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Capitol Clarion California State Capitol Museum Volunteer Association

VOLUME 37 ISSUE 11

CSCMVA Promotes the Educational and Interpretive Activities of the California State Capitol Museum

The Capitol Clarion is published

monthly by the California State

Capitol Museum Volunteer

Association.

David Kane, Managing Editor

Bill Geach, Editor Eternal

Contributors: Clem Dougherty,

Asleain “Scotty” Hodges and

Patty Wood

Deadline for announcements

and articles is the 1st of the

month. Articles, as well as any

feedback or corrections, can be

e-mailed to the Editor at:

[email protected]

Capitol Clarion CSCMVA Newsletter

PO Box 19956

Sacramento, CA 95819

November 2017

As we enter the holiday season, we are all busier than usual. (For a bunch of “old people”, we have a lot going on.) Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, Veterans’ Day and Governors’ Day are packed up and we’re bringing out the turkey platters. Here’s just a few things we have on our CSCMVA plate in addition to our ongoing daily docent responsibilities:

Holiday Decorating Holiday Music Program (sign up list coming soon) Probable opening of the new restaurant in the building The Annual Meeting Selection of the new Board and officers Planning for the end of the WWI commemoration event Upcoming trip to Asilomar and Monterey

I offer a big helping of Thanksgiving gratitude to those who have put in extra effort in recent months:

Monterey training – David Keck, Lou Below Governors’ Day – Patty Wood, Ann Rost and all the

participants Nominating Committee for the new Board – Keith Evans,

Chuck Shannon, Sheila Bruton Holiday Decorating – Mary Spitzer and crew

I am so pleased to see quite a few new faces working on these events. It’s not always easy to find time to work on committees in addition to days volunteering at the WI, NI or in the historic rooms. CSCMVA, Parks, our visitors and I appreciate your extra efforts. Happy holidays, everyone!

-- Connie

President’s Message By Connie Clark

Message from the President by Leslie Cooper

CAPITOL CLARION NOVEMBER 2017

Sunshine Corner Within the past month Scotty sent out cards expressing sympathy or wishing a swift recovery to:

Judi Smith who is in long-term care and continuing her extended recovery from a spine-related condition.

Sandy Metzger who has been under the weather. If you know of someone who could use a word of encouragement, comfort, or get well wishes, please contact Scotty Hodges who thoughtfully expresses CSCMVA support on behalf of all our membership. Scotty can be contacted at [email protected] or by phone at 707-425-1909.

Governors’ Day Brings California History to Life By Patty Wood

A big HURRAH to everyone who helped make the 2017 Governors’ Day such a success! These events are an important part of CSCMVA, an opportunity to mingle with fellow members while bringing to life events from California’s past. To highlight a few participants, Connie Clark offered direction to actors, tour guides and their backups during rehearsals. Julie Mallet organized the morning refreshments and lunch. Enthusiastic Greeters welcomed visitors at the Capitol entrance and briefed them on the terrific

opportunity awaiting them in the Rotunda. Visitors were guided to the Ticket Table where Barbara Souza filled each time slot with groups of no more than ten and, aided by Pacers Sheila Bruton and Marti Dennis, made sure that each tour left on time. Sheri Routh was prepared to explain the content of a selection of books for sale in the Book Store. Karen Peart’s collection of political campaign buttons was studied and appreciated by many; she also helped children make California poppies out of tissue paper. Many thanks go out to all of this year’s Governors’ Day participants: Ken and Pat Butler

Sheila Bruton

Bart Carlson

Bob Chan

Kay Christensen

Connie Clark

Lynn Cook

Leslie Cooper

Bob and Marti Dennis

Keith Evans

Bob and Marilyn Folker

Jan Forbes

Ann Fox-Morgan

Scotty Hodges

Janet LaDue

Ron Lauchner

Suzanne Latimer

Norma Leopold

Marty McKnew

Rachel Martinez

Bill Monahan

Rosemary Neves Karen

Peart

Karen Rea

Weldon Reeves

Bruce and Diane Rich

Tom and Ann Rost

Sheri Routh

Barbara Souza

Marylin Thompson

Vicki Walker

Patty Woo

Editor’s Note: This article would not be complete without adding a special thanks to Ann Rost and Patty Wood who co-chaired the Governors’ Day event. Editor’s Additional Note: Photos of this event were not available to the Editor at the time of publication. Look for photos to be published in the December 2017 edition.

