Whispers In The Dark

by Forrest Lockhart

Autumn starts my favorite time of the year. The searing heat is on the wane, and winter’s chill breath is on the horizon. Be it around a campfire or simply sitting with friends in the yard, gazing at the sky this time of year has a certain calm fascination.

Stargazers have always been awed by the seemingly unchanging enormity of the stellar tapestry. Back when I was a callow youth, scientists had not yet fully grasped the dynamics of the universe, and astronomy classes tended to paint deep space with a rather static brush. But the truth was far more complex.

Since early times, the possibility of planets akin to ours orbiting distant stars intrigued philosophers and theologians alike, and the question of possible life out there was hotly disputed. Some believers took refuge in Christ’s pronouncement in the Book of John, 14.2 (King James Version) — “In my Father’s house there are many mansions: … I go to prepare a place for you” — as theological affirmation of other earthlike abodes in the cosmos. Others, however, detected a whiff of heresy in this interpretation, sometimes with violent consequences. In the sixteenth century, Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno postulated that the stars are all similar to our Sun, and each have a retinue of planets. He was rewarded for these and other radical non-theological views by being burned at the stake in the year 1600. Fortunately, we rarely do that anymore. continued on page 7 continued from page 6

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However, the question of exoplanets and the possibility of life out there never went away. As modern-day boffins of science and religion no longer felt the threat of a public bonfire, the question became more mainstream, and technology was employed to find an answer. In 1995, the first exoplanet was discovered orbiting the star 51 Pegasi, about 50 light years away. Since then the search has uncovered thousands of exoplanets orbiting other suns similar to ours, the nearest only 4 light years away. About 500 stars similar to the Sun reside within 100 light years of Earth, many with planets. Scientists estimate that there are hundreds of rocky, earth-like planets within only 30 light years of us. “So, what does this have to do with me and mine,” you might say. Read on, and consider this.

In 1960, the first concerted effort to detect signals from other stars was initiated at Cornell University. While this simplistic search came up empty, the search was on, and detection equipment has been improving ever since, with some knowledgeable scientists predicting success in our lifetime. In an echo from the past, controversy now simmers over whether we should make our presence here on Earth a matter of universal knowledge, or keep our collective heads down in an unknown, possibly hostile stellar neighborhood. One side contemplates the flood of information that could flow after ‘First Contact,’ and the impact it might have on our civilization, while others visualize a multi-tentacled exogourmet chef somewhere out there writing a cookbook titled, ‘How to Serve (up) the Human Race.’

Unfortunately, if anyone or anything, has been listening in on the galactic party line, the beans have already been spilled. You might say that we’ve been a rather noisy stellar neighbor lately.

In 1901, Marconi made the first transatlantic radio message. Weak as the signal was, that message trickled out into space. Then in the mid-1930s, the first crude television signals were broadcast in England, followed in short order by Herr Hitler’s 1936 broadcast of the Munich Olympic Games. The noisy parade continued with such cultural highlights as Howdy Doody, I Love Lucy, Fred Flintstone, various wars, and gigantic mushroom clouds. Those signals are still flowing outward through space at the speed of light some 70 years later, painting a rather interesting picture of Earth to any civilized exo-culture within a 140 lightyear sphere that is able to intercept and decipher the basic code.

Whispers In The Dark

I suppose I should worry more about all of this. Harkening back to the old Sci-Fi movie, ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’,

I should be pondering how humanity might be judged from the disparate signals we’ve been inadvertently sending.

I should, but maybe later. Tonight, the air is pleasantly cool, the lights are extinguished, and I’m sitting in a lawn chair with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea and good friends. I hear someone whisper “Is that a beautiful sky, or what?” I reply, “That it is, my friend, that it is.”

Forrest Lockhart has been passionate about the stars and planets of the universe since he was a boy who was ecstatic to get his first telescope.

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Wakamatsu Farm

941 Cold Springs Rd, Placerville

Wakamatsu Farm is located just outside of Placerville near Coloma. It offers field trips, private tours, farm tours, and open farm days. Wakamatsu is also hosting Homeschool Fridays. With a focus on nature, conservation, and local Japanese history, any of their many events, ranging from beginner to more advanced, are a fun way to get outside and explore! Whether you’re there for science, history, or just a walk and some Vitamin D, Wakamatsu has something for everyone. Wakamatsu also provides a great setting for participating in the Family Nature Bowl. For more information on events and field trips, visit arconservancy.org

