Font ResizeAdam Nilsen will never forget the day the Pleasant Hill Historical Society announced an essay contest for students when he was a fourth-grader at Valhalla Elementary School.
Because the focus was on Pleasant Hill in the 1890s, Nilsen diligently dug up all he could about his hometown.
"I did a lot of research at the Old School House," remembered Nilsen, who ended up winning the contest. "I thought that was a prelude for what was to come."
Now, at age 29, Nilsen works for the Oakland Museum of California as a history researcher.
He is one of the local history authors who will talk about the importance of preserving local history in a Sunday event at Clayton Books, in Clayton, featuring several other authors who wrote about Contra Costa County communities for Arcadia Publishing.
Other authors scheduled to speak at the event include Carol A. Jensen, who has written about East County; Catherine Accardi, a Walnut Creek resident and history buff; and Traci Parent, whose expertise is Black Diamond Mines.
Nilsen obtained his undergraduate degree from Stanford and graduate degree from New York University, both in anthropology.
"Growing up," he said, "I thought the history of Pleasant Hill wasn't really evident."
He said that because Pleasant Hill doesn't have a local historical town center like Concord and that historical sites in Pleasant Hill such as Rodgers Ranch are so spread out, and the historical buildings that
"What sets Pleasant Hill apart from these other cities is that it's such a relatively new community," Nilsen said.
The Dome Theater, for instance, is an important modern historical site that marks the period in Pleasant Hill history when young families moved to the suburbs.
"History gives us grounding in the past that helps us define who we are," Nilsen said. "The more people know about their local history, the more they develop an identity to that place."
Jensen has written about Brentwood, East County, the Delta and Byron Hot Springs, a topic that has fascinated the UC Santa Barbara history graduate since the early 1960s. She maintains a Web site, www.ByronHotSprings.com, where the public can go to for more information.
"Knowledge of local history is particularly important as it pertains to two important issues affecting Contra Costa County and the entire state today: water rights and employment," Jensen said.
The state Legislature recently passed a bill reassessing state water resources and the future of the Delta. This is the No."‰1 issue affecting eastern Contra Costa County, she said.
History notes that California's first pioneer venturing away from the relative safety of the Spanish Missions and Presidios was Dr. John Marsh, who established Rancho los Meganos, now Brentwood, in 1838.
In current historic memory is the Peripheral Canal water fight of 1980 to 1982 and proposed redirection of Sacramento River water to Southern California, Jensen said.
"Residential and commercial construction has ground to a halt in Contra Costa County due to the financial market meltdown," she said. "County approval of plans to reopen the historic Byron Hot Springs resort would provide needed construction jobs, local employment, mitigate commute traffic, and provide a destination recreation to the 7.5 million people living within 50 miles of Byron.
"The proposed restoration of the 160-acre historic property, established in 1864 as an eco-friendly, self-sustaining resort would go a long way to bring renewed prosperity to the community.
"Know your local history, so you can make wise political decisions about your local future," Jensen said.
Joel Harris, owner of Clayton Books, published a book on Concord history. Harris, a former Concord resident who now lives in Clayton, turned to the Concord Historical Society, the Contra Costa County Historical Society and local Concord families in his research.
"This is the first and only time central Contra Costa County history authors are gathering in one place," Harris said. "This is a group of experts at local history and they know a lot of stories. Here's a chance to come and meet them and discuss local history."
Being a longtime Walnut Creek resident and history buff led Catherine Accardi to research and write about the history of the city.
Among the most interesting Walnut Creek historical facts and events, she said, are the Silk Works murder trial in 1925, the fact that the precursor to the annual Walnut Festival was the 1911 Grape Festival, and that Heather Farm was the location for the 1931 Clark Gable movie "Sporting Blood."
Accardi said she hopes her book will be a resource for residents, especially children and their parents, to learn about their community.
