Fort Ross State Historic Park
Fort Ross SHP was the host to Teaching American History - a Federally funded program to offer educators opportunities to work with colleges and universities, nonprofits, libraries, and museums to lean more about our country's history, culture and democratic traditions. The framework also encourages teachers how to integrate history into the classroom in a fun and learning environment. By providing professional development for teachers, TAH encourages teachers to teach students to become active learners. Fort Ross was honored to host this outstanding groups of educators for two days July 17 and 18. Fort Ross staff and consultants worked with the teachers in a lecture series on the first day. The second day the teachers participated in an Environmental Living Day Program. Over 50 Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma county teachers participated.
April 19 Fort Ross Spring Palm Sunday Heritage Day. Call 707-847-4777.
Saturday March 29 the 'Hawaiian Chieftain' and the 'Lady Washington' set sail from Redwood City, California for a three hour tour around San Francisco Bay. Fort Ross staff and several volunteers represented the Russian era, while over 100 others represented the Mexican Era and the Gold Rush from the 1840's to the 1850's. Read more and view some of the photos.
On March 17, 1908, at 6:00 PM the S.S. Pomona struck the Monterey Rock south of Fort Ross. The S. S. Pomona was damaged and sank in the cove in front of the Call House, which is part of Fort Ross State Historic Park. Carlos and George Call assisted in the successful rescue of the passengers and provided shelter while transportation was arranged for the passengers. Thanks to the Calls' heroic efforts, no lives were lost. Indiana University worked with California State Park representatives to perform a collaborative survey of submerged cultural resources at Fort Ross State Historic Park. A particular focus of the survey was the Pomona shipwreck. Project goals: conducting a thorough assessment of the underwater site, preparing a map of the Pomona, and collecting underwater photos and video documentation. The field survey (under the direction of Charles Beeker, Director of the Underwater Science Program at Indiana University, and John Foster, California State Park Senior Archaeologist) ran during August 1-10, 1998.Some of the items from the ship are housed in our collection at Fort Ross Visitor Center. On March 15th we will commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Pomona Shipwreck at Fort Ross (read more by clicking here). Hours of the celebration and lecture will be 1:00 to 3:00 PM. We will also show a video of the work accomplished as well as offer tours of the Call House.
The National Association for Interpretation Region 9 will host it's Spring Workshop called Big Trees and Big Ideas March 7 - 9 , 2008 Please visit the website for detailed information regarding registration and workshops.
Saying Goodbye to Bill Walton
- our Ranger Extraordinaire -Read more about Bill and his 25 years plus with
California State Parks
Saying Goodbye to Sarah Gould - Interpreter Extraordinaire -
Read more about Sarah and her 16 years plus with us at Fort Ross.
Fort Ross celebrates the life of Kathy Kane - who brought students to our ELP. She passed away this last spring and we were honored to be a part of her life celebration. See photos from her last ELP.
October 21, 2006 St. Peter the Aleut was celebrated. The first celebration was held Wednesday, September 24, 2003. Father Nikolai Shcherbakov of St. Nicholas Church in San Francisco celebrated the holy day of Saint Peter the Aleut in the Fort Ross Chapel.
Early Sacred Music Concert by Mostly Motets, a small ensemble that sings sacred music from the Renaissance and earlier, will perform 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, 2006 at Fort Ross State Historic Park. Please read about this special event. They sang selections that emphasized that sense of reverence, awe, and mystery. For information on Mostly Motets - visit their website at www.MostlyMotets.com
Viva Concha - Rose of the Presidio is based on the true story of the 1806 love affair between San Francisco's Concho Arguello and the famous Russian explorer, Nikolai Rezanov. The staged musical event will showcase the talents of an international cast, and commemorate the 200th Anniversary the celebrated lovers, who have immortalized in poetry, novels, and history books for more than a century. The world premiere showcase is May 5- 7. Please visit their website for tickets and more information.
On April 16, 2006 Bill Walton lead his now famous
San Andreas Fault Line Walk and
Talk aptly named “It’s Not My Fault", as we
We, Debra and
Donald Wilkinson, are the couple from Washington D.C. that attended Bill
Walton's Easter talk "It's not my fault". Deb and I have done a lot of traveling
in our 6 years of marriage and it's normal for her to write a one or two page
travelogue after one of our jaunts. ...... Paris was worth 5pages. Disneyworld
rated 7....This time she wrote 12 pages. I'm enclosing the whole document. Bill,
Susanna, and Tracey are mentioned by name on page 4. Please tell them that they
represented one of the highlights of a remarkable trip. And thank you all
again for a remarkable afternoon. Don Wilkinson
Read what they
submitted to Fort Ross.
