The Stone Building (March 1993)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers are advised that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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Have you ever noticed that in a year with normal rainfall and snow a phenomenon occurs sometime between New Years and St. Patrick's Day--folks who have been housebound too long get testy and maybe a little irrational. Petitions are circulated, relationships are strained and in extreme cases dogs get kicked. This year has been fairly noteworthy in this respect, but in the interest of minimizing hate mail, we will cite only one example.

In the best traditions of the Shasta Courrier and the Dial, on January 20th the local paper informed us that a stone structure that housed an electrical substation around the turn of the century was to be razed (razed, egad!) by an uncaring and ungrateful city government. A few phone calls later we discovered that this was not a full-scale "raze," but merely an "agenda item." Great relief--but no time to be lost. Networking and letter writing must begin immediately. These NATTERING NABOBS of NEGATIVISM will live to rue the day!

The incendiary blurb
(Record Searchlight, January 20, 1993)

But then a strange thing happened. Everyone we contacted--the Public, the Media, City Staff and the City Council--seemed genuinely interested in the history of the stone building and wanted to save it. The City Council meeting on February 16th was like a repeat of Valentines Day, and the razing became a non-event. Maybe the town of Redding after a hundred and some years has finally come of age and realizes that it has a past worth remembering.

One sidelight to this issue: While the adrenaline was flowing, the Society Directors voted to provide an interpretive plaque by the building. This was picked up by the media and whole-heartedly accepted by the City Council. Now we will have to foot the bill for the price of a plaque that will last as long as the stone structure. 

--BTW.

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2023 Postscript: According to a local historian's blog post from 2018, the plaque and substation (which dates from 1897) are still there, however, they are surrounded by a fence, making it impossible to read the plaque. 

Valentines (February 1993)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers are advised that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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VALENTINES . . . in no particular order . . .

• To Treasurer Fred Beaker, who meekly digests a mess of unpaid bills, IOU s, checks &F! cash, & spits out a readable monthly financial statement . . .
• Seasonal strokes to Membership Lady Kathryn Raymond for keeping tabs on who lives where & why they didn't get their Covered Wagon . . .
• Posies to Callie Quint, who was a cheerleader in high school & never lost the attitude . . .
• Candy hearts to Librarians Hazel McKim, & Milton Black, who have produced order out of literary chaos . . .
• Bear hugs to Historical Groupies Marion Adams, Marie Carr, Maude Davis, Donna Goodrich, Mollie St. John, & Peter Walsh for their pioneer spirit organizing the rest of the collection . . .
• Purple Pulitzers Betty McKean for her talent & non-judgmental attitude in creating the tasteful sheet you see before you from a fistful of scrawled tripe . . .
• Roses (what else!) to Charlotte Rose Henry for elevating the pioneer plaque program to an art form . . .
• A serenade to the Darkroom Crew, Jean Beauchamp, Marlys Barbosa, Agnes Woodford, Mary Lou Nutley & Rick Ray for coping with an insatiable demand for prints from our collection . . .
• Undying admiration to the Board members for attacking the Society's problems in a positive way that makes meetings fun . . .
• Warmest personal regards to Editor Madge Walsh, who has produced an outstanding Covered Wagon and two above-average children & countless appetizing meals . .
• Forget-me-nots to those deserving folk I have forgotten to include . . .
• And 584 Pounds of chocolate bon-bons to our Members & Friends for their encouragement & Support.

--BTW

Truths (January 1993)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers should be aware that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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As we  start a new year, it would be appropriate to come up with some sort of cheery inspirational message. However, 40+ years of marginal employment in economically unsound, poorly maintained, unsafe industries with definite cash flow, leadership, and morale problems is lousy preparation for generating upbeat material. On the other hand, it is a great background for survival in Shasta County, California.

So. Let`s begin 1898 by dwelling on some basic truths all gleaned from people smarter than I am.

• Speak the truth but leave immediately after.
• If you don't have a memory like an elephant, leave tracks like one. (Quint's first law)
• If people concentrated on the really important things in life there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
• Almost everything in life is easier to get into than out of. (Walsh's observation)
• An organization is very much like a septic tank--thc really big chunks always rise to the top.
• May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions.
• And above all, believe me, "The 1993 Covered Wagon is going to be the best one ever."

--BTW

Bert Thompson Walsh: Collected Editorials

Foreword by Madge R. Walsh, 1998

BERT T. WALSH was born in San Francisco in 1926. He attended Lowell High School and the California Maritime Academy, and sailed for Matson Navigation Company on the Matsonia and on the Standard Oil Company tanker H. D. Collier.

He volunteered as an ensign in the U. S. Navy in 1949, and again during the Korean War. He saw active duty from 1950 to 1952 on the USS Catamount, mostly in Japan and Korea, and mostly in the engine room. This was his first exposure to a steam power plant and he found it interesting.

Utilizing the GI Bill, he graduated from the University of California in June 1957 with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. As a licensed Professional Engineer in California, Oregon and Washington, he held engineering positions with various companies in San Francisco, Redding/Anderson, and Portland, Oregon.

