04Sep 2026 by Selene Bendeck No Comments

Frasinetti’s Winery

History, Photos
Frasinetti's Winery was founded on the southern edge of Sacramento over 100 years ago in 1897. James Frasinetti, the founder, was an Italian immigrant who brought with him " Old World" winemaking knowledge and a desire to build a reputation for his quality wine. James and Rose Frasinetti raised a large family and planted vineyards with a pioneering spirit. For the next two decades, the winery grew and prospered. Originally, wines were delivered into Sacramento by hours-drawn wagons. At its peak, Frasinetti Winery planted 400 acres and was shipping wine by the railroad and distributed as far as the east Coast. Prohibition stuck in the 1920's and most wine production ceased. The winery survived by selling grapes for table use and by making "Alter Wine" for the Church. During this…
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04Sep 2026 by Selene Bendeck No Comments

Reese School – Photos

Photos
The 1884 Reese School has been moved to Heritage Park for restoration. It served the children in the area around Florin including the Japanese fruit farming families of the area. It is the last known one-room schoolhouse in the district. We have garnered enough money to have the plans made for the start of restoration. We will replace the front school portion first in Stage-1 and then add the long hall in the back at a later time in Stage-2. One day, we hope to use the hall for weddings, community meetings, and events.  
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04Sep 2026 by Selene Bendeck No Comments

Bus Trip: Locke, April 2019

Photos
On Saturday, April 27th, 35 historical interested citizens spent the day in Locke, a little Chinese community along the river near Walnut Grove. We left the museum at 9:00 am and the day started with tours of several museums, then lunch split between Al the Wops and the Chinese Garden Restaurants. Stuart, our tour guide and a resident of Locke, gave us an inside view over the years of the many facets of Locke. His stories and history information was interesting and captivating. Afterwards, there was two hours to re-visit some of the museums, check out the art galleries, and shop. We just happened to schedule our trip on a day when local resident, author, artist, and historian was giving a lecture on his his book on Locke, which has…
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04Sep 2026 by Selene Bendeck No Comments

Calaveras Frog Jumping Jubilee

History, Photos
A story was written by Mark Twain during his 88-day stay in Calaveras in 1865. It launched his international career. In short, Twin overheard a bartender Ross Coon at the Angels Hotel tell the whopping tale of a jumping frog contest. According to the yarn, a hustler named Jim Smiley claimed he trained a frog to make long leaps on command. Smiley bet a stranger that his frog could out jump any other. The stranger took the bet but secretly fed Smiley’s frog a handful of buckshot. Smiley in return could not make his frog leave his spot, and the bet was lost. Calaveras County has kept the spirit of Smiley and his frog Daniel Webster alive by celebrating the Jumping Frog Jubilee on the third weekend in May, ever…
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