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Alpine Review – February 2020 page 1 ALPINE REVIEW Volume XXVI, Issue 1 February 2020 Sketch by Dede Lyon Our museum is located in the great Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Our culture of the Washoe people, agricultural era, and silver mining of the surrounding areas display our pioneering history of Alpine County. ALPINE COUNTY MUSEUM PO Box 517 Markleeville, CA 96120 [PHONE REDACTED] [EMAIL REDACTED] alpinecountymuseum.org MUSEUM HOURS Thursday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Memorial Day Weekend thru the end of October Judge L. T. Price By Dick Edwards* “He was a gentle, kind, very loving and very patient.” This gentle, kind, loving and patint gentleman was Judge Lester T. Price, who sat on the Alpine County Superior Court from 1907 until his death in 1947. This description of the Judge was by his daughter Ileen Price Long in an oral history interview recorded in 1989. Price Family continued on page 4 *Original article Volume VII Number 2 Fall/Winter 2000/2001 Alpine Review, Former Curator Dick Edwards. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 2 The Alpine Review is published quarterly by the Historical Society of Alpine County. Historical Society of Alpine County PO Box 517 Markleeville, CA 96120 [PHONE REDACTED] [EMAIL REDACTED] BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tom Sweeney, President Rick Dustman, Vice- President Marilyn Kolpacoff, Treasurer Barbara Howard, Secretary John Baker, Director ADVISORY BOARD Judy Wickwire Cassandra Fred Irvin Jim STAFF Kristiina Rengo Wiedenhoft, Museum Curator STAFF SUPPORT Teola L. Tremayne, Newsletter President’s Message BY: TOM SWEENEY Hope you all had a great Holiday Season and are ready to make some new history. Everything we do is going to be history for the new generations. So a New Year’s resolution that you might even carry thru on, is taking more pictures and recording more family conversations. I am always amazed at the memories people have of many of their family events and all the people who were involved. Remember those thick heavy family photo albums that sat on the shelf and would only come down when there was a family get together? Now all that is being replaced by our never to be without cell phone. Pictures of everything we do are right at our fingertips. We can get to that electronic picture album in an instant. Then we can scroll and scroll to find that one picture we want to show. Handy but sometimes I think “darn I wish I had these all in one place.” I know that you do have them in one place your cellphone. How about those two or more first and second generation digital camera you have in a drawer. If you copied them on to other media like diskettes or CD’s it is time to copy them again to the latest media? Are we keeping our personal history alive or are we just storing it away? So this is what I am getting at. If you do have any pictures of Alpine County that show what the county looked like before this or that was built and what it looks like now and you would like to share them. Your Alpine County Museum would like to add those pictures to our collection. I am hoping you have seen the photos in the Administration Building. These are photos from the museum collection and they are all sponsored by individuals. We are still scouring our collection for pictures that tell the story of the people and places around our county. All of you can be part of this effort. If you have old photos of life in Alpine County and you are willing to let us scan them into the collection and even better if you have the name or location of item that will also help. If you don’t have pictures maybe you have time to volunteer to do the scanning (no experience required). Also we are still looking for additional sponsors for pictures. Not much to report on the happenings at the museum. A month back almost everything was covered to help keep the dust under control. Your Curator Kristiina has been working on changing the look of several displays; it is another chance to volunteer. When the snow goes away and the ground dries out we will again be working on the grounds. There will be new display pieces and more rearranging. If you have any suggestions send a note along to the Museum mail or email or give us a call. Thank you all for supporting your Alpine County Historical Society. This is the time to renew your membership - if you already have thank you for your continued support. If you have been putting it off there is no better time. See you at the Quarterly meeting and potluck on the 20th of February, dinner starts at 6pm. