BriarPatch Food Co-op | Fall 2021
Preserving heritage at Wakamatsu Farm BY LAURA PETERSEN
F
armer Kristen Draz of FogDog Farm, took a moment in the shade from her daily summer chores to talk about the significance of farming 10 acres she and her partner William Holland lease from the American River Conservancy.
“This,” she gestures to rows and rows of corn, sunflowers, watermelon, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and more growing in the hot sun, “this could have been developed into a couple of McMansions. This could have all been destroyed.” Kristen and William have been independently farming this conserved land in the rolling foothills of El Dorado County since 2019. This is their second year providing certified organic produce to BriarPatch Food Co-op. They feed approximately 100 people through their farmstand and deliver to 10
a number of restaurants in Placer and Nevada Counties. “We’re really excited about the Auburn BriarPatch,” says Kristen. The site where they farm, located near the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Placerville is considered important not just to the state or the nation, but to the world.
Rich in culture and natural resources On June 8, 1869, the first Japanese settlers in North America arrived in the region, then named “Gold Hill” near the
town of Coloma where the gold rush first began. As many as 22 farmers, carpenters, samurai and others came here from Japan to start a new life and establish a tea and silk farm. American River Conservancy (ARC) now owns and serves as the “culture keepers” of the 272-acre heritage site of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony. Placer Land Trust holds the easement on this American River Conservancy property. Located 45 miles from Sacramento, Wakamatsu Farm is a California Registered Historical Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Considered a pilgrimage site and recognized by many as the “Japanese American Plymouth Rock,” Wakamatsu Farm holds three distinctive first honors: 1) Site of first Japanese colony in US, 2) Birthplace of first Japanese American and 3) Gravesite of first Japanese immigrant and woman buried in US.
