 A water color portrait of our farmhouse Build your business network in a casual and fun atmosphere! Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center is proud to be the host for this event on Thursday, July 9th from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM.
Join us at Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, a Farmhouse built in 1867 during California's bountiful wheat growing past, and connect with small to large companies and meet potential clients. Rodgers Ranch was originally formed as a non-profit organization in 1986 to restore, preserve and maintain the historic site in Pleasant Hill as a living history museum. Today, they not only provide us with education about its historical significance, but also instruct on the importance of green and sustainable living through classes and workshops; expanding their outreach and impact within our community.
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Update: This project is about to get underway. The barn in question is just outside of Martinez. For all of those that are still interested please call me at (925) 890-4482 or email me at [email protected] with your contact information ASAP. Again thank you for your interest, Christian (Chris) Rousset Board Director & Chair of Structures & Grounds Committee, Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center.  Barn slated for demo circa 1895 - 1910 As you may know, the last great project for Rodgers Ranch is the restoration of our wheat barn, circa 1869. We have fallen into some good fortune because another barn, pictured above, is slated for demolition, and the wood has been promised to us in exchange for labor. This wood will provide us with enough material to complete the rebuilding of the wheat barn at Rodgers Ranch.
This is a great volunteer opportunity for anyone, professional builder or not, who would like to help with said demolition and the eventual reconstruction of the barn. This fun project will take several months to complete, so therefor we will be working on it both during the week and weekends. If you are interested in helping us take down one barn and re-construct another, please send your contact information to me using either email address: [email protected] or [email protected] Thank you for your interest, Christian (Chris) Rousset Board Director & Chair of Structures & Grounds Committee, Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center.  Hello Everyone -- from our family to yours -- thank you for your friendship and caring. Below is the note that I sent to my colleagues and students at Seattle University to announce mom's passing, followed by the obituary that will appear in the Contra Costa Times. We/I also want to share this with you. Thank you for all you gave to Mom/Ellen over the years -- she loved people, her community, her family, and her God -- and now is in heaven -- her new home -- probably rallying/talking with all the angels to get some important initiative under way -- that would be her style!
________________________________________________________________________________________ Many of you know that my mother and I were the best of friends, sharing so many life adventures together. Whether traveling the world (she often joined me at conference presentations or cooperative learning trainings to share in my professional passions), or quietly sitting together at home, coffee in hand, talking about current issues (she relished reading the daily newspaper cover to cover, had a keen sense of fairness, and always championed equality and justice—so those were the types of articles/stories we discussed)—we loved our time together. Recently, her mobility and mind both were becoming more seriously challenged. When visiting, I would load her into the car and we would drive to Martinez, a historic city in the Bay Area not far from the our family home, pick up a latte at Starbucks along the way, then proceed to St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Cemetery dating from the mid-1800s, perched high on a hill just outside of town. My mom loved everything “history”—so from our vantage point, we would look out over the sweeping view of the Bay Area Delta waterway, watch the ships and trains pass below, sip our coffee, and enjoy the feeling of “being immersed in history” among those “present”—Mom believed that each headstone had an important life story to tell. She would ask me to get out of the car, read this or that headstone, take a photo so that we could investigate further, or “tidy up” a set of flowers that had fallen over—after all, she would say, “Isn’t that what you would want if that were your spot?” (Mom was big on the Golden Rule!). This is what she and I did last week, our final life adventure together—and at a time when the cemetery was filled with colorful flowers and hundreds of flags in preparation for Memorial Day. My mother passed in her sleep near dawn on Saturday, May 30, at age 94. We had transferred her to a long-term care home just 2 weeks prior. I am grateful that I was in California, so that upon her passing, I was able to sit with her, hold her hands, and tell her one last time