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 3 CURATOR’S CORNER by: Kristiina Wiedenhoft I hope everyone is having a great winter so far! It's been quite a change for me since the museum closed its doors for the season. When I began this summer, I was learning through others, by meeting and talking with so many of you in the community. Now it has been a time for reflection and taking more research and actions into my own hands. We’ve begun making some of the changes I had planned on but aren’t quite finished yet. We have started the reorganizing process in the exhibits and will be doing more in the coming months. I think this will greatly help the flow of the museum and make it easier for visitors to learn and understand Alpine County’s story. I’ve also started creating new labels for the artifacts and exhibits so it is consistent throughout, and is not only more visually appealing, but has clear verbiage, too. I am also working on updating and adding to some existing displays. A museum is meant to clearly and accessibly tell the history to all ages, interest levels and no matter the existing knowledge they hold. I’m hoping that these adjustments will create a positive and interesting learning experience for all our visitors. On top of this, I’m continuously working to increase our online presence by updating our current website and building a social media platform. My goal with this is to reach more people and appeal to younger generations, as well as have our information, location, and event schedule more accessible to the public. I have my hands full of projects, but I’m so excited to share these changes with you this summer! Thank you all for your historical society membership renewals and for your continued support. We have a few more months before opening day and plenty more projects coming up, and we’re always in need of volunteers. Anything from spring planting, working with artifacts and exhibits, and events this summer; we will be sure to find something for you. I hope to see you all at the next membership meeting and potluck! ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 4 The Price family home in Markleeville, Alpine County Circa 1930 Ileen Price, the Judge, her mother Lela Ennis Price, her brother Robert M. Price were all born in California, while the youngest child Mary Price was born in Reno, Nevada. Judge Price was born in the community of Woodbridge, California in San Joaquin County, California on August 13, 1879, the third of four boys born to Ela Price and his wife Annie Brown Price. Ela Price was a county schoolteacher in the rural foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in the town of West Point in Calaveras County, California, where he taught for most of his life. The school must have been your typical one room schoolhouse as Ela taught all the grades from first through twelve, and his father was the only teacher the Judge ever had during his school career. Ileen Price was not sure if her father continued his education after the twelfth grade, but he did get an offer to work in the Calaveras County Clerk-Recorder’s office as Chief Deputy when he was 18 years old. It is possible that he continued his education via correspondence schooling which was a popular means of getting a higher education in that era for students living in rural areas. It was while working in the County Clerk’s office that he became interested in the law and began studying on his own at night. This led to Judge Price being admitted to the California Bar in 1906, as in that period of time California did not require a law degree for one to be admitted to the Bar. It was during this time that Judge Price was invited by his good friend and Markleeville Price Family continued from page 1 Ileen Price Long June 19, 1988 ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 5 resident, Sam Redmond to participate in the special election for Superior Court Judge in Alpine County to fill the judgeship vacated by the sitting judge. The special election was held on March 19, 1907, and there were four candidates, including Lester Price, in the running to fill the remaining year of the Superior Court Judgeship. Judge Price won the election and continued to be re-elected to the bench of the Superior Court of Alpine County until his death 40 years later on October 24, 1947. The Prices lived in a fine two-story home on Montgomery Street in Markleeville, built by the father of local artist Walt Monroe. He had given the home to his daughter Lily as a wedding present. The Judge purchased the house from Lily Monroe Bennett in 1915. From this date on until the present, the house on Montgomery Street was known by the family as the “Family Headquarters.” The house stands at the foot of School Street, just down the hill from the Old Webster Schoolhouse, where the Price children attended class for part of the school year while the Judge sat on the Superior Court bench. The life of a Superior Court Judge in the rural counties of California was based on both the case load and the weather. Here in Alpine County Judge Price was busy during the sunny days of spring, summer and fall and as the cold weather and snow approached, he was assigned to judgeships in the milder climes of California. This meant that the Price family would leave their home in Markleeville and head to Southern California for winter, where Judge Price would sit on the Superior Court bench in the Los Angeles area. This sort of lifestyle was hard on the family of the most part, as it meant that the Price children would start school in the Old Webster Schoolhouse and by October they would have to re-enroll in the school in Southern California. The end of their school year was not so hard, as Mrs. Price and the children would stay at their winter home until the school year ended. On the other hand, Judge Price would stay later in the fall in Markleeville and return to Alpine County in the early spring, leaving his family at their