mailto:[email protected]


Capital/Gold Fields Training Gathering

A group of CSCMVA members attended a field training gathering at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park on November 1, 2017. Along with State Parks staff and representatives from other nonprofit groups in the State Parks Capital and Gold Fields districts, CSCMVA members toured the Marshall Gold Discovery park and were able to share information, ideas and strategies for communication, fundraising, project planning, and outreach as well as lessons learned from past success and failures.

Gatherings such as these are great opportunities for CSCMVA to see what other nonprofit groups in the

region are doing. Special thanks to Cooperating Association Program Manager Paige Rogowski and Cooperating Association Program Specialist Kristy Papke for organizing the gathering.

Save the Date: Annual Meeting Luncheon Make sure to mark your calendar for January 25, 2018 and plan to join your fellow volunteers for the CSCMVA Annual Meeting Luncheon to be held at Casa Gardens Restaurant. Invitations will be mailed out after Christmas.

Get On the Bus: May 2018 Trip to Monterey Spaces for the CSCMVA trip to Monterey on May 9-10, 2018 are filling up fast! If you want to come along on this fun and informative trip, contact the organizers: Lou Below, (530) 219-1988, [email protected], or David Keck, (916) 217-1679, [email protected]. The trip will include tours of the museums and historic locations on the Monterey Peninsula. Spaces are limited, so don’t delay!

CSCMVA members (center) and other participants at Capital/Gold Fields training gathering




Historic Room Reminders and Status for Volunteers Please continue to observe the following reminders and updates for the historic rooms in the Capitol Museum. The help and cooperation of all CSCMVA members in preserving the rooms and their contents is appreciated.

No tours in the Historic Governor’s Office Suite including VIP tours.

Please continue to set the alarms when leaving a historic room unattended.

The lamps in the Secretary of State’s Office are on timers and will turn on and off by themselves.

Please do not handle items in the historic rooms that are not specifically identified with a red star.

If you notice any new damage on objects in the historic rooms, please inform the Park Aides: Margo, Jason and Rachel.

Did You Know.... By Clem Dougherty

Did You Know…that the Naval Shipyard at Hunter’s Point in San Francisco played an important role in the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima at the end of World War II (WWII)? Yes, it’s true. By July of 1945 American scientists had developed three atomic bombs. On July 25, 1945, one bomb was successfully tested in the New Mexico desert, approximately 10 miles northwest of Alamogordo. On the same date an army truck arrived at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard where a mysterious cargo was secretly loaded upon the USS Indianapolis at 4:00 in the morning. It was the second atomic bomb known as “Little Boy.” It was unarmed. The Indianapolis then sailed for the island of Tinian, one of the three islands composing the Marianas south of Japan. A Marine guard accompanied the mysterious cargo on its journey aboard the ship. The voyage was so secret that even the Captain of the Indianapolis did not know the nature of the cargo the ship was carrying.

Approximately 12 days later, on August 6, 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay took off from the island of Tinian with Little Boy aboard and headed north toward Japan where, now armed, it was dropped on Hiroshima with catastrophic results for the Japanese population. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the United

Atomic Bomb "LIttle Boy"

The Enola Gay


States dropped the third atomic bomb known as “Fat Man” on Nagasaki with equally catastrophic results for the Japanese population. The world had entered into a terrifying new age. But how did the San Francisco Naval Shipyard at Hunter’s Point become an important naval base by 1945? You may recall that in a prior Did You Know article we learned that Market Street in San Francisco became the dividing line between the financial district located north of Market Street and the manufacturing district located south of Market Street. Spreading south of Market Street were factories financed at first with money from banker William Ralston and the Bank of California. Principal among these businesses was the Union Iron Works. (see Did You Know, August, 2015, Clarion) In 1849, at the beginning of the Gold Rush, Peter Donohue and his two brothers founded the Union Iron Works located at 1st and Mission Streets, south of Market Street in San Francisco.

