Gualala Arts Lecture Series presents:
History of the Northern Sonoma Coast

with Susan M. Clark
Monday, October 4, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Admission is $5

South Coast residents, both the newly arrived and those whose families have lived here for generations should find Susan M. Clark's review of northern Sonoma County coastal history on October 4, 2010, specifically the 5,000 acre ranch now called The Sea Ranch, a fascinating and informative evening.

The story begins in 1846 with the arrival of pre-California German settler Ernest Rufus who received the Rancho German Mexican land grant, which extended along the coastline from the Gualala River to Ocean Cove. It continues until the mid-1960s sale of the ranch lands to Oceanic Properties for development into the planned community noted for its distinctive architecture and efforts to live lightly on the land.

Clark will delve into the lives, personalities, and peculiarities of the successive owners. She will reflect on what enabled some to prosper and others to fail. In addition, she will discuss the challenges a historian faces when reconstructing the past in a remote area without basic primary documents such as local newspapers and with only a few permanent residents as resources.

A fourth generation California native and an architectural historian by profession, Clark has provided historic property evaluations and preservation plans for hundreds of California properties. It was inevitable that once she purchased a Sea Ranch lot and built there she would explore not only the landscape but also the history of the area.

Eventually, she used her research to develop her Masters thesis on the local history of the area. Her book, The Sea Ranch, published in 2009 by Arcadia Publishing, was number one for six months at Four-Eyed Frog Books, Gualala's independent bookstore, and was their best seller for 2009. Joel Crockett, owner of the Four-Eyed Frog, will have the book for sale and available for signing.

Now she will share what she has learned so that we can all enjoy the south coast with a deeper appreciation of its past and a better understanding of the area's features. A $5 admission fee will be collected at the door.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.