warm Southern California home. Judge Price was determined that his children would have an excellent education and to him that meant that they would go to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Therefore, beginning in 1924, the Judge setup the family in Palo Alto each school year so that they could attend schools in the Stanford area and graduate from Palo Alto High School. This continued until 1928 when Ileen’s brother Alpine County Courthouse as Judge Price saw it The Price’s home on Montgomery Street Circa 1915 ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 6 Robert graduated from Palo Alto High School and went on to Stanford University. But by the time Ileen and her sister reached junior high school age, Mrs. Price and the girls had returned to living in Southern California with the Judge. Ileen attended Virgil Junior High and Belmont High School. Robert stayed in college, but the rest of the family was very happy to be together again with the Judge. Ileen finished high school in the winter of 1934 and went on to Los Angeles Junior College for a semester as Stanford University only admitted students in the fall. She graduated from Stanford in the spring of 1938. During those years in Southern California, judges such as Judge Price were considered “Cow County” judges and given many of the eras “Hot Potatoes’ cases that the local judges did not want to hear. Most of the cases were disputes based on land or water rights and the Southern California judges did not want to have to make decisions on cases that might affect their chances for re-election. Therefore the “visiting judges” got the cases and their rulings would not affect their chances for re-election in their home counties. The years in Alpine County were wonderful times for the Price family. The Judge was renowned as a fly fisherman and his friends would come from all over California for a chance to go fishing with the Judge. The Judge regarded the use of bait in fishing as “not sporting at all” but he was always willing to show visitors where to go to fish and how to catch a limit or the “big one.” The Judge was involved in the start of the fish-planting program in Alpine County in the days when the trout fingerlings were brought by the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to the town of Minden, Nevada. From Minden they were trucked in five-gallon milk cans to Markleeville Creek and both forks of the Carson River. The Judge was always interested in thigs having to do with nature and was an early member of the “Save the Redwoods League”, the “Sierra Club” and from a historical standpoint he was a member of the “Native Sons of the Golden West.” Judge Price was a fixture in Alpine County from 1907 until his death in 1947. He was never defeated in his attempts for re-election and usually ran unopposed for the position of Superior Court Judge. Known as honest and fair, both as a judge and a man, L. T. Price was what most individuals would hope that the court system would have sitting on the bench in their local Superior Court. With the Judge’s passing in 1947, fellow Superior Court Judge J. A. Smith of Calaveras County recounted the accomplishments of Judge Price in an eulogy in his honor. In the eulogy Judge Smith noted that Judge Price was an, “ideal judge, of even temperament, and settled many disputes of his neighbors without resort to court.” Judge Smith went on to say that, Judge Price’s grasp of legal questions was unusual and that his decisions withstood the review of the higher courts. Judge Price the Fisherman and friend Magee ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 7 About the man himself, Judge Smith said, “Simple in his mode of life and thought, Judge Price had no use for sham and pretense. His every action was a spirit of fairness and justice. Truth and steadfastness for what he believed to be right were upstanding features of his character. He was a lover of nature and spent many happy days with his friends on the trout streams of this state.” In closing, Judge Smith said, “His memory as a judge and a man will be a guide to all who knew him, an influence for good during the years to come. Farewell, dear friend.” A L P I N E C O U NT Y T O B A C C O C ON T R O L P R O G R A M Our program goals are to: • Increase our awareness of the effects of smoking on personal and public health • Improve communities' abilities to change smoking behavior • Increase the influence of existing legal and economic factors that discourage smoking • Strengthen social norms and values supporting non-smoking Want to consider advertising in the Alpine Review? We are now accepting advertisements! Contact us for prices. Snowshoe Thompson Home in Diamond Valley, Alpine County, California Circa 1940 ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 8 BOOKS available from local authors These two books, amongst others, are available at the Alpine County Museum including walking and driving tours in the area, oral histories and much more. Gary Coyan : Markleeville Native - an oral history Compiled by Karen Dustman and Judy Wickwire Gary Coyan remembers Markleeville from the 1930s and 1940s when the sheep would be so thick on Main Street that dogs would run across their backs, and local school kids competed to be first to swim the fast-rushing