Wheat Weaving - A new craft demonstration has been added to Fort Ross State Historic Park. Saturday, March 11 Jan Huss,(READ WHAT JAN HAD TO SAY ABOUT HER TIME WITH US) skilled wheat weaver gave a class in weaving using Turkey Red Wheat which was brought to this country by the Russian community in the 1800’s This wheat can now be found in our Midwest. Folks in the class spent about 2 hours learning how to weave a framed God’s Eye and a Corn Goddess. In the process they learned about the history of weaving. “It was a man’s craft” Jan smiled in saying to our one male participant. Of course everyone put a little of their own ideas into their project leading to a variety of final products. We look forward to more weaving being done at Fort Ross. Jan Huss will bring her Ukrainian and Belarusian Straw Art collection to Fort Ross for a show and History Presentation within the next year.
This was our first annual demonstration and training in Straw Art. Please check out the website for the American Museum of Straw Art in Long Beach. http://www.strawartmuseum.org To quote Morgyn Owens-Celli, the Director of the Museum: “Wheat has been of tremendous importance to mankind since Neolithic man first included it in his cave drawings and buried it with his dead – important as foodstuff, of course, but more significantly , as a symbol for thousands and thousands of years of people’s hopes and deepest fears. Wheat weaving – an art form with origins almost as old as wheat itself – embodies the grain related beliefs, rituals and customs of many centuries and many cultures.”
March 11 Fort Ross Celebrated Maslenitsa - the end of winter and the coming of spring. What is Maslenitsa you ask? Click here for more information on this wonderful Russian holiday.
Fort Ross State Historic Park was graced with a $10,000 donation by Walt Pack. The donation will benefit our educational and volunteer programs. Thank you Walt - you are so kind and generous. Please read the whole story with more pictures.... And now the Fort Ross educational and volunteer programs will be getting a new brick fire enclosure to use in the fort compound. Fort Ross staff is working with several people with interest and knowledge on stoves, masonry work, and Colony brick making. This project is possible because of the generous donation made by Walt Pack. Please read more about Walt and his gift of $10,000 to Fort Ross State Park. And special thanks to Frank Binney and Jeanette Marie Pontacq.
The Shelikhov Musuem in Irkutsk, Russia will be hosting a conference this summer. Please visit their website for information. Please know this website is in Russian language.
In February we had a visit from Father Konstantin, a Russian Orthodox priest from Novosbirsk, Dimitry, and Nick and Nadia Buick from San Francisco. They were hosted by park staff - Sarah Gould.
Summer Field School Program and Lecture Series - The Kashaya Pomo Interpretive Trail
Graham Priest, a traveler from England, visited Fort Ross. Here is what he had to say in an article he submitted with a history magazine in England. He writes about muskets and armament during this time period.
Remains of old ship discovered at SF Construction site .....
AND
Another
article about the same ship...
Paul McHugh, Chronicle Outdoors Writer, 10/10 Buffeted by wind, shoved by swells, John Weed and I paddled to Fort Ross -- a Russian colonial outpost on the Sonoma County coast, now a state historic park. More pictures...
The Fort Ross
Russian Orthodox chapel has a new cross.
By Sarah Gould - Park Interp Staff
Due to large storms along our coast this past year two cross bars
on one of the Russian Orthodox crosses had blown off. How do you safely
repair a cross on top of a steep, slippery roofed cupola? Thanks to the help from the
local Fort Ross Cal Trans Maintenance Yard, and Fort Ross State Historic
Park
staff members, we were able to safely replace the two cross bars. Maintenance Yard
Supervisor Joe Tomlin, and Cal Trans Tree Crew member John Burgess, a Cal Trans
Bucket Truck, and our own Ranger Walton, the cross was repaired on a gorgeous
morning December 26. The repair was completed in time for Epiphany
January 6 and the Russian Orthodox Christmas, celebrated on January 7 (on the
old calendar). Before attaching the new cross pieces Ranger Walton took
measurements for 2 completely new crosses to eventually be mounted on
the chapel. Joe Tomlin and John Burgess have graciously agreed to return with their
bucket truck when the park is ready to replace both crosses.
WINDMILL'S NEW BREATH OF LIFE RUSSIAN EXPERT COMMISSIONED TO MAKE BLUEPRINTS, MODEL FOR USE IN EVENTUAL CONSTRUCTION