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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH PRESENTS
white elephant sale

ARE YOU READY FOR OUR 2023
ON-LINE
WHITE ELEPHANT SALE!

These are high quality items from household goods and collectibles, to very nice works of art.
This is not an auction. Prices are fixed as seen ON-LINE.

TO PREVIEW
Click on The White Elephant
after 8am, April 17, 2023, to preview items for sale.
The Preview begins April 17, 8am and ends April 20, 5pm 2023, to give participants the opportunity to view items before the on-line sale.

TO PURCHASE
Click on the White Elephant
after 8am, April 21, 2023, to purchase items on-line.
The On-Line Sale Begins April 21, 8am and ends April 27, 5pm 2023.

All purchases are to be picked up at
White Sulphur Springs Ranch, 2200 Highway 89, Clio, CA 96106
On Saturday April 29, 2023, and Sunday, April 30, 2023,
between 11am and 2pm

FOR SPECIAL PICK-UP ARRANGEMENT:
CALL JUDY AT (530) 836-0254
Thank You for Supporting
Historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch

REMEMBERING TOM

Posted 3/21/2023 By: John Lullo Photos: Linda Cooley

Our friend, Tom Cooley passed this life on March 7th of this year. Born in Michigan he came to California in 1997 and finally to Portola in 2003 where he was twice elected mayor. No job was too big or too small. He was mayor but he also cleared brush along the river walk in Portola. He and his wife Linda became active member volunteers of the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council in 2012 so they could be a part of the restoration of the historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch in Clio.
Tom had many talents. Besides being a successful businessman, he was a private pilot and a professional photographer. He was an accomplished graphic artist and produced many flyers for activities like Summerfest and other fund-raising events. He could also be seen each year helping to set up the Summerfest grounds….pulling ropes and setting up tables. As usual, no job was too big or too small. He was a man for all seasons, an unselfish friend and a steadying influence to all that worked with him.
The Board of Directors of the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council have authorized a legacy brick with Tom’s name inscribed, to be placed on the grounds of the historic ranch site. He will always be a part of the site he loved and worked so hard to improve. He will be sorely missed.

New Face on an Old Friend

Posted 2/15/2023 By: John Lullo Photos: Staff

In September of 2021 the front porch of the old house at White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR) began to get a facelift that had been planned for years. Motorists traveling on Highway 89 near the entrance to the Mohawk Valley saw the improvements progress day by day. Each time they passed the historic ranch site, the front face of the house looked a little different….a little better.
In February and March of last year volunteers John Barker and Don Maddelena made significant progress. All of the structural rebuilding was completed and approved by the County. Some of the original 140 year old balusters had been restored. New ones were made to match. Skirting and hand rails had not been seen on the old ranch house since they were destroyed in 2008. Great pains were taken to restore the original character of the historic ranch house.
It was designated an historic structure in the 1983 Plumas County general plan. In spite of this the old house was in the process of being dismantled in 2008 when the community took notice and started the campaign to save what was left of the historic site. The Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) was formed in 2009 and the restoration began. Community members who would like to be a part of this effort should call Judy Porep-Lullo at 530-836-0254.

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.

Living History School Days Continues in Style

Posted 10/3/2022 by: John Lullo Photos: Linda Cooley

After a two year Covid layoff, the kids came back to White Sulphur Springs Ranch in 2022. The previous School Days was in 2019, which was the last one in an unbroken string stretching back eight previous years to September of 2009. Unlike in previous years which only welcomed students from Portola, this year 3rd graders from two different schools stepped back in time. Over 100 kids from Quincy and Portola participated, helped by 16 teachers and 20 volunteers from each community.
Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) volunteers showed what the ranch and the community was like in the old days. The event was organized by a five member planning committee. Six different educational stations were coordinated by Cathy Danielson and directed each day by Jim Maul.
Each day began with a group welcome and introduction by Bob Hughes. The kids were then broken down into small groups to begin their tour of six different stations. First one was a tour of the old ranch house given by docent and volunteer chairman Judy Porep-Lullo, in period costume. The kids then proceeded to 5 different educational stations. There was frontier cooking, shepherding, Maidu life, fruit box construction and washboard laundry.
The pioneer cooking station was manned by Cathy and Bob Danielson. The kids ate Johnny cakes and made homemade butter. They learned about the daily life of a pioneer child. The next stop was “shepherding” with real live sheep! Anna Harvey and her crew from Harvey Farms showed the many products we get from sheep and the kids were allowed to see these animals close up. In station number four Janice Cross and Hillary Hughes led the kids up a local trail to show them Maidu Indian grinding rocks and local artifacts. At station number five Janet and Leo Reihsen, with a bunch of volunteer “carpenters”, showed them how to make miniature wooden fruit boxes. In 1919 the California Fruit Company purchased the land along Graeagle Creek in order to cut and mill lumber to build shipping boxes for fruit which they provided to growers throughout the State. The old fruit exchange still stands in Graeagle and the blue anchor California fruit logo can be seen on this stone building. The students got to keep the wooden boxes they produced. At the final station Janine Wolcott showed them how the laundry was done in the old days. The kids hauled water and used old fashioned washboards.
Each day ended with the classes assembling on the deck for a group photo taken by Linda Cooley.
Living History School Days 2022 was partially funded by the Safeway Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to bettering the lives of people in the neighborhoods. In a letter dated May 23. 2022, Wendy Gutshall of the Foundation’s Northern California Division, sent a check for $2500 to Janet Reihsen of the MVSC. The MVSC depends on support like this to complete the work of restoration at the historic ranch site. It is especially welcomed because this grant specifically supports the School Days program for 3rd graders in Portola and Quincy schools.
The mission of the MVSC is to serve as a community gathering place and a center for living history. The many hardworking volunteers hope that these students will be future supporters of White Sulphur Springs Ranch and that their children will be able to come here one day to enjoy the site and learn about the proud history of the Mohawk and Sierra Valleys.
Interested parties that would like to be a part of the restoration of WSSR should e-mail Volunteer@WhiteSulphurSpringsRanch.com

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.

Thank you again Safeway Foundation for being such great community supporters!

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