Ukiah

by Darline Bergere

Overview

Nestled in the Yokayo Valley, surrounded by coastal ranges, Ukiah officially became a town in 1859 when it broke away from being governed by Sonoma County. Spanish settlers put down roots through land grants and brought their rich culture to the area. Pomo Indians who lived in Ukiah wove baskets, which are collectors' items today throughout the world. Vichy Springs Resort, built in the mid-1800s on the outskirts of Ukiah, had many notable visitors, including Presidents Grant and Harrison, Mark Twain, Robert Lewis Stevenson, and Jack London. Today Ukiah is a city where people still ride their bicycles, and the high school has a homecoming parade before the big game. Farmers, ranchers, and vineyard owners work side by side. Summer months bring the annual Sunday in the Park free concerts, and the area is home to an active performing-arts community as well as several art galleries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439638194
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/12/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	55 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Darline Bergere, a former newspaper columnist from the San Francisco Bay Area and a Ukiah resident for many years, has gathered images from the local museums and private collections to reflect the history of this unique area.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Early Days and Those Who Shaped Ukiah 9

2 Schools, Churches, and Government 35

3 Business and Industry 55

4 Parades and Festivals 95

5 Entertainment and the Arts 105

Editorial Reviews

Title: Grace Notes: Images of Ukiah
Author: Sherrie Smith-Ferri
Publisher: The Ukiah Daily Journal
Date: 10/5/09

How many times have you heard it said, "A picture is worth more than a thousand words." See, for example, this snapshot showing Pomo children playing around in a large storage basket at the Yokayo Rancheria taken nearly 100 years ago. This is just one of a number of wonderful Grace Hudson Museum images, many taken by pioneer photographer A.O. Carpenter, Grace Hudson's father, which are included in the brand new photohistory of Ukiah by Darline Bergere.

Arcadia Press, the book's publisher, has made the maxim about pictures and words quoted above into the basis of a nationwide business. Its "Images of America" series chronicles the unique histories of thousands of communities across the nation. Each title records a town or city's story primarily through selected historical photographs some two hundred or so per book.

Originally the Ukiah photohistory book was to be authored by William French. Unfortunately French became ill and had to abandon the project. Arcadia Press then approached Bergere almost a year ago, to see if she might be willing to produce the book. Eventually she said yes. Although interested in local history, Bergere is the first to admit that she is not a historian. Over the years she has, however, written for several newspapers and periodicals. She knew who to go to for assistance in both finding local historic photographs and in finding information about who and what was pictured in those photos.

Besides images from the archives of the Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House, Bergere also used a number of pictures from the collection of local photo-historian Bob Lee and those belonging to the Mendocino County Historical Society and Ukiah's Held-Poage Library. She credits resident historian Ed Bold with being the real historian of the project, supplying her with much of the data. "If I heard it from Ed," she said, "I knew it was 1,000 percent reliable."

The book is divided into five sections the first on early days and those who shaped Ukiah; the second on schools, churches and government; the third on business and industry; the fourth on parades and festivals, and the last on entertainment and the arts.

The author's favorite picture is the one of her son as Homecoming King at Ukiah High, and she credits both of her sons for motivating her to finish the book. The brothers gave her an enlarged, framed image of the book's front cover as a surprise birthday gift. "I would look at it when I needed inspiration," she remembers. "I knew I couldn't quit on them."

The Grace Hudson Museum will be holding a booksigning and reception celebrating the release of the "Images of America: Ukiah" volume on Friday, Oct. 16, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Come by the museum to pick up a copy and enjoy seeing the people and places of Ukiah in days gone by.

From the Publisher