Marshall State Park

310 Back Sreet, Coloma

Eureka! Visit the location of the start of the Gold Rush in California. Marshall State Park offers a variety of activities throughout the week including the museum, gold panning, docent led tours, blacksmith shop, hiking trails, and the Marshall Monument. Visit on your own or schedule a group visit. Be sure to check out the Junior Ranger Program to keep the kiddos engaged and moving, as well as the State Park field trip options! Marshall Park offers Living History Days every 2nd Saturday during the year, with the annual Coloma Gold Rush Live! - scheduled for October 7-9. You don’t want to miss it! There are multiple hiking trails for your enjoyment that can be found on AllTrails, including their new Gam Saan Trail. State Park parking is $10, or you can purchase a Poppy Pass for annual entry to many local State Parks. For more information and to plan your trip, visit www.parks.ca.gov/marshallgold and www.marshallgold.com.

Community Observatory

6699 Campus Drive, Placerville

Located in Placerville behind the Folsom Lake College El Dorado Center, the Observatory is open Friday and Saturday nights from 9p-11p, weather permitting, with docents available. See the stars through the 17-inch or 14-inch reflecting telescopes on a clear night. Free admission. The Observatory also offers special events throughout the year. For more information and to check times and events, go to www.communityobservatory.com

El Dorado County Historical Museum

104 Placerville Drive, Placerville

With a rotating array of displays, the El Dorado County Historical Museum never gets old! It just has old artifacts. Take a tour or walk-through to see what life was like throughout El Dorado County history, not just for the miners, but also the natives, loggers, farmers, and more. The museum is currently open Wednesday - Sunday from 12p - 4p, with tours on the hour. There are also several virtual exhibits available on the website. Visit www.museum.edcgov.edu for small group tours, virtual exhibits, and for more informtion.

El Dorado Hiking

How does the moon cut its hair?

Eclipse it.

What did the ocean say to the beach?

Nothing, it just waved!

Helvetica and Times New Roman walk into a bar. “Get out of here!” shouts the bartender. “We don’t serve your type.”

CALL 530-906-6704 continued on page 24

So many trails, so little time! Grab some water and sunscreen, and whether you’re looking for a long or short hike, easy or intermediate, get outside with the AllTrails app or at Alltrails.com

Poet Laureate Begins Literary Tour of El Dorado County

After a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Laureate Trail has returned to El Dorado County. The El Dorado County Library and Arts and Culture El Dorado have collabotated in bringing the Laureate Trail to all six libraries in the county. Featuring Lara Gularte, El Dorado County’s poet laureate, she will visit the libraries during the Trail’s special library events offering free poetry readings, workshops, open mics, and more. Lara will be joined on the Trail by Poets Laureate past and future, as well as special guests, including the winner of the 2023 El Dorado County Poetry Out Loud competition.

“The Laureate Trail is an especially visible example of how the Poet Laureate engages with the community and enriches the literary arts in El Dorado County. These free events are open to anyone who wants to meet the Poet Laureate, learn more about the literary arts, or enjoy some great poetry,” said Jordan Hyatt-Miller, development and program associate at Arts and Culture El Dorado. “As a collaboration with the El Dorado County Library, these events are a terrific way to promote literacy, build community, uncover connections, and start conversations throughout the county. We’re so excited to be back on the Trail with Lara Gularte.”

The Laureate Trail began in South Lake Tahoe, in June, with a special reading, open mic, and book signing. Gularte will be joined by Suzanne Roberts, who served as Poet Laureate from 2018 to 2020. The final stop on the Trail will be at the Placerville library on April 29, 2023, where Gularte again will be joined by special guests, including the 2023 Poetry Out Loud champion and the next Poet Laureate.

Laureate Trail

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

5:30 - 8 pm

Pollock Pines Library

6210 Pony Express Trail

Pollock Pines, CA

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

5:30 - 8 pm

Cameron Park Library

2500 Country Club Drive

Cameron Park, CA

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

5:30 - 8 pm

El Dorado Hills Library

7455 Silva Valley Parkway

El Dorado Hills, CA

Saturday, April 29, 2023 4 - 7 pm

Placerville Library

345 Fair Lane

Placerville, CA

Jennie Wimmer and Her Tale of Lye(s)

“My eye was caught with the glimpse of something shining in the bottom of the ditch…it made my heart thump, for I was certain that it was gold.”

These famous words, uttered by James Marshall upon finding the nugget which kicked off the 1849 Gold Rush, were printed in every California fourth-grade history book for years. Interestingly enough, in one such textbook from 1971, the author also makes brief mention of the lone woman who lived among the workers of the now famous lumber mill on the South Fork of the American River in Coloma. It simply states that “one of the soldiers had his wife and children with him. The wife cooked for the workers.” This woman was Elizabeth Jane Cloud Wimmer, and her significance in history was far more than camp cook. In fact, Jennie identified the nugget Marshall had found as gold.

