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By Jane Van Camp

Special to the Democrat

Imagine a 200-acrehistorical farm andpark in El Dorado

County. Imagine thatthis park is a place topicnic, to hike, to learnabout the rich history ofthe county and to learnfirst-hand how some ofthe many agriculturalproducts that grow wellhere are planted, main-tained and harvested.Imagine that the parkhas acres of wildnessand a pond that allowthe study of localplants, animals andbirds.

Imagine that this place iseasily accessed andincludes many programsfor schools, for the public,and for academic projects.

This park idea hasbecome more than the fig-ment of someones imagi-nation. It is actually indevelopment and becomesmore of a reality everyday.

The American RiverConservancy purchased a272-acre ranch from theVeerkamp family in GoldHill on Nov. 1, 2010. Theland, which is about fourmiles north of Placerville,is bisected by ColdSprings Road and sur-rounds Gold Trail School.

Since 2009, work hasbeen under way to refur-bish the buildings on theland and to renovate thecrops and wild areas. Theland will eventually blos-som into the kind of parkthat can be a recreationaldestination and an histori-cal show piece for thecounty. It will be a placeto draw tourist dollars aswell. Ultimately, the sitewill be known as the GoldHill-Wakamatsu HistoricalFarm and Park.

El Dorado County is

pivotal in California his-tory since gold was dis-covered in Coloma in1848. And it was here thatthe first Japanese colonywas established inAmerica. From NativeAmerican history, throughgold mining and the build-ing of the West, throughlumber and agriculture, tothe current boom in wineproduction, El DoradoCounty has been and is anactive player on theWestern stage. And theGold Hill area has been

near the center of it all.The Gold Hill-Wakamatsu HistoricalFarm and Park Project hasmade many strides towardthe goal of becoming acompleted historic park.Through grants and dona-tions, and an active baseof volunteers, work isbeing done currently torestore a wetland area andto plant a native hedgerowthat will attract birds andother wildlife back to thearea.

Recently, 150 studentsfrom local middle schoolswere bused to the site totake a tour, to work onpond cleanup, and to planta variety of grasses and

shrubs for the hedgerow.

They were very excitedabout the history and feltgood about participatingin the development of afuture park.

Elena DeLacy, ARCsconservation project coor-dinator, leads the studentprogram.

This project reallyexemplifies everything theAmerican RiverConservancy is about.Through volunteerismthese students are takingcare of the land and learn-ing about biology and nat-

ural science in an outdoorclassroom. They are alsolearning about the diversecultural roots of ElDorado County andCalifornia. And whatsreally great is that theyreexcited to come back toGold Hill-WakamatsuPark with their families toshow them what they havelearned and accomplished.Its the sense of ownershipthat inspires people toserve their community,said DeLacy.

Many adult volunteers

have spent hours cleaningthe pond area and allow-ing native grasses toreestablish along theshore. ARC has recentlycommitted funds to start atruck farm of traditionalcrops and to set up a road-side stand to sell the pro-duce and earn revenue forthe park. Farm animalsmay be reintroduced tobecome part of the demon-stration farm, recalling theyears from the late 1930sto the 1980s when theVeerkamp family ran a

successful dairy on theland.

Volunteer docents areactively giving tours toacquaint the public withthe plan and the property.

The Japanese AmericanCitizens League is eagerto participate in the devel-opment of the land as anhistorical attraction forJapanese travelers. Theycome to learn about earlyimmigrants to Americafrom Japan and to payhomage at the gravesite of

Okei Ito, a young girl

from the Japanese colonywho died and is buried onthe property.

Its clear that enthusiasmfor the project is growingand many visitors whotour the property areexcited about the ideasand plans that are underway. An open house heldin May 2011 was a muchbigger success thanexpected, with over 2,000visitors in attendance.People are still talkingabout it months later. ARCis exploring the possibility

of hosting another openhouse on May 19 and isseeking local sponsors tohelp support the event.

The site is not open tothe general public yet andvisits must be scheduledwith the American RiverConservancy office. If youare interested in touringthe site, supporting finan-cially, or getting involvedas a volunteer, go toarconservancy.org andclick on the WakamatsuUpdate.

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THE GRANER HOUSE, restored by the American RiverConservancy, hosted the colonists from Wakamatsu Japan, whoarrived in 1869. It was built in 1856.

Democrat photos by Michael RaffetyGRAVE SITE Okei Ito was the first Japanese person to die in California. She died in 1871. Her grave site is on the Gold HillRanch owned by the American River Conservancy.

Wakamatsu farm and park take shape

A MONUMENT and Japanese-style garden and gate at Gold Hill School mark the entrance to thepath to Okei's grave.

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