Lake County >> When all the archeological sites in Lake County were added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1978, John Parker thought they would be protected. He was wrong. Within a year a real estate office was built atop one site and a sewer was constructed right through the middle of another.
So Parker went to the State Park Commission and formally presented a proposal that they acquire Anderson Marsh Archeological District. In 1981 the state put the location on their list as a possible state park. The problem? Only 73 of 150 proposed projects were selected for funding, and Anderson Marsh was not one of them.
When the Anderson Marsh landowners — who had purchased the property as an investment — heard about the proposal, they immediately began applying for land permits, taking steps to increase the value of the property. Parker feared they would get their permits before the state could purchase the land. Steps needed to be taken.
“It was kind of a battle between me and people supporting a new state park and the developers,” Parker said.
He scheduled a meeting with Assemblyman Douglas Bosco to discuss the issue, and though Parker didn’t know it at the time, this meeting would prove to be a stroke of extremely good luck — Assemblyman Bosco happened to be the chairman of the committee that voted on the state parks budget every year. During Parker’s meeting with the California State Assembly member, Bosco immediately picked up the phone and called the director of the state parks. He made the suggestion that he give more attention to the Anderson Marsh project.
Within a week, the area was number 5 on the list of possible state parks.
It all came down to a Board of Supervisors meeting in Lakeport. So many people came out for the discussion that it was standing room only. The developers had plans to construct 200 homes on the Anderson Marsh area, but after such a passionate turnout from the community, they withdrew their request to build on the land.
With that, the state could finally begin acquiring Anderson Marsh. In 1985 the State Park Commission officially classified the Anderson Marsh project as the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
“It was a long, hard six year fight to get Anderson Marsh turned into a state park,” said Parker. “Two people died, several people lost their jobs, I gave up my pursuit to become a state park archeologist.”
But even after that fateful Board of Supervisors meeting, purchasing the land wasn’t all smooth sailing. The owner of Indian Island refused to sell to the state, so California obtained a conservation easement. This said that the land belonged to the owner, but he wasn’t permitted to do anything to it. When the landowner decided to plant a vineyard anyway, the state sued him. He then had to pay $25,000. California decided to slate that money for educational programs on the importance of local resources.
That brings us to today. Parker and a small crew used some of those funds to film a documentary titled, “A Walk Through Time: The Story of Anderson Marsh.” The 30-minute film covers the entire history of the land, going back tens of thousands of years to when the Koi people first arrived on the shores of Clear Lake.
The documentary recently won an Emmy at the Northern California Emmy awards ceremony. They were selected for Best TV Historical/Cultural Program/Special. The crew included Koi Tribal Administrator Dino Beltran who narrated and produced the film, State Parks Representative Eddie Guarache, Executive Producer and State Park Archeologist Leslie Steidl, Director Dan Bruns, and Parker as Co-Producer. It took them the better park of three years to create the film.
“It really is a documentary about preserving the historical resources of Lake County,” Parker explained. “Anderson Marsh was the first to get the local community excited about historical resources.”
When A Walk Through Time was selected, no one was more surprised than Parker and the rest of the crew. They didn’t even know they were nominated until just a few days before the ceremony, then it was a rush of finding formal wear and heading down to San Francisco. Sitting in the audience as their category was announced — which included two other films created by professional companies — they expected to clap for someone else. They weren’t prepared to stand from their seats, take to the stage and accept a shining gold trophy.
Parker feels they owe a lot to the documentary’s director. Bruns was able to cover more history in 30 minutes than Parker ever thought he would be able to address. A Walk Through Time snagged an award because of “his insight and ability to piece it all together,” Parker expressed.
Anderson Marsh, like the rest of Lake County, truly does have a rich history. Clear Lake is the oldest in North America and we also have the oldest spear points, according to Parker. Up until 2006, everyone believed the oldest points were aged 12,000 years. Then two were found on the shores of Clear Lake, dated back 14,500 years. The Koi people have been here that entire time.
As far as Parker knows, there hasn’t been any other group of people who have stayed in one place for 14,500 years. Most have faced wars and moved, but not the Koi people. They’ve lived here through the last ice age and two instances of global warming.
“By studying those sites we can be better prepared for dealing with those same problems that we are having on a global system now,” Parker said. “Archeology is not just knowledge for knowledge’s sake. It’s about learning about cultures so you can help your own culture as you go through the same processes.”
The film can be viewed on the KVIE6 website for free, but they also sell DVDs. The proceeds go to pay a Koi tribal member to monitor one of the archeological sites in Anderson Marsh and make sure it isn’t being vandalized. That was one of the reasons they made the film: to help preserve the park’s resources.
And though the documentary is complete, no one involved is even close to finished in their efforts to preserve Lake County’s vibrant archeological sites. A second film is already underway, and the entire crew will continue to fight for Anderson Marsh.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
