BURSON, CA – January 20, 2011 – The only known photograph of Sgt. John Dawson, the Mother Lode’s only African-American Civil War soldier, will be published for the first time in Volume III of “Something From Nothing, The Early History Of West Calaveras County,” the latest collection of the popular monthly columns penned by historian Sal Manna for the Valley Springs News. Courtesy of the Haggin Museum in Stockton, the photograph taken in San Francisco in 1886 was only recently discovered. “Something From Nothing, Vol. III” will be available for purchase beginning February 18.
Hub Saloon TokenDecember 11, 2010 - Thanks to the generosity of a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, a rare token from the Hub Saloon in Valley Springs has become the 2,500th item in the archives of the Society for the Preservation of West Calaveras History. The metal token, "Good For One Drink," is believed to date from between 1896 and the first decade of the 1900s. As noted in a front page story in the Valley Springs News announcing the acquisition, the saloon was located in the building that curren
Historic Valley Springs Train Depot: Mike Jurek and Sticks Nielsen at unveiling of new depot sign. Photo by Nick Baptista.October 1, 2010 - The Valley Springs railroad depot has been evaluated as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places thanks to the efforts of the Society for the Preservation of West Calaveras History. The SPWCH enlisted the services of a State-certified cultural resources firm to evaluate the building and the conclusion cited the depot for its local significance.
Valley Springs Post Office Presentation: Postmaster Timothy Brown (left) with Sal Manna. Photo by Nick Baptista/Valley Springs News.September 24, 2010 - The Society for the Preservation of West Calaveras History (SPWCH) today honored all Valley Springs postmasters throughout history with a presentation to the latest postmaster, Timothy C. Brown, at his official swearing-in ceremony.
Double Springs Courthouse Plank: Photo by Sal Manna
BURSON, CA -- June 19, 2010 -- Thanks partly to the efforts of the Society for the Preservation of West Calaveras History (SPWCH), remnants of the county's first courthouse, erected in Double Springs in 1850, will remain in West Calaveras.
BURSON, CA -- January 7, 2010 -- The history of West Calaveras now has a home on the Internet. The Society for the Preservation of West Calaveras History (SPWCH) has launched westcalaverashistory.org as the group’s Website and the premier source on the Internet for historical information specifically about the area, which includes Valley Springs, Burson, Wallace and more. Among the site’s current highlights are the publication of a new, authoritative history of Valley Springs and an e-commerce shopping cart where consumers may purchase books, artwork and memorabilia related to W
