Folsom Juneteenth "Remembering the Ancestors" from 1849 Negro Bar, Sacramento County

For untold generations, the Indigenous Populations along today's American River Parkway enjoyed the bounty of the unsurpassed flora and fauna, ignoring the vast amounts of gold simply apart of the natural beauty to behold, 1000's of years of documented indigenous civilization forever altered by the winds of change.

For many seasons, the Russian American Fur Company based in New Archangel, Alaska, hunted animals along today American River, with a singular focus on anything moving with a fur hide with eyes, transforming calm pristine waters into a bloody red river.

In 1844, the Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. seized an amazing opportunity and stipulated in his unique Mexican Land Grant, Rancho Rio De Los Americanos, not to interfere with the Indigenous population who remain the sacred stewards of the land.

Our African Cuban, Danish Jewish founding father of California wrote the report for the 1846 Bear Blag Revolt, establishing the short lived California Republic that initially began at Murphy's Corral, in today's City of Elk Grove, California.

Few want to recognize the salient contributions by people of Pan African Ancestry who participated in the transition and transformation from Mexican to American rule. If you say the names of the Pan Africans who played a leading role, beginning at Murphy's Corral, today's City of Elk Grove, California you will be attacked by "so-called" educated scholars.

January 1848, the California Gold Rush began and the 8 Spanish Leagues, 35,521 acres within Leidesdorff Ranch were producing vast sums of cattle, wheat and additional agribusiness products providing "California Grown" fresh produce, hides and tallow for his San Francisco/Oakland growing empire.

With the discovery of gold, January 1848 upstream in "Happy Valley" Coloma, the world's first global new story sparked the California Gold Rush.

Today, another Gold Rush is Real Estate Development along historic Leidesdorff Ranch, yet any mention of authentic California Gold Rush Era history mentioning the contributions of Pan African Ancestry is cause for another, "Civil War."

Leidesdorff commissioned the very man said to discover gold in California to verify the likelihood of gold on his vast real estate along today's Gold River, where over 200 million dollars in gold was extracted from the Gold Mining District, along the American River Basin.

On the far northeastern portion of Leidesdorff Ranch, the 1848 mining camp grew into the unincorporated town of Negro Bar, Sacramento County. As the 49ers arrived the tent encampment of a Negroes mining along a mile long strategic geographic gravel bar filled with gold, by 1851 the town population was over 700, including a hotel, stores and many other permanent structures. Today reduced to one or two "Black Miners" for the convivence of political expedience and job retention by incompetent career historians with no clue of equity or inclusion.

In an interesting twist of fate, the vast region owned by William Alexander Leisdesdorff, Jr., who reportedly died of "brain fever" on May 18, 1848, was buried on the same day.
Through the very public announcement by Sam Brannon, who had previously arranged to purchase every pick, shovel and additional supplies needed to mine gold, was stored near Sutter's Fort.
Brannon and friends, held a near monopoly on providing supplies after his announcement nearly emptied the entire town of San Francisco heading to the Negro Bar / Negro Hill Gold Mining District, today's El Dorado County along Leidesdorff Highway.

In 1850, San Francisco Port Tax Collector, US Army Captain Joseph Folsom, took leave and set sail to New York to secure essential financial support to make an low bid offer for the vast Leidesdorff Estate.

Captain Folsom brokered a deal with Anna Marie Sparks, Leisdesdorff’s mother, she confirmed his identity after shown a daguerreotype and supporting source documents. Anna Marie Sparks she was of Pan African descent, without legal standing in the new laws enacted by of the State of California at the dawn of U.S. statehood.

The entire estate and specific boundaries of Leidesdorff Ranch was not settled until President Abraham Lincoln settled the matter in the mist of the US Civil War. Upon the death of Captain Folsom the town Negro Bar was later renamed the town of Folsom, and much later incorporated as a City in Sacramento County.

Our 20th Anniversary of Folsom Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration will showcase the living legacy of people of Pan African Ancestry throughout the Gold Mining District, American River Basin.

Together, we will visit the Folsom Pioneer Village and Folsom Powerhouse, enjoying living history from the inundated communities throughout the Folsom Lake Recreational Area (1840-1875)

Spring 2021, the long awaited improved accommodations at Negro Bar State Park is once again, is embroiled in a never ending cyclical effort to erase all authentic notion of preservation standards given the stolen legacy of people of Pan African Ancestry at the gold mining town of 1849, Negro Bar, Sacramento County.

The Biden/Harris Executive Order #13985 and a plethora of enforcement of Federal/State and Regional laws "hidden" from consideration, American Recovery Act and Build Back Better, clearly not considered by the "Lynch Mob."

Normal community outreach, historical preservation standards and basic dignity remains elusive at Negro Bar / Negro Hill Mining District due to the historic seasonal hate crimes against humanity, cloaked as equity and inclusion in this latest effort.

Summer 2021, an International, National, State and Regional interagency collaborative effort with Federal US Justice Department oversite, as seen 10 years ago.

It took strong Bipartisan Congressional leadership to remove the word "Ni**er" from 36 gravemarkers within Mormon Island Relocation Cemetery relocated from the town Negro Hill, El Dorado County to make way for Folsom Dam.

US Army Corp of Engineers from Vicksburg, Mississippi contracted with local residents in 1954 to remind the world of ongoing hate and evil extent some would go to distort, discredit and erase authentic Art, Culture and Heritage of the early California Pioneers of Pan African Ancestry.

Our 20th Anniversary, Folsom Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, will be an amazing new opportunity to build stronger bridges utilizing mutually beneficial California - Pan African Trade and Commerce in alignment with new opportunities embracing the American Recovery Act, Presidential Executive Order #13895 and the African Continental Free Trade Area, housed in the Secretariat Office in Accra, Ghana.

If the sweet aroma of Snooks Chocolate, along Historic
Sutter Street is considered, the mural reminding all where the cocoa bean comes from may give a hint to where the initial non-Indigenous immigrants to the land came from.