The company was the first iron casting company in California and produced mining equipment for the gold miners. In 1864 Donohue sold the Union Iron Works to Irving Scott. With the sale proceeds Donohue founded San Francisco’s first gas works later to become Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). The gold panning part of the California Gold Rush came to an end by 1860 to be succeeded almost immediately by the discovery of silver at the Comstock mines in Virginia City, Nevada. Never

one to miss a beat when it came to making money, Scott and his Union Iron Works now focused on the Comstock mines and produced practically all the equipment needed by those mines to extract silver from the Nevada mountains. With the Comstock mines playing out by 1880, Scott once again saw an opportunity to make money, this time by building ships. In 1883 Scott moved the Union Iron Works from 1st and Mission Streets. to Pier 70, further south, at Potrero Point on San Francisco Bay. There he established on landfill the Union Iron Works with docks and equipment necessary to build ships. Potrero Point in San Francisco is located next to San Francisco Bay and roughly one-fourth the distance down from present day AT&T stadium on the north to former Candlestick Park at Hunter’s Point on the south. Prior to the Union Iron Works moving there, Potrero Point had been home to gun powder companies (the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company), steel and iron producing companies (the Pacific Rolling Mill Company), a rope making company (Tubbs Cordage Company), smaller ship building companies (North’s Shipyard), and the Spreckels Sugar Refinery (see Did You Know, April, 2016 Clarion). Nearby was Butchertown (see Did You Know, June, 2016 Clarion). In 1915 The American Can Company, the largest manufacturer of tin cans in the United States, built a


large plant near Potrero Point. With the coming of Union Iron Works to Potrero Point, Irving Scott built the first great shipyard on the West Coast. Initially, the Union Iron Works produced river boats such as paddle wheelers and barges that operated up and down the Sacramento River between San Francisco and Sacramento. But during the late 1880s-1890s the United States decided to expand its navy. Irving Scott saw an opportunity to expand the Union Iron Works by obtaining government contracts for ship building. To do so he had to beat competing East Coast companies and, as luck would have it, he landed contracts to build the cruiser Olympia, the battleship Oregon, and the battleship Ohio. These contracts ensured Union Iron Works’ reputation for building great ships. During the ensuing decades United Iron Works built many of the ships for President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet. With the building of additional ships for the US government, the Union Iron Works was the equal of any major shipyard in the world. By the time WWII began for the United States in 1941, the Bethlehem Steel Company, owned by the financier Charles Schwab, acquired the Union Iron Works which was renamed Bethlehem Steel’s San Francisco Yard. In 1940 the United States Navy had acquired land further south of Potrero Point at Hunter’s Point and built the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard which Bethlehem Steel ran and operated for the Navy. During WWII all of the Bay Area’s ship yards including Bethlehem Steel’s San Francisco Yard at Potrero Point, the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard, the Kaiser Shipyards at Richmond, and the Shipyards at Alameda, Marin, and Mare Island now engaged in a ship building and ship repair boom of gigantic proportions. Bethlehem’s Potrero Yard alone built 72 vessels and repaired 2500 Navy and civilian vessels during WWII. The San Francisco Bay Area, in the eyes of one observer, became “the most productive shipbuilding in the US during WWII and, probably, the most productive in world history.”(see Ralph Wilson. Pier 70 San Francisco, History of Potrero Point Shipyards and Industry, citation below). Unfortunately, success for the United States’ shipbuilding industry was short-lived. With the decline of ship building in the United States after WWII, Bethlehem Steel’s San Francisco Yard

Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in 1940s


at Potrero Point (the Union Iron Works) ceased operation by November 1, 1982. The Hunter Point’s Naval Shipyard ceased operation in 1974. The world class naval industry that had contributed so much to San Francisco’s becoming the Queen City of the Pacific suddenly disappeared into the sunset never to return. As San Francisco entered the second half of the 20th century, fundamental change crept into the City. (Sources: Brechin, Gray. Imperial San Francisco. Berkeley: University Of California Press, 1992,pp. 125-130; Wilson, Ralph. Pier 70 San Francisco-History of Potrero Shipyards and Industry. http://www.pier70st.org/history/p70_history html; San Francisco Naval Shipyard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiks/ San_Francisco_ Naval_Shipyard; Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco. httpsi // en. Wikipedia. org/ wiki/Bethlehem_shipbuilding_corporation: Kaplan, Cheryl and Clark, Union Iron Works at Potrero Hill ;http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title= Union _ Iron _ Works_at Potrero Hill)