He took early retirement in 1986 and returned to Redding [California] with his wife Madge. Here he resumed his volunteer activities with the Shasta Historical Society, serving on the Board of Directors 1990-1996, and as its president from 1992-1994.

The Newsletter was the responsibility of the president. Bert continued writing it at the request of his successor, Don Moore; production eventually was handled by the society's one employee, Wayne. 

Since most copies of the Newsletter get tossed into the "circular file," it seemed like a good idea to collate his editorials for our heirs and a few other people who might enjoy them. So here they are. 

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Table of Contents

1992

• October 1992: Help Wanted
• November 1992: Annual Report
• December 1992: 65 Chairs

1993

• January 1993: Truths
• February 1993: Valentines
• March 1993: The Stone Building
• April 1993: Suggestion Box 
• May 1993: The Telephone
• June 1993: Diplomacy
• August 1993: This is Not a Newsletter
• September 1993: Once Upon a time
• October 1993: Annual Report
• November 1993: The Skunk
• December 1993: Yuletide Greetings
• Bonus: President's Message to the 1993 Covered Wagon

1994

• January 1984: The Mailbox
• February 1994: Target Practice
• March 1994: The Skunk, Part 2
• April 1994: Dues and Other Trivia
• May 1994: Math
• June 1994: A Puzzlement
• October 1994: President Emeritus, or The Meaning of Life
• November 1994: Hybridization
• December 1994: Fancy Coffee

1995

• January 1995: This Newsletter
• February 1995: Setting Fence Posts
• March 1995: James McSheehy
• April 1995: Hybridization, Part 2
• May 1995: Curation
• September 1995: The Bridges of Shasta County
• October 1995: Pig
• November 1995: Happy Thanksgiving
• December 1995: Database Enhancement Program

1996

• March 1996: Demographics
• April 1996: The Meaning of Life (continued) 
• May 1996: Membership

In June 1996, Jack Beale was installed as President for a two-year term. and was responsible for the Newsletter. Office Manager Wayne Rich continued to produce it, but in December became ill and was hospitalized. With the mailing deadline fast approaching, Betty McKean tried, but could not manage to write and format everything for the January 1997 newsletter, and asked Madge to do it. Bert contributed one more editorial. [MRW]

1997 and later

• January 1997: Political Correctness
• March 1999: Lost Treasure

65 Chairs (December 1992)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers are advised that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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Now just hold up a minute and listen good! I believe that we have a weird and sinister mechanism at work in our wholesome 100% American organization. And what's more, I can prove it on the computer just as soon as the memory bank gets back from the shop.

Each month we mail 570 newsletters. Of these, 125 go out of state or too far away for people to get here without abandoning their loved ones and responsibilities. This is sad but true. 110 recipients live in Whitmore, Ono, Montgomery Creek, etc. They only come to town when they need truck parts, cheap groceries, or embalming. I envy them. This leaves 335 households in or near town. Figuring 1.5 people per address, that's 502.5 individuals.

Now the spooky part. Every meeting we set up 65 chairs and exactly 65 people show up--but mainly different people each time. This makes it easy to set up seating and refreshments, but one can't help wondering why the numbers are always so consistent.

We have ten "events" each year, so I can only conclude that there is some kind of diabolic, hypnotic suggestion out there telling us we can only attend 1.29 happenings per year and specifying who comes to what meeting.

To this I say balderdash! It's time for us to take control of our lives. I wish to unequivocally state that anytime you wish to attend to a Society function, you should exercise your rights as a free-born American and do so.

--BTW

1992 Annual Report (November 1992)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers are advised that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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Way back on page 3 of the Bylaws, it states that the Board of Directors shall cause to be published an annual summary of activities and finances for the last year.

The activities part is easy. We had meetings, a bus trip, hikes, and opened up the school house at fair time. That's all in the newsletters. We kept the library open and helped people who were trying to find their ancestors or lost gold mines or wanted comments on environmental impacts or wanted to visit. We catalogued books and documents, answered most of the mail, put out the Newsletter and the Covered Wagon, put on Pioneer Plaque ceremonies and washed the dishes. We made photo prints, sold books, located graves, had directors' meetings, interfaced with the museum folk, kept track of the membership and tried to keep track of the money. With all that going on, we didn't really get much work done. Seems like things were simpler before Callie Quint came back to town.

The financial part can be stated simply. For the year ending June 30, 1992, income was $ 19,900. This was primarily from dues, interest and publications sales. We spent $18,238. The big item was printing the 1991 Covered Wagon, The rest was just petty larceny. Considering that as of September we had 542  memberships, we sure turned over a lot of money for a little "rinky dink" outfit.

--BTW

Help Wanted (October 1992)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers are advised that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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Every time we ask for help in some Society activity, we end up talking to some really nice people. This is kind of uplifting, so we are asking for help again in several areas. If you can meet our exacting requirements, please phone Callie or Bert. The opportunities for advancement are unlimited.

