LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County will mark its 150-year anniversary on May 20, 2011, and plans are under way for a countywide celebration.

 

The commemoration will begin with a proclamation by the Lake County Board of Supervisors at the Board meeting on May 17, followed by a signature Sesquicentennial Celebration event on Friday, May 20, at 5 p.m., in front of the Historic Courthouse Museum on Main Street in Lakeport.

 

The celebration will continue through the summer and fall with a presence at the major annual events held in each community.

 

A steering committee has been working for several months guiding the plans for the celebration.

 

The committee comprises several community members, as well as representatives from the Lake County Museum, Friends of the Lake County Museum, Lake County Genealogical Society, Lake County Historical Society, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Marketing and Economic Development Program and the city of Lakeport.

 

Residents, community groups, and business owners and associations are encouraged to help by sponsoring an activity or event in their community.

 

Those interested in doing so may contact the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092 for information about donations and sponsorship levels, in-kind needs, and volunteer opportunities.

 

 

The birth of Lake County

 

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln had taken office as president, the nation was on the brink of the Civil War, and Gold Fever continued to lure pioneers and prospectors to the state.

 

On May 20, 1861, nearly 11 years after California had become the 31st state in the union, California Gov. John D. Downey signed an Act of Incorporation into law and Lake County was born.

 

Called “The Clearlake Township of Napa County” and unofficially the “Hot Springs Section,” Lake County was carved from the northern section of Napa County.

 

The 1860 Census recorded 1,065 residents in this area, a population that doubled in 10 years. Who were they? Joining the American Indian population were farmers and ranchers, gold prospectors, war conscription evaders, and pioneers moving west in search of a new life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the years, many have been drawn to Lake County. Today, more than 65,000 people call Lake County home.

 

What has attracted these individuals to Lake County? For some, it may be the clean air, the wide open space, or the stunning lake or mountain vistas. For others, it may be opportunity, lifestyle, or family connection. For others still, it simply may be happenstance, luck, or serendipity.

 

Thus, Lake County has a long history of fascinating stories – stories of pioneering spirit and entrepreneurship, of agricultural traditions and recreational pursuits, of kindness and preservation, stories of heroes and visionaries, of traditions and family trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be part of Lake County History: Tell your Lake County story

 

This year offers an opportunity to celebrate the coming together of people and pursuits into what has created a distinct woven fabric of community here in Lake County, a place we all call home.

 

Perhaps your Lake County heritage traces back to pioneer times of the 1860s, to Pomo and other Native American tribes hundreds or thousands of years prior, or a more recent connection in the past decade or two.

 

Whatever your story, you’re welcome to join in on the celebration and share it. Families, businesses and organizations are encouraged to tell their own story and connect it to the greater Lake County story on Facebook.

 

Check out the Lake County sesquicentennial Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lake-County-Sesquicentennial/171845856177015 or follow the celebration on Twitter @LakeCo150.

 

To discover more, go online to www.LC150.org for information about Lake County sesquicentennial activities and events and for a fascinating look at historical video vignettes of life in Lake County in the 1860s. This site is updated regularly, so check back often.