Editor’s Note: This is one in an ongoing series of writings on significant topics and periods in California history provided by Clem Dougherty. Coming in the December 2017 edition of the Clarion: Irish Workers in San Francisco.

Minutes of the CSCMVA Board Meeting November 8, 2017 By Marylin Thompson, Secretary

The meeting was called to order at 1:05 p.m. in Room 127 of the Capitol by President Connie Clark. Board members present: Connie Clark, Marylin Thompson, Diane Rich, Ron Lauchner, Keith Evans, Barry Goleman, Marilyn Folker, Bill Monahan, Bob Dennis Board members absent: Bob Dreyer Others Present:, Patty Wood, David Keck, Casey Hayden, David Kane, Bob Folker, Sheri Routh, Rachel Martinez, Renato Consolini, Sheila Bruton, Janet LaDue, Leslie Cooper, Bart Carlson

Minutes of previous meeting: Approved as submitted. Appropriations Committee Treasurer: Financial report attached to approved minutes.

CSCMVA Board of Directors Meeting, November 8, 2017

https://en.wikipedia/


September and October checks from bookstore have not been received. Communication with the bookstore has been difficult. The only expenses for the previous month were for some small bookstore purchases and parking reimbursements. Bookstore: Mary Geach has been giving Barry a list of orders submitted which has been very helpful. He knows what to anticipate for payment. Barry hopes to meet with Stacy, the new bookstore manager, soon. Sheri Routh and Marilyn Folker will be included. Income for October was $1,507 – almost the same as in 2016. We could use more display space for books but it has been used for merchandise by DDSO. The gift shop is better stocked now. Marilyn Folker has ordered, with Mary’s OK, a children’s book titled Our California. The Long Range Plan has been completed and sent to the board for review and approval. State Parks: Casey: he is going on a tour tomorrow of the new basement restaurant. Hopefully, it will open soon. Capitol District of Parks is being reorganized according to function so there will be shuffling of staff and some new faces. Phil Sexton will be moving into Casey’s office and will be in charge of docents. Stay tuned for other changes. Renato: Displayed 3 proposed floor plans for the museum rooms which would have roped off wooden pathways through them to accommodate visitors and docents. They would be ADA compliant and would allow unlimited access to visitors as long as there was a docent present. They would necessitate the removal of several large pieces of furniture and some rearrangement of remaining furniture. The rooms would still be roped off unless docents were present. The rest of the room would still be alarmed and off limits to everyone. The pathways would be placed over the carpet and be removeable. The brass poles would be attractive and historic looking. There followed a discussion regarding why docents have now been excluded from museum rooms and what the original purpose of CSCMVA docents was. Displeasure was expressed over what has been perceived as distrust of docents and a decrease in their purpose and usefulness at the Capitol. Renato explained that these measures have come from “higher ups”, “they”, and are not meant as criticism of CSCMVA. Change in access will also deflect complaints of discrimination about who (visitors) are allowed in the rooms which “they” have concerns about. Training Updates: the Cooperating Associations meeting in Coloma was an eye opener about what there is to see up there – a lot! There is catering available on site and it might be considered for a future field trip. The suggestion was also made to visit the Empire Mine and Bourne Cottage on another trip. Museum Updates: see Renato’s report Historic Commission Report: Marylin T. attended for Bob Dreyer. The Capitol Historic Commission is preparing its own website which is not live yet but was on display. Very impressive looking with a wealth of information about the capitol: its restoration, a park map with tree list, photographs, a link to the State Archives and other resources. Hope to be live in a month. DGS has power washed the building and windows. Bird nests on window ledges were undisturbed per requests of adjacent offices. DGS will begin using a combination of recycled and fresh water in the park next summer. Discussion of reducing turf on east side. Mexican-American war memorial has been refurbished and rededicated. Senate chamber should be open by December 1st with new carpet, same color. Basement restaurant hopes to open in December. A bronze plaque in the west lawn installed in 1982 to commemorate the restoration has been decreed a tripping hazard so will be reset. Fish eye view monitors have been installed in the two first floor exhibit rooms. The new exhibit in spring 2018 will be on transportation – working with


