Renovation and Preservation at Negro Bar California State Park

California Governor Newsom and Bipartisan California Legislative Leaders will need to solidify a historic public/private partnership to research, document, preserve and interpret Pan African Heritage along the American River Parkway.

170 years ago the Gold Rush Mining Town was established on the land formerly owned by the "African Founding Father of California" who was instrumental in building the City of San Francisco.

Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. owned Rancho Rio De Los Americanos, over 35,500 acres along the American River Parkway.

Pan Africans in the California Gold Rush remain "Hidden Figures" of the California Mosaic.

Negro Bar, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, continues to defy the normal course of business given past systemic institutional racism.

California State Parks will need direction to elevate the authentic legacy, building on long overdue construction of ADA accessibility.

Today, California State Parks current position.

Negro Bar, located within the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, is historically important as the place where African American miners became the first to prospect the gravel bar in 1850.

It became one of the larger gold camps along the American River.

While African American community leaders and historians have supported the continued use of this name in the past,

California State Parks recognizes that such interpretations can change over time and welcomes continued feedback from the public.

In response to comments received in 2018, the department has undertaken a review to better understand the public’s perspective about the name and its continued relevance.

When new names are considered, California State Parks reviews the history of the area and tries to view names through the lens of thoughtfully capturing the place, its environment, and cultures and peoples associated with the area.

A primary interest in these reviews is holding broad and open discussions with scholars, visitors, activists, and families to understand perspectives and gain a wider understanding of the name’s usage and how it may impact the visitor experience and all citizens who come in contact with the name.

Soon, the authentic California Gold Rush History may be preserved for distant Californians and global Visitors.