When it comes to history, the community of Folsom has a whole lot of it. Most of us locally know the story of how the community and city came about, from Theodore Judah’s vision that rose the community out of the ground during the booming Gold Rush, to the arrival of the railroad, Johnny Cash’s famous visit and more. While the history books and local periodical have documented all of those significant moments in time, there is a there is a hoopla of unique “happenings” that took place throughout the decades as well.
If you look back through the years, you may be amazed of what was considered “headline news” back in the day. Folsom Times has partnered with the staff of Folsom History to bring our community a backwards glance of yesteryear here in the community thanks to the work of Shelby Sorensen and Jovia Low who have spent time digging into the past to bring you This Time in History, a weekly collection of some of the memorable moments that were the “talk of the town,” back in the day.
June 15-21, compiled by Shelby Sorensen and Jovia Low
June 15, 1867: Fire consumed the entire block of buildings on Leidesdorff Street. The fire is only one a string of arsons and is believed to be intentionally caused.
June 16, 1944: Miss Alice Jacobs entertained the members of her bridge club last Friday evening. The winners for the evening were Mrs. Coral DeNure, Mrs. Margaret Rumsey who substituted for Mrs. Lessie King, and Mrs. Viola Aronson.
June 17, 1899: An attempted murder from last Sunday is reported–Folsom resident Bert Hicks was shot twice near Sutter Street. Prompted “without the slightest provocation,” the attack was clearly racially motivated. Hicks is characterized as a “quiet, peaceful” boy; fortunately, he survived the ordeal.
June 19, 1931: Lewis J. Blodget Post, American Legion, has made arrangements to bring to Folsom for two days, Monday and Tuesday, June 22d and 23d, the famous lecturer on the World War, Corporal Bob Ingleston, who will show with his lecture at the Folsom Theatre official U.S. moving pictures of the war, entitled “America Under Fire.”
The Holy Ghost Picnic, circa 1900.
June 20, 1913: The Holy Ghost Festival in Folsom is deemed a huge success–it’s the first time it’d been hosted.
June 20, 1913: The first Chinese church in America is burned down. For many years, the Chinese immigrants used the picturesque location in west Chinatown as a place of worship, but the formerly thriving population was driven out years earlier from a fire in 1886.
June 20, 1984: Oak Ridge High School, founded in 1980, celebrates its first graduating class of 1984.
June 21, 1935: Work on the SERA project in which $5000 was to be spent in improvement for Folsom grammar school buildings and grounds starts this day.
More to come next week…
Folsom History operates three museums in Folsom’s historic district – the Folsom History Museum, Pioneer Village, and the currently under construction Chinese Heritage Museum. Folsom History highlights Folsom’s unique place in California history through exhibits, digital engagement, educational programming, and hands-on learning experiences. Folsom History Museum is open Thursday through Monday 11am to 4pm and Pioneer Village is open Thursday through Sunday 10am to 3pm. Visit www.folsomhistory.org to learn more including our events like the Sutter Street Walking Tour.