creek each spring. Gary's parents owned the local Alpine Hotel, and as a teenager he hunted every local canyon and fished every stream. Over the years he made his living right here in Alpine County, working as everything from sheriff's deputy and county coroner to school bus driver and member of the road crew. Along the way he got to know many of Markleeville’s most colorful characters, including painter Walt Monroe and Lucille Chain, California's first woman sheriff. Here is the true story of hunting, trapping, fishing, and growing up in Markleeville--as only Gary could tell it. Alpine County: Bear Valley, Kirkwood, Markleeville by Alpine County Historical Society Alpine County is named for its massive peaks, thrust up from molten earth and scoured by glaciers, reminding European settlers of their own Alps. The Washoe Indians enjoyed this precipitous Eden with over 60 alpine lakes long before famous trailblazer Jedediah Smith, his pack animals dying, made it through these mountains. At first, few settlers ventured here, but a silver strike led hopeful residents to carve out a county, making Silver Mountain, then a town of 3,500, their seat of government. But the silver boom ended, and in 1875 Markleeville took the reins, as Silver Mountain was by then a ghost town. Although Alpine is now the least populated county in California, thousands come each year to hike, camp, or―following the tradition of famous Snowshoe Thompson―ski at popular Bear Valley and Kirkwood, or visit the delightful village of Markleeville, Grover Hot Springs, and other enchanting lake resorts. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 9 Markleeville Store Woodfords Markleeville Fishing Markleeville . Contact Tom Sweeney @ [PHONE REDACTED] for details HISTORICAL PHOTOS SPONSORSHIP Sponsor a picture $60 . A selection of available pictures can be viewed at the Museum and all of the Historical Society Events. Pictures will be rotated among Alpine County Offices ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 10 THANK YOU MEMBERS L I F E M E M B E R S H I P A l p i n e C o u n t y C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e A l p i n e C o u n t y L i b r a r y C a r s o n V a l l e y M u s e u m F r i e n d s o f t h e L o g g i n g M u s e u m A s a G i l m o r e S t a c e y J a m e s A n i t a K o r n o f f L a k e T a h o e H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y D a n W e b s t e r a n d J u l i e M i c h l e r M o n o C o u n t y H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y T r u c k e e - D o n n e r H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y M a r g e H o l d r i d g e J i m a n d S u e B r u n e R i c h C h a m b e r s J o s h C o y a n G a r y C o y a n J r D i c k a n d R u t h A n n E d w a r d s P a u l F u l l e r C h e r y l K a b l o o n a M c A v o y L a y n e J i m L o n g F r i t z T h o r n b u r g A n n e T r u m a n A d a m W a s h a m J u l i e M i c h l e r & D a n W e b s t e r M a r i l y n A c k e r m a n A m a d o r C o u n t y A r c h i v e s B a r b a r a a n d M i c h a e l B a r t o n R y a n B a u n D a l e a n d K a r e n B o h l m a n C a l a v e r a s C o u n t y H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y B e v e r l y C o l a V i r g i n i a C o o k G a r y C o y a n R i c h a r d a n d K a r e n D u s t m a n E b b e t t s P a s s H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y T o d d a n d N a n i E l l i s M i c h a e l a n d J a n e t F i s h e r J e a n e t t e T u r n b e a u g h C h r i s a n d F a y e G a n s b e r g T h o m a s G r a y R o n a n d B e c k y H a m e s M a r l e n a H e l l w i n k e l J i m a n d L i n d a H o l d r i d g e H e i d i H o p k i n s G a r y a n d B a r b a r a H o w a r d D o n J a r d i n e K a r e n K e e b a u g h C e c i l K o e n i g T h o m a s a n d M a r i l y n K o l p a c o f f N i c h o l a s M o n e t S u p e r K u r o p a t k i n D e n n i s R . L i t t l e R o b e r t a n d S a r a L o n g M a r k L o v e W P a t r i c k a n d M a r y A M a g e e S t e v e a n d E l l e n M a r t i n R o b e r t M e r r i c k E i l e e n M e r r i l l D o n a n d S h a r o n M i l l e r C a r l C M u n c k M a r g a r e t O ’ D r a i n S h a r o n O s g o o d S t a n l e y W P a h e r J i m D u n n a n d P a u l a P e n n i n g t o n D r R o b e r t a n d M a r c i a P o p p e r T e r r y R a n k i n D o l o r e s R e e d R o n a l d E a n d N a n c y S m i t h S o r e n s e n ’ s R e s o r t R i c h a r d a n d N a n c y S p e c c h i o M i c h a e l a n d T h e r e s a S t e e v e s J o h n S u p e r W a n d a S u p e r T h o m a s a n d J a n e S w e e n e y J e n n i f e r T h o r n b u r g J u d y W i c k w i r e P h i l B e l l m a n a n d B e t s y Y o s t B E N E F A C T O R S t e p h e n M . H i b b s B U S I N E S S & P R O F E S S I O N A L J e a n n e L e a r N i c h o l s o n T r u c k i n g J e a n e t t e T u r n b e a u g h F A M I L Y G a r y a n d J a n i c e A s c h w a n d e n P a t r i c k a n d M a r y B e t h C r o s b y M i c h a e l a n d L i n d a C u r t i s R o y & I s a k o E g a w a J u d i t h a n d T i m o t h y H a c h m a n T e r r y a n d M a r g a r e t H a f f n e r K i m a n d D o y l e H a r r i s R i c h a r d a n d K a t h r y n H a r v e y D a n K a f f e r a n