DMV which also has a museum. Touch screen interactive displays will be installed on the kiosks in front of the museum rooms CONTINUING BUSINESS Audit Committee: audit is done. World War I project: November meeting has been canceled and moved to Jan. 8th. Small skits: No report Monterey Trip: There are now 32 people who have expressed a definite interest in going. Forty would be an ideal number but it was agreed to proceed with only 32. The driver’s room and tip are included in the member’s cost. He/she pays for his/her own meals. Governor’s Day: Everything is ready to go. Bart and Keith volunteered to take folding tables out of the tunnel that morning. The building will not be open before 9:00. There will be coffee and treats in the Eureka Room at 9:30 and a picture will be taken at 10:00. First tour is at 10:30 and last one at 3:00. There will be a limit of 10 people per tour. The only open door will be on the south side and street parking will be free as it is a Sunday. There has been no publicity done. Long Range Plan: Barry was commended for an excellent plan. He explained that it addresses questions about why we pay dues by outlining the difference between operating expenses and reserve funds for specific designated purposes. Thompson moved and Rich seconded to accept the plan. Passed unanimously. Plan attached. Nominating Committee: Keith Evans, Chuck Shannon and Sheila Bruton. There are three nominations for the board: Marty Mcknew, Sanmukh Bhakta and Carolyn Martin. They will be voted upon at the January annual meeting. Christmas decorations: Two trees will be put up on Tues, Nov. 14th. Decorations will be taken out of tunnel on Monday and stored in Casey’s office. No other decorations will be put up. There are probably enough helpers but anyone is welcome to come Tuesday at 10:00. Cooperating Association Training: Some suggestions for increasing our visibility are to have a CSCMVA Facebook page and to visit schools with short costumed skits. Rachel will verify that we can have a FB page as long as we do not mention State Parks. Annual Meeting: Will be held at Casa Gardens restaurant on January 25th. Invitations will be mailed after Christmas. Contract Review and Oversight Committee: no report NEW BUSINESS

Dues: The amount of dues needs to be officially approved and entered into the minutes. Rich moved, Dennis seconded that dues remain as last year: Active member-$30, Inactive member=$35, Supporting member=$45. Passed unanimously.

Keith suggested buying a new canopy tent for Admission Day which is much easier to assemble

than one of the current ones.


Guidelines for staffing the West Information Desk: Discussion regarding how many people should be sitting at the WI. Now that entry to the museum rooms appears to be limited, the only docent “jobs” on the first floor are roving or staffing the WI or Treasurer’s Office. Rovers have no place to sit except at the WI. Are three people appropriate/necessary? Connie will ask if Bob Dreyer will write up some guidelines.

Christmas music sign-ups: Rachel will check with Erin and try to have a sign up sheet available

by next Wednesday. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:30. The next regular meeting will be held Wednesday, December 6th. Location to be announced. Respectfully Submitted, Marylin Thompson, Secretary

Upcoming Events:

Board of Directors Meeting: Wednesday, December 6. 1 PM Holiday Music Program Sunday, November 26 through Saturday, December 23 CSCMVA Annual Meeting Luncheon Thursday, January 25, 2018

To use the Capitol Museum website: Copy the address shown below to your web browser and then save

the website to your list of “Favorites” or “Bookmark” it.

http://portal.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict/CapitolMuseum/CapitolMuseumVolunteers

Volunteer Coordinator: 324-0319 Rachel Martinez

Tour Guide Office: 324-0333 Scheduler’s Desk: 324-2088 Capitol Tours daily 9 am – 4 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day

http://portal.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict/CapitolMuseum/CapitolMuseumVolunteers

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