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A WET CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH

Posted 12/14/2022 By: John Lullo Photos: John Lullo, Shuggie Barker, Chris Smith, Robert Ware

Tuesday the 10th of December was the day of the Christmas party for members and invited guests. A big crowd was expected but only a few actually braved the terrible weather. It was a deluge outside! Some of the old time Eastern Plumas County residents couldn’t remember a more fierce rain in the month of December. Many remarked that if it was snow instead of rain nobody could have attended because the roads would be impassable. Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) Volunteers Yvonne Ware, Barbi Hendrick and Judy Porep-Lullo had arranged for the old ranch house to be festively decorated, the dining room table full of goodies and Santa ready to greet guests and take photos with the kids. Unfortunately, none of the attendees were young enough to sit on Santa’s lap.
The raffle prize was a Christmas wall decoration and a 50-dollar gift certificate to a local restaurant. It was won by Joanne Grasso of Graeagle.
The renovated old ranch house never looked better. Docent guided tours were available for the asking. The front façade, recently rebuilt, showed a lighted, front porch. There was a Christmas wreath at the front door. The rest rooms functioned, and the elegantly furnished living room lent a warmth to the whole scene, in contrast to the tempest going on outside.

Gumba's Fundraiser a Huge Success

Posted 10/14/2022 By: John Lullo Photos: Tim Buckhout

COMMUNITY PARTNER SUPPORTS WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH
Gumba’s Family Pizza sponsored a fundraiser at their restaurant in Blairsden on September 21st, 2022. Gumba’s donated 20% of all food purchases made between 11 am and 9 pm on that day, to benefit the restoration of White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR).
The event was organized by Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) volunteers Tim Buckhout and Dee Kelly. Community members have seen Tim outside the Graeagle Market selling raffle tickets for this and other events. He is dedicated to make WSSR accessible to disabled children, disabled veterans and the community in general. His Porta-Saloon can be seen at Summerfest at WSSR and at craft fairs in Graeagle. All beer sales are donated. Drivers on highway 89 with keen vision can see him moving dirt at the WSSR site. He and his helpers Robert Ware, Bob Hermsmeyer and Jim Maul are transforming the landscape to achieve the vision that MVSC members have for this historic property. Tim is a specialist in getting businesses to donate goods and services. The grand prize at the Gumba event was a Weber BBQ smoker donated by Big R Supply in Sparks, Nevada. It was won by Ronnie Gedatus from Sacramento. Tim delivered the prize personally.
Matt and Elizabeth Cruz are the owners of Gumba’s. The event on September 21st was the 4th annual fundraiser to benefit WSSR. The restaurant was crowded with patrons the whole day. Eighteen prizes were raffled off and two custom carvings were auctioned. It is this kind of community support that the MVSC depends on. Big thanks go to the owners and staff of Gumba’s Family Pizza. Thank you so much for your great community involvement and support.

Happy Winners of the White Sulphur Springs Ranch Raffle at the Graeagle Art & Craft Marketplace this Weekend

Posted 8/25/2022 by: John Lullo Photos: Tim Buckhout

GOLF PRO GETS A BIG WIN
Each year, at the Professional Artists & Crafters Marketplace in Graeagle, White Sulphur Springs Ranch volunteers conduct a raffle to benefit the restoration of the historic site. This year the winners were Tessa and Kelly Schnase. Kelly is a golf pro at the Graeagle Meadows golf course.

It has become a tradition that at this two day show in the park, Tim Buckhout sets up his Porta-Saloon, sells beer, and runs the big raffle. He was assisted by eighteen Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) volunteers who took shifts manning the raffle table. This year the prize was a four-burner barbecue set along with gifts donated from the almost fifty craft persons participating in the show. The winning ticket was selected by a twelve-year-old boy drafted by the organizers to reach in and grab the lucky ticket. The winners were called, and they showed up immediately to enthusiastically claim their many prizes.

Last year the proceeds of the raffle were donated to the Dixie fire victims. This year the proceeds will assist the ongoing improvements at the White Sulphur Springs Ranch site in Clio.

Donations are always appreciated.

It's Like a Time Capsule Discovery at WSSR
Click HERE to see what we found

NEW BRICKS ARRIVE AT
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH

Posted 10/21/2021 by: John Lullo Photos: John Lullo

A legacy brick is a concrete casting in the shape of a brick that contains a sentiment, tribute or greeting from the buyer and is laid in a prominent place on the grounds of the White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR). On Friday, October 15, a new shipment was laid in place by a crew of Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) volunteers.
In 2016 a new fundraising campaign was started by the MVSC. The campaign slogan was “Build a legacy, brick buy brick.” One hundred bricks were received in 2016 and laid in place outside the north entrance of the old ranch house. Another 100 bricks were just received and have already been installed. The location of all the bricks received so far is temporary. They will be moved to a permanent location when the landscaping plan for the entire ranch is complete.
Covid-19 has dealt a serious blow to the fundraising activities of the MVSC. The sale of Legacy Bricks has become an important contributor to the restoration efforts at the WSSR.
Bricks can be ordered from this website by clicking "Order My Brick Now" or by filling out a brochure located near the brick display at the ranch, or by contacting membership chairwoman, Janet Reihsen either online at jreihsen@earthlink.net , or by calling her at 530-836-2495. The MVSC is non-profit so brick purchases are tax deductible.
Personal tours of the newly decorated ranch house and the brick display site are available by appointment. Call Judy Porep-Lullo at 530-836-0254. Watch for a fall membership campaign with mailings beginning on November 1.

White Sulphur Springs Ranch Raises Funds to Support the Dixie Fire Victims

The volunteers of the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) put some of their own fundraising efforts on hold and made a big contribution in support of Dixie fire victims. The MVSC are stewards of the historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR) in Clio.
On Tuesday September 21, MVSC president Mark Cowan presented a check for $23,630.27 to the Common Good Community Foundation (CGCF) specifically to aid Dixie fire victims. The CGCF was founded in 2012 and is a non-profit, tax exempt, charitable organization designed to support programs and projects in Plumas County. The Dixie fire relief fund was established on August 7, 2021, and to date over $180,000 has been raised.
The funds donated by the WSSR were raised from a raffle held at the Graeagle Craft Fair, an online crusade via the website, donations by the vendors at the Fair and contributions from Mountain Hardware & Sports in Blairsden. The check was presented to CGCF president Colleen McKeown, and CGCF secretary Carol Snow, at the front door of the old ranch house.
Cowan said, “This is what can happen when our members, our families and our friends and neighbors come together to help people in times of need”.
The MVSC is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the WSSR. The ranch was designated as an historic property in the Plumas County General Plan of 1983. Great progress has been made since the MVSC was formed in 2009. For information about the history of the ranch, fundraising and membership opportunities, click on the "OUR STORY" or the "SUPPORT US" tabs above.

The Clio Stove is Back Home

Posted 10/25/2020 by: John Lullo Photos: Linda Cooley

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 nine 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.

Above: Clio Stove in the Living Room of the old ranch house.
Left: Close up of old Clio Stove (Circa 1852) believed to be the inspriation for changing the name of the community of "Wash" to Clio.

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Thank you to the Safeway Foundation for your generous grant donation in support of our 2022 Living History School Days Program at White Sulphur Springs Ranch.

Your support will help us expand this important school program for 3rd graders to other parts of Plumas County and allow more children to experience the rich history of our early California residents in this region.

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