d D i a n n e J e n n i n g s B a r b a r a K J o n e s S h e r a l y n n K e r n P e t e r a n d E l o n a L a t h r o p G e r a l d a n d J u d y M a r q u e t t e L o u i s a n d J u d y M a z z a R o b e r t M o s e r C r a i g J o r g e n s e n a n d A n d r e a O l s o n P a u l a n d J u d y P a r s o n s T h o m a s & C h a r l e n e P r i c e J e a n n e a n d S h e l i a R e u t e r W i l l i a m a n d G a i l S o u l i g n y J e r r y & J a n i n e S p r o u t M a t t a n d T e o l a T r e m a y n e J i m a n d C y n t h i a W h i t e K a t h e r i n e W i l l i a m s R o b e r t L Y o u n g I N D I V I D U A L T a m a r a L i e b e r m a n M a r i e B u l l o c k J a m e s C l a r k G i n g e r C r a i k L i s a G a v o n E r i c J u n g K a t h y L e w i n M a r t i n M e e d e n C a r o l e M o r g a n P a t r i c i a M u r p h y D e b b i e M u t h D e b b i e N y e B r u c e O d e l b e r g S a r a h O r r L a u r i e P r e s c o t t R o d n e y P r y o r M a r k S t i e f e l J a n e t S w a n J o A n n T r a y n o r D e b b i W a l d e a r N o n a Y a t e s J o a n Y o u n g Y O U T H ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine Review – February 2020 page 11 MEMBERSHIPS A N D VOLUNTEER The museum is dependent upon donations, retail sales and historical society memberships for its continued operation. Our goal as an organization is to preserve the rich history of Alpine County and the surrounding area. It is through our volunteers continued support that we can continue to achieve this goal. Miscellaneous Musing Are you a modern world Historical Society member who would like to receive this newsletter by email, rather than paper? If so (or if you want both) just forward your name and email address to us at [EMAIL REDACTED]. If you would like to receive this newsletter by email, please let us know! Check out our website www.alpinecountymuseum.org and be sure to add us to your favorites. Announcements and additional information about our events will also be posted, so be sure to bookmark us. MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES YOUTH $10.00 10% discount at Museum Store Subscription to the Alpine Review Invitation to all Society events Membership Card BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL $50.00 10% discount at Museum Store Subscription to the Alpine Review Invitation to all Society events Membership Card INDIVIDUAL $15.00 10% discount at Museum Store Subscription to the Alpine Review Invitation to all Society events Membership Card BENEFACTOR $100.00 20% discount at Museum Store Subscription to the Alpine Review Invitation to all Society events Membership Card FAMILY $20.00 10% discount at Museum Store Subscription to the Alpine Review Invitation to all Society events Membership Card LIFE MEMBERSHIP $250.00 Life Member Certificate Copy of the Alpine Heritage 20% discount at Museum Store Subscription to the Alpine Review Invitation to all Society events Membership Card CHOOSE A MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY ⬜ Youth $10.00 ⬜ Business & professional $50.00 ⬜ Individual $15.00 ⬜ Benefactor $100+ ⬜ Family $20.00 ⬜ Life Membership $250.00 Address Telephone Telephone (Business) Email Address Note if you want to receive this newsletter by email rather than print Please make check payable to The Historical Society of Alpine County Detach and mail to P.O. Box 517 Markleeville, CA 96120 Email: [EMAIL REDACTED] Website: alpinecountymuseum.org Membership dues are tax deductible. Thank you for your support. ---PAGE BREAK--- Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting Alpine County Museum Thursday, February 20, 2020 Historical Society Quarterly Meeting and Potluck Turtle Rock Park, Markleeville, CA 6:00 pm Saturday, May 16, 2020 Weeding and Flower Bed Preparation (Planting TBD) Alpine County Museum Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting Alpine County Museum Thursday, May 21, 2020 Historical Society Quarterly meeting and Potluck Turtle Rock Park 6:00 pm Thursday, May 28, 2020 Alpine County Museum OPENS Saturday, May 30, 2020 Basque Oven Bread Bake and Open House Alpine County Museum To Be Announced 2020 Frank Tortorich Historical Talk Alpine County Museum To Be Announced 2020 Antique Clock Maintenance by Steve Hibbs Alpine County Museum Saturday, June 20, 2020 Markleeville Living History Walk Markleeville, CA August or September 2020 E Clampus Vitus Snowshoe Thompson Chapter #1827 Event at Alpine County Museum August or September 2020 Emigrant Trail Walk Tour by Rick Dustman Tuesday, August 18, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting Alpine County Museum Saturday, August 22, 2020 Historical Society Quarterly meeting and Basque Oven Pizza Bake Potluck Alpine County Museum 12:00pm September 19, 2020 Silver Mountain City Tour Tour by Rick and Karen Dustman Saturday, October 3, 2020 Basque Oven Bread Bake and Museum Grounds Tour Sunday, October 25, 2020 Alpine County Museum CLOSES Tuesday, November 17, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting Alpine County Museum Thursday, November 19, 2020 Historical Society Quarterly Meeting and Potluck Turtle Rock Park 6:00 pm The Historical Society of Alpine County PO BOX 517, Markleeville, CA 96120 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED US POSTAGE