MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Gibson Museum Fireside Chat on Saturday, March 26, will feature local archaeologist Dr. John Parker.

The event will take place beginning at 3 p.m. at the museum, located on Highway 29 directly across the street from the Middletown Community Center and Park.

Parker appears frequently throughout the area to explain his archaeological work. In the hands of a skilled archaeologist, a piece of broken pottery can tell a story.

Hoberg’s Resort will be Parker’s focus in this appearance.

Hoberg’s played a central role in Lake County’s tourism business for more than 80 years. Its resort buildings were totally destroyed, along with family homes on the property, in the Valley fire. Parker has been analyzing artifacts found in the ruins.

In 1885 Gustav and Mathilde Hoberg settled on a 160-homestead on Cobb Mountain, which inadvertently became a place where early settlers stopped by for good food and frequently for overnight.

Their son Max, and his wife Teresa, built on that modest beginning to create a resort that attracted visitors from far away. Their sons added amenities and expanded to create a resort known throughout California by 1940.

Dr. Parker was influential in programs in the 1970s and 1980s that gained $4 million in state appropriations for the purchase, preservation and interpretation of 38 archaeologically significant sites that became the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.

He has developed and run archaeological education programs for elementary, secondary and college students, American Indian groups, the general public, as well as for federal, state and local agency officials.

For further information, call 707-987-2349 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .