Orangevale in Folsom in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The First Peoples
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer
1. The First Peoples Marker
For thousands of years, the American River has been an important place of habitation, resource gathering, and processing for the native Nisenan Maidu and Plains Miwok people. The daily lives of the Nisenan Maidu and Plains Miwok people were drastically altered with the establishment of Mexican land grants beginning in 1839 and with the discovery of gold in 1848.
Jane Lewis (know to friends and family as Koto Jane) was born in the Nissan Maidu village of Anaape near present-day Orangevale in about 1840. In the 1860s, when soldiers passed through this area to forcibly relocate Nisenan people, she found shelter temporarily in Folsom's Chinatown. Until her death in 1945, she helped to maintain tribal traditions including basket making and medicinal herbal remedies which marked the beginning of the acorn harvest each year.
Despite centuries of harm brought by European colonists and the damaging policies of the U.S. Government, descendants of the original Nisenan Maidu and Plains Miwok inhabitants persevere. To this day, Native Californians continue to advocate for social justice, self-determination and respect for the
this page online
photo captions:
(center) Jane Lewis;
(lower middle) Gathering food;
(upper right) Stone mortar and pestle being used to grind and process food.
Erected by California State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 38° 40.641′ N, 121° 11.429′ W. Marker is in Folsom, California, in Sacramento County. It is in Orangevale. It can be reached from Black Miners Bar Road (aka Park Road) near Greenback Lane. Located near the western most parking lot in Black Miners Bar, part of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9600 Greenback Ln, Orangevale CA 95662, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sacramento Metro, in Sacramento Valley, and specifically in the Central Valley. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer
2. The First Peoples Marker
The marker is the center plaque.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Chinese Immigrants (here, next to this marker); Rancho Rio de los Americanos (here, next to this marker); Black Miners (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Rancho Rio de los Americanos (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Young Wo Memorial Site (approx. half a mile away); Folsom Terminal (approx. 0.6 miles away); Leidesdorff Plaza (approx. 0.6 miles away); W.L. Perkins Warehouse (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Folsom.
Also see . . . Nisenan -- Wikipedia. According to the Nisenan website, the United States' claim that they are Maidu is a misclassification and is inaccurate. As the Nisenan put it,
"Like many other Tribes throughout the United States, the Nisenan have been misidentified and mislabeled. The Nisenan have been lumped together under inaccurate labels such as "Maidu", "digger" and "southern Maidu". However, the Nisenan are a separate Tribe with their own Cultural lifeways... (Submitted on October 26, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 289 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 26, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