• Serve refreshments from time to time at meetings and Pioneer Plaque receptions. Requires clean fingernails--we can build on that.
• Selling publications at County Fair and Art Faire. Join an elite group in sitting on hard chairs. Must be able to make change.
• Publication distribution. Must be able to count books and make out legible bills. Ability to collect bills is a definite plus.
• Office/clerical grunt work. Involves some exposure to Apple computer and historical trivia. Much exposure to Callie Quint.*
• Cemetery Book, locating pioneer burials from obscure clues. Dealing with irate pot farmers and people who think you are some kind of nut. Some graves require permanent markers, but we can get to that later.
• Proof readers/fact checkers for Covered Wagon articles. Must be infallible and persistent. This offer does not apply to employees of John P. Scripps newspapers or this sheet.

If you see some other area where we should be doing something and are willing to help. please get in touch. I guess that the point of this is that most of the work that keeps your Society going is pretty routine stuff. But we have a lot of fun at it and would like to share all this fun with vou! 

--BTW

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*Callie Quint was an exuberant key volunteer--and early adopter of Macintosh computers--for the Shasta Historical Society from the 1970s to well into the 1990s. An article outlining her contributions to are featured in the Society's annual publication, The Covered Wagon 1999, pp 8-13. The publication is available for purchase from the Shasta Historical Society.

"Close friends and admirers of Callie Quint (she was named California but has always preferred to be known by her nickname) told her that they thought the record of her important contributions to the Shasta Historical Society should be preserved in the pages of The Covered Wagon, rather than entrusting to the fleeting memories of those with whom she had worked. The following is her response."

Callie and her beloved Mac in 1999

 

Lost Treasure (March 1999)

This post is part of a series of editorials written by Bert Walsh during his tenure as president and past president of the Shasta Historical Society. Readers are advised that his humor is often irreverent and rarely politically correct. 

Click here for the table of contents for the entire collection of his editorials.

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This seems like an appropriate time to share a fable of lost treasure with our readers. After all, if we all cooperate in a systematic search, we could well find great wealth, a more opulent lifestyle, and happiness beyond our wildest dreams.

The tale itself is fascinating. It involves a past president of the society; We will call him “Don.” Several years ago, Don was returning home from a St. Patrick's Day observance at Horsetown. It was a foggy day, and rather than cope with hazardous driving conditions Don prudently stopped off at what he took to be a video game arcade. Actually it was the Win River Casino.

Quite possibly the machine that Don decided to play could have been a little out of adjustment, because he noticed that he was accumulating quite a few of what he believed were free games.

Well, time passed pleasantly enough. After an hour or so, a well-dressed, soft-spoken man approached Don, gave him an envelope and escorted him to his car.

The fog seemed to be clearing a little, so Don resumed his way north. After a bit, he became curious about the contents of the envelope the man had given him, so he pulled over and opened it. It is difficult to imagine his emotions when he discovered that the envelope was stuffed with hundred dollar bills.

After the initial shock and astonishment one would expect that thoughts of the many worthy charitable acts were now possible flooded his brain. Fortunately, Camp's Sporting Goods store was closed at this time. But then a horrible scenario came to mind: with all this cash in hand, he was vulnerable. At any moment he could be set upon by hoodlums, muggers, con men, friends, and family and lose it all. What to do? Panic resulted in an inspiration. He drove post haste to the security of the Shasta Historical Society, dashed inside, and slipped the envelope full of bills between the leaves of a book in the library. Save at last! No one would ever find the treasure there.

However, the next morning a complication occurred to Don. In his enhanced emotional state, he had to neglected to note the title of the book that now held the fabulous treasure.

This is why Don now spends most of his time in the Society library browsing through volumes of our extensive collection. This is slow going, because he gets interested and stops to read the books period moreover, we keep adding books to the collection.

I think that our astute readers can now grasp the crux of the problem. Don needs help. It's going to be a rainy spring and except for steelhead fishing there's not much else to do. So let's all get down to some really serious library browsing. This could be rewarding in more ways than one. Several of our books are quite interesting.

--BTW

Seelen

Long before baking bread became a popular pandemic activity, my darling husband would rise early on a Sunday morning and continue his quest to bake the perfect Seelen. He had varying success, until one June morning he produced spectacularly crusty Seelen. He posted the result on social media, prompting many to ask just what Seelen were. 

Seelen, literally "souls," are the bread found in the pocket of Swabia whence my darling husband originates. They are a staple of the German breakfast table, slathered in butter, bedecked with cold cuts, sometimes anointed with chocolate hazelnut spread. As one does. 

Alfred Jr.'s Seelen

As reactions to the photos of Seelen were still pouring in, darling husband was gathered with his family to share salty tears and Seelen with his family. For while he was baking, his father had begun slipping towards the other side. Alfred Hellstern Sr. passed the threshold in the wee hours of our morning, shortly after his son arrived in the Vaterland.

Seelen were originally small loaves placed on graves for All Soul's Day. But they're so good with fresh butter, it would be a waste to not share it with the living, and make it daily. 

This is where I admonish you to hold your family tight, and perhaps share a crusty loaf with those you love. Because all too soon, we must say goodbye.

The last farewell