As a child, Jennie’s family moved in 1838 to the north Georgia

by Lisa Scott Traylor

mountains when her father, a prosperous tobacco farmer in Virginia, fell on hard times. The family settled in the town of Auraria where the Chestatee and Etowah Rivers were attracting gold searchers from all over the nation. While her father searched for gold, Jennie and her mother ran a restaurant and boarding house for miners. In her spare time, Jennie could be found in the gullies and hills panning for gold and soon became famous in North Georgia for her prospecting instincts.

Eventually, having not found sufficient gold to provide for the future, Jennie’s father moved the family - including Jennie and her new husband Obadiah Baiz – to Missouri. Unfortunately, Obadiah died of a fever in 1843, leaving Jennie with two babies to care for. She eventually found love again and married Peter Wimmer, a neighbor with five children, whose wife Polly had also died during the fever outbreak.

When the Hastings’ Emigrants’ continued on page 13

Guide to Oregon and California began circulating in 1845, it stimulated a desire in pioneers to move westward. Peter Wimmer was intrigued. So, in the spring of 1846, the Wimmers and their seven children joined the Harlan Band leaving out of Independence, Missouri, bound for California. They made the trek in extra sized “prairie schooners” that also doubled as boats at river crossings. Attached to each wagon was a butter churn into which they poured the surplus of milk; it was said that the rough roads across the country churned the milk into the finest butter. The party arrived at Sutter’s Fort on November 15, 1846, just ahead of the famed Donner Party which had become stranded behind them in deep snowdrifts in the Sierra Nevada.

Upon arrival, Peter soon found work as an assistant foreman in charge of the Native Americans working on the new sawmill on the North Fork of the American River under the direction of James Marshall. Jennie went with him and was designated as the camp cook. In her free time, Jennie wandered the banks of the American River, so like the Etowah River in North Georgia. Her trained eye soon spotted shiny nuggets in the clear water, and she instinctively knew that they were gold. But nobody paid her any mind – after all, what would a camp cook know of such things?

Jennie Wimmer

continued from page 10

In January of 1848, the frame for the mill was complete. Unfortunately, the foundation was set too low, and the channel beneath it needed to be deepened. To remedy the situation, water was diverted during the day while the millrace was dug deeper; at night, the river was released to wash out the sediment. It was one morning after the water flushed out the millrace that Marshall picked up the now famous gold nugget.

And here is where the story takes a twist.

According to sworn deposition, Peter Wimmer and his son Martin were with Marshall when he picked up the nugget – which was the approximate size and shape of a lima bean. Unsure of what he had found, Wimmer convinced Marshall to have his son bring the specimen to his wife Jennie who had seen gold in its natural state in the mining camps in Georgia.

Jennie happened to be making lye soap that day. When her son presented her with the nugget, she immediately identified it as gold and, to prove it, she utilized a traditional folk method. She placed the nugget in the bottom of the lye kettle and let it sit overnight, knowing that pure gold would not be affected by the saleratus water. When she removed it after several hours, the nugget was gleaming and unharmed. Her instincts were correct. The nugget in her pot was gold.

Marshall brought the specimen to Sutter who also confirmed the discovery by consulting a volume of Encyclopedia Americana. Meanwhile, Jennie wrote letters to miners back in Lumpkin County, and Georgia gold seekers became some of the first to arrive in the Mother Lode bringing their mining expertise with them.

The California Gold Rush had begun.

The Wimmers left El Dorado County soon after the gold discovery, eventually settling in

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Southern California. Jennie died in 1885 at the age of 62 and is buried in San Diego County.

While the story of Jennie Wimmer appeared in many California newspapers in the late 1800s and was memorialized in books such as “The California Gold Book: Its Discovery and Discoverers” (1893), her story all but disappeared from the 20th century history books. Perhaps with the growing interest in women’s history, her story may be added to 21st century texts.

Lisa Traylor Scott is a freelance writer who, when not writing, is fishing, tending her garden, or at any local estate sale.

Saturday & Sunday

October 15 & 16

10am - 5pm

Fairgrounds in Placerville 100 Placerville Dr. Placerville, Ca

Exciting Demonstrations & Dealers’ Offerings

Minerals, Specimens, Fossils

Petrified Wood, Crystals, Beads Fluorescents, Geodes, Slabs