the special saying that was “just ours”—from daughter to mother: “Mom—I love you up and down and all around, forever and for always!” BIG HUGS—from me to you! Laurie Ellen Marie Rowley Stevahn, born February 23, 1921, in Minneapolis, MN, passed peacefully in her sleep May 30, 2015, in Pleasant Hill, CA, at age 94. She loved teaching and learning; graduated from St. Paul Central High School, Macalester College (bachelor’s), and University of Minnesota (master’s); taught physical education, recreation, dance at White Bear Lake High School, University of Washington, Lewis & Clark College; was active throughout her life supporting youth programs, especially Camp Fire, Girl/Boy Scouts, Luther League, Little League, and Rodgers Ranch Round Up. Embraced the “great outdoors” hiking/skiing and pioneering Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness all-women expeditions led by Ruth Schellberg in the early 1940s. Served in the American Red Cross, stationed in Japan after WWII. Met Leo “Steve” Stevahn at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, OR; married December 27, 1952; a loving partnership filled with shared interests—faith, family, sports/athletics, waltz/polka, movies, road trips—they truly enjoyed each other’s company and had lots of fun together. Former resident of St. Paul, MN, and long-time resident of Pleasant Hill, CA—active in civic affairs and the PH Historical Society, instrumental in placing Rodgers Ranch (c. 1867) on the National Register of Historic Places—her dream was to see the restoration of its farmhouse and wheat barn completed as a center to educate the community about local history and sustainable living. Served as President, Friends of Rodgers Ranch, for many years; received numerous honors, including PH Citizen of the Year and PH City Mayor’s Award. Preceded in death by Myron/Edith Rowley (father/mother); Howard/Helen (brother/wife); Lee Pates (step-father); Don/Lenora, John/Marie, Robert/Virginia, Rev. Richard “Dick” Pates, S.J., and Mary/John “Dr. Bud” Galligan (step-siblings/spouses); William Rowley (nephew); Anne Galligan (step-niece); Reinhold/Ida Stevahn (father/mother-in-law); Barbara/Kermit, Edna, Erna/Robert, Ina (sister/brother-in-laws). Survived by Steve (husband), Laurel Ann “Laurie” (daughter), Michael "Mike" (son); Douglas/Lila Rowley (brother/wife) and Michael/Cynthia, George/Sue, Michelle, Robert/Julie, Eric (nephews/spouses); Thomas/Patricia, Timothy/Marsha, Richard, Dennis/Lori, Kate/Tom, Nancy, Brian/Jean, Kevin (step-nephews/nieces/spouses); Ruth, Leona/Norbert, Verlin, Reinhold "Reiny"/Judy (sister/brother-in-laws); and numerous children in the Rowley, Pates, Galligan, and Stevahn families. Celebration of Life service will be July 8 at 7:00pm (reception following), St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 3051 Putnam Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. Private burial. Memorials preferred to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church; Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, P.O. Box 23381, Pleasant Hill, CA, 94523; or youth/education program of choice. (hullschapel.com)  It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of one of Rodgers Ranch founding members, Ellen M. Stevahn, this past weekend. Ellen was 94 and spent the last 30 years of her life devoted to the restoration of the Rodgers Ranch Historical Site. She and a few other members of the Pleasant Hill Historical Society saw the need to save this important part of local history, and they organized the Friends of Rodgers Ranch (F.O.R.R.) Committee in 1989 for this purpose.
After working diligently to have the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Ellen became the first president of F.O.R.R., establishing it as it’s own nonprofit organization on June 18,1991. She was a fixture on the board and always ready to help out at all events -- as a Round Up docent, decorator for our 4th of July float, porch sweeper at the farmhouse, and most of all, as the Ranch’s biggest ambassador. Three years ago, she enthusiastically embraced amending our name to the Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center and undertaking a new direction. Unfortunately, Ellen's health took a turn for the worse over the last two years, forcing her to leave the board and become a notable honorary director. She was an inspiration, a friend, and a mentor, and she will be dearly missed. If you have any special memories of Ellen, please post them here. Her Celebration of Life service will be July 8 at 7:00pm (reception following), St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 3051 Putnam Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. Private burial. Memorials preferred to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church; Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, P.O. Box 23381, Pleasant Hill, CA, 94523; or youth/education program of choice. (hullschapel.com) The RRHC Board |
RRHC Board:This blog keeps our members and the public informed of workshops and events at the ranch. We invite you to comment! Archives
December 2021
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