Efforts to prevent the historic National Hotel from collapsing on its own began with a modern innovation: Instagram. A few years ago, people began to circulate photos of the National Hotel, showing that the guest rooms were in disrepair and piled up with rubbish. Within a few months, the Instagram account called "Save the Nation Hotel" had thousands of followers. In the end, the National Exchange Hotel and Holbrooke Hotel attracted the attention of Santa Barbara-based Acme Hospitality, which purchased the two properties. The rest is history...resurrected...
One last point: the two women who created the Instagram account "Save the National Hotel" continued to work with the hotel during the renovation period, and continued to work hard to keep these local treasures shining and brilliant, so that everyone can enjoy...
The Grass Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association is drawing a lottery for an antique Gamewell call box that has served our community in the past. Tickets are $10 each (email Raffle.GVVFA@gmail.com). Similar phone booths sell for up to $500 on eBay. The draw will take place at the association meeting on December 2; lucky ticket holders do not need to be present. The association supports the professional firefighters of the Grass Valley Fire Station and preserves the history of the Grass Valley Volunteer Fire Station, which was established in 1858. The prize draw will help restore the 1926 antique Seagrave fire truck. "Once restored, the engine will be used for community events, such as parades," said Travis Baker, president of the association. "If requested by the family, it will be used to transport firefighters passing by from their monument to the cemetery..."
The Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation does not have an online auction, but instead organizes a fast-paced and fun online "Buy Now" event. Dozens of donated products and experiences went on sale at 8 AM on Thursday. "In the first hour, we raised more than $20,000," said Lisa Swarthout, chairperson of the event. "This money is specifically used to fund the improvement of hospital surgery centers." As of this column, there are about two dozen left (SupportSierraNevada.org/BuyItNow)...
"Decafalon: A hard activity to drink decaffeinated beverages in a day."-Mensa Invitational from the Washington Post, where readers add, subtract or change a letter in a word and provide a new definition...
Author Bernard Zimmerman has published the second edition of his book "Ghost Towns in Nevada County." In it, Bernie explained the names of gold rush towns such as You Bet, Gouge Eye and Snow Tent, and shared the history of 29 local ghost towns. The book can be downloaded for free from Apple Books, or you can get a PDF from the publisher You Bet Press (http://www.YouBetPress.com). Bernie’s resume is very long: he is the chairman of the Nevada County Historical Landmarks Committee, a life member of the Nevada County Historical Society, the Society’s 2021 Citizen of the Year, and the co-author of the electronic version of "Explore Nevada County", a guide to more than 200 historical landmarks ...
You are here to read about student trips to Washington, DC, and one of the highlights is viewing a gold specimen of NevCo at one of the Smithsonian Institution museums. Some of this gold was mined in the imperial mines. Some came from the Red Ledge mine near the town of Li'l, where the parents of Washington resident Lyla Tracy worked hard from the 1950s to the 1960s. "Red Ledge is one of the most famous gold mines in the world of rare crystal gold," Lyla explained. "Crystalline gold is gold that forms external gold crystals under special conditions..."
Curator Smithsonian once asked Laila's parents for an important gold specimen. "When this particular specimen was discovered, my family was digging the surface vein to expose it," Laila recalled. "My mother named it'Old Ugly' because it was partially covered by manganese, which is a black mineral that often appears with gold. Many years later, manganese was removed by Smithsonian staff, exposing itself. All the glory and beauty of the red wall gold specimens exhibited by the Smithsonian Museum since the 1950s and loved by countless tourists..."
The Three Stamp Mill at the corner of South Auburn and East Main streets in GeeVee was built by Lyla's father Sam Tracy. It operated at the Red Ledge mine from the 1950s to the 1960s and was donated to the city by Lyla's mother Stella in the 1980s...
A recent trip to Alaska prompted GeeVee resident Gregory "Shafe" Shaffer to win the honor of Junior Ranger in Glacier Bay National Park. This is not easy. Shafe reports, "I have to design a service arrow, complete a connection diagram, write a story about experiencing glaciers, solve a maze, complete a wild'mad libs' story and read it aloud, write a poem, and follow I have seen playing the Glacier Bay bingo game. It took several hours.” Shafe said that the Alaskan adventure provided several experiences for the first time in a lifetime. "Whales are cool. I have seen whales before, but they have never been so close. Kayaking through a small iceberg is incredible." Shafe-now proud to be Junior Ranger Shafe-celebrated his 66th birthday this year... ....
"On my fifth birthday, Dad put his hand on my shoulder and said,'Remember, my son, if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.'"-Sam Levenson (1911 -1980), American humorist, writer, teacher, TV presenter and reporter...
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Efforts to prevent the historic National Hotel from collapsing on its own began with a modern innovation: Instagram. A few years ago, people began to circulate photos of the National Hotel, displayed in...
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