Friday, May 17 to benefit the FANHS National Museum in Stockton. The tournament will be held at the Elkhorn Golf Club at 1050 Elkhorn Drive in Stockton. The registration deadline is Wednesday, May 1. See the
tournament flyer
for details.
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Have a vision?
Check out these funding opportunities!
Creating special places in our towns and cities can be a difficult and daunting task. Grants are an excellent resource and we have done some of the legwork for you! See below for available opportunities.
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NAGPRA Grants
The National Native American Grant Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Program of the National Park Service (NPS)
is now accepting applications for their
Repatriation grant program
. Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and museums with possible NAGPRA collections are eligible to apply. The Repatriation grant deadline is May 17, 2019.
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Sacred Places Grants
The National Fund for Sacred Places is offering funding to help preserve historic places of worship. The NFSP provides training, planning grants, and capital grants from $50,000 to $250,000 for congregations of all faiths. The application deadline is May 1, 2019. For more details, visit the
NFSP website
.
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Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program
The HRSP is a new Historic Preservation Fund grant program that supports the rehabilitation of historic properties and fostering the economic development of rural communities. This program funds physical preservation projects for historic sites, including architectural and engineering services. For more details visit
HRSP webpage
.
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National Park Service Directory
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Please contact us with updates or if you want to follow up on newsletter items by emailing Blake Roberts at
[email protected]
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STAY CONNECTED
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