The Catahoula Mardi Gras Party band returns 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday to the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.
The Catahoula Mardi Gras Party band returns 6:30-8 p.m. today to the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, bringing a variety of Cajun/Zydeco/Mardi Gras Music. Concert ticket prices are $20 for 17 years and older. Youth 16 years and younger are free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased at dangberg.eventbrite.com. Members of Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch will receive special pricing so please contact the park for more information. Space in the performance tent is limited, and advance purchase of concert tickets is recommended.
A Chautauqua of Ysabel Del Valle, The Catahoula Mardi Gras Party Band, and author and historian Michael Makley continue events in July, during the 2023 Summer Festival at the Home Ranch.
Dorothea Phelan will portray Ysabel Del Valle, Doña of Rancho Camulos in Piru, Calif., 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Del Valle Family were leaders in the social, cultural, and political life of southern California. Ygnacio and Ysabel Del Valle helped maintain the Californio identity of Mexican colonial Catholics, even after incorporation. Strict U.S. laws made it difficult for Californio families to prove ownership of their land. Unlike many, the Del Valles successfully established their claim. Rancho Camulos profited from the demand for cattle with the influx of people into California after 1848, and later diversified into citrus, grapes, and other crops.
Phelan has been an historian, living history performer and storyteller for over twenty-eight years. Born and raised in Yerington, she acted in theatricals and school plays. As an adult, she coached children’s plays and dramas. In 1962 Phelan moved to Ventura, California where she became active with the Rancho Camulos Museum, developing living history programs. She has now returned to Nevada and volunteers at the Nevada State Museum and performs Chautauqua locally.
Author Michael Makley will present his newest book “Imposing Order Without Law: American Expansion to the Eastern Sierra, 1850-1865” 10-11 a.m. July 15.
In the 1850s, early Euro-American settlers established two remote outposts on the slopes of the eastern Sierra Nevada, both important way stations on the central emigrant trail. The Carson Valley settlement was located on the western edge of the Utah Territory, while the Honey Lake Valley hamlet, 120 miles north, fell within California’s boundaries but was separated from the rest of the state by the formidable mountain range. Although these were some of the first white communities established in the region, both areas had long been inhabited by Indigenous Americans. Carson Valley had been part of Washoe Indian territory, and Honey Lake Valley was a section of Northern Paiute land.
Makley explores the complexities of this turbulent era, when the pioneers’ actions set the stage for both valleys to become part of national incorporation. With deft writing and meticulously researched portrayals of the individuals involved, including the Washoe and Northern Paiute peoples, Imposing Order Without Law focuses on the haphazard evolution of “frontier justice” in these remote outposts. White settlers often brought with them their own ideas of civil order. Makley is an accomplished writer of over six books on the history of Lake Tahoe and the Northern Nevada region.
“We are more than thrilled to welcome back every one of these talented individuals,” said Kim Harris, the park’s events manager.
Visitors should bring their own lawn chair or other seating for all events, and only genuine service animals are allowed. Guests are welcome to bring snacks and libations, as no food or beverages will be available. All events take place outdoors under a large tent. For more information about visiting the park, including guided tours, visit Dangberg.org.
