William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park | |
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Nearest city | Red Bluff, California |
Governing body | State of California |
Reference no. | 12[1] |
William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park is a California State Historic Park located on the west bank of the Sacramento River, a mile north of Red Bluff in Tehama County, California. It is in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California.
William B. Ide
The park memorializes William Brown Ide, a California pioneer, captain of the Bear Flag Revolt and the only president of the California Republic, which lasted from June 14 to July 9, 1846.
The Adobe
A.M. Dibble, an early settler in Red Bluff, built the adobe in 1852. There were approximately 20 different property owners up to 1942. A. Mount and Willette Mount owned the property for the longest period which was from 1882 to 1913. William B. Ide has incorrectly been credited to being one of the property owners. William B. Ide never owned the property or lived in the adobe. Mr. Ide actually owned land downriver from the adobe property. It was decided in 1940s to make the adobe site into a state park. The state of California acquired the land in the 1950s and the park was dedicated in 1960. The park was named after William B. Ide to honor his contribution to California's history.[2]
New Museum
The park includes a new adobe housing a museum, and an open-air museum with replicas of a typical carriage shed, a replica blacksmith shop, and a small visitor center. A picnic area overlooks the Sacramento River. There are several interpretive program events scheduled throughout the year: Adobe Day in August, Adobe Ferry Championship Horseshoe Pitchers Contest in October and a Pioneer Christmas Party in December. School programs are also offered to students visiting the museum: Life in the 1850s which is an all day program and Mini-Life in the 1850s which is a 1–2 hour program. Volunteers in Parks is another program which encourages visitors to become volunteers at the park.[2] Additional interpretive programs include demonstrations of pioneer crafts and period parties as well as performances by the Ide Adobe Players, a Gold Rush era band, and Gold Rush Gambling which gives visitors to the park an opportunity to play Faro, Monte, Shut the Box and other games which were common during that time.[3]
Park Closure
The park was one of the 48 California state parks which were proposed for closure in January 2008 by California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of a deficit reduction program, since rescinded following public outcry.[4]
It was announced on May 13, 2011 that California State Parks had planned to close 70 of its 278 parks due to budget cuts. These cuts are mandated by AB 95, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into Law by the Governor. These closures are through the years 2011–13. The William B. Ide State Historic Park is one of the 70 closures.[5]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Shasta County, California
- List of California State Historic Parks
References
- ^ "William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- ^ a b Brochure – William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park, California State Parks [1]
- ^ Website – Ide Adobe's Interpretive Programs
- ^ Website – CBS5: List Of Calif. Parks To Close In Budget Proposal
- ^ Website – Museums USA