Warren Bowden and Kevin Fischer

00:00 I was when.

00:06 My name is Warren Bowden and I am 72 years old and today's date is February 27th, 2011 and where it's located at Chico California and the relationship to my partner is long lifelong friend.

00:27 At my name's Kevin Fisher

00:31 I think it warrants had rest of it right here.

00:37 How old are you Kevin?

00:39 I'm not telling you one, but actually I'm just turned 75.

00:45 It is this month. Also if I remember correctly, that's right. Yeah mine to a couple of aquarians. Alright know what else you got there on your mind. Well even asked you to kind of find out how the gold nugget Museum started and I know that we're one of the few people left that really know because we're involved with it to explain what happened and why it has been so successful. And since you are the originator of this particular Golden Nugget Incorporated and the museum and had the original idea of having a museum

01:30 But there's a bigger story to a than just that so I'm going to ask you to begin with how you got involved with.

01:37 Call Nugget days. I can tell you that I think they do here in Paradise before I was you who came out and let 5859 5959. I came here in 61. Well, I was always interested in the mountains of the West and gold and all that stuff. So I am decided. I was going to run around you guys at start 1st celebrations in 59. I think it was the Chamber of Commerce and then they went on a few years and they decide they don't want to do it no more. For some reason then the junior chamber took it over and they lasted I forget what years but it was either 63 or 64.

02:22 And they running for two years and finally they just they couldn't get no more money from the back of paradise which was up there at that time and Bank of paradise or was that Bank of America and which is on the corner of Skyway and book West rent in the corner is no longer there. But no one is there now. Anyway, I think they need $700 or maybe is 800 and the banks are not we can't listen to anymore cuz you have nothing to back it up.

02:54 So that we might just went on for a little bit there. They finally got a loan and they put it on and went broke now. I can't do that either cuz they did have $0.78 left in the treasury. They put an ad in the area Paradise Post and said they'll be no more gold nugget days. So couple of us went down to the wheel are clowns and we started jabbering about that. We got a little bit upset didn't put an ad in the paper and do such a dirty rotten thing. So we should do all crap. We're going to go to we're going to go get to go to PG&E in office and call a meeting and put an ad in the paper inside anybody interested in going like a days we will and she'll put this thing on a weekend where do with this shop does there must have been twenty people showed up and so we're on our way now a few of us guys named dick Shattuck.

03:49 He had been involved and I were you involved prior to that in the functions in my recollection. I can remember going to one meeting with the junior Chamber of Commerce with Norm Sovereign. He was a school friend of mine that I went to school. I went to school with him and that's when we met up again. But other than that, no not I participated in the very first one by going to the dance and the program that they had at that time, but that was it. But once we saw the I never did see the ad in the paper.

04:26 But I did frequent.

04:29 The wheel are not the Wheelock. But the Wildwood Inn, when they when I was you brought me in as a treasure and this is when we decided that we could do a better job than what the previous people had done and there's a story before getting to this point. I think is you should bring out.

04:54 That when Mildred in there and the original people that actually thought of going like a days to save the Golden Nugget history of the find another nugget in that was Chamber of Commerce. No, I think that was Mildred Forrester before the chamber or the chamber. I think that the chamber involved they got the chamber in the second year. That was before my time. Yes. Oh that mean I'm going to get stuck with the story. Yeah. Okay 62 and yes, I stir we couldn't hardly we can pull around and do so many people file in that thing. You have it and never broke heater had a habit of losing the jail. Yes, he did.

05:53 Turn on tree one time that yeah Canyon one year, we're over the side of the Hill one time a timer for semester play along with us and they're laughing. No, we just had a real good time and enjoyed. Yeah, that was primarily for publicity and it worked out really good with that radio stations. There was another radio station, but offhand I can't think of it right now.

06:25 Will they have what I was alluding to was the fact that the original gold nugget days. It's an April. I forgot what they do actual date is I should know but I don't it's April 18th in April and now is the time they found the Nugget which is why we celebrate it. And in the reason for that was the paradise area for the mining and everything. It was completely it was a poverty affect. They used to call the poverty ready, but they were the mines and have given out and there wasn't any money in there happened to be they washed out this nugget that weighed 54 lb some pennyweight of pure gold and they took it into the bar and said leave it to Willard nugget at driving the team. They said they went and got him and they said you're buying drinks for everybody and they said he said all I can afford it and etcetera, you know, and then bottom line was a said you're good.

07:25 Do it. Anyway, they laid the Nugget on the bar in Magalia and at that time was called Dogtown and paste party for three days because it broke the back of the not people having work and no money in that community. So that that story is what was South Bay Valley anniversary of a hundred years came up in a group of people which are. Kennedy dick Shattuck Shelby Shattuck. That's his wife Gail Humphries and Atkins Atkins Skeeter Downy Grace Miller and Keith Parker all these people and Mildred Forester.

08:06 And they decided that they were going to save, you know to celebrate that celebration in their first year. They had they had paper as 5959 1859. So that's where the where they came the anniversary of it. Well being his hometown people they just basically said that we'll have celebrated because it does a hundred years is worth celebrating. So that's what they did and they just kind of did the best they could at the time and had a dance and sprayed now is about it or they had a paper to and they had one is one sheet paper down. Yeah, I forgot about that Gazette.

08:56 That's right. And then after we got involved quite deeply and there we were about to get sued because we're using their name and they said they had it recorded with the government. Yeah. Also we said well, we just called the duck. No, No, it's not sure. I hadn't suicide if you want to do and that was the end of it and it's still today. It's a still on the Dogtown nugget nugget.

09:18 And so that's kind of where it came in and these people like Kevin mentioned that it would we ended up with the they were not successful for some reason and I can't figure out exactly why but we knew we could do a better job. So Kevin they had was put in the papers Kevin sand and then leave people came in there and I'll let you take it from here to warn, you know, that was kind of surprising if that wasn't a paper and all those people showed up there at the PG&E office. It was nice of PG offer their services there to what is great. So what really happened was they couldn't get no money to make the function go on any longer so we decided not to decide it and now and we get home.

10:10 Ted Kennedy, John Kennedy. Oh. Kennedy's the wall show $200 in the pot and that's 200 and Shattuck says well, then I can't afford any more than that. And of course I was in business at the time that I was doing fairly. Well and I said well then we need $800 so I got put in $500 and I'll get money back on the celebrations over with and this was probably in 64 65 somewhere in there. And so we put the celebration on and I made all the trophies cuz I was getting my wife's in Providence at the time.

10:47 So we made all the trophies in my shop or cut all the wood and get the the figurines and all that sort of stuff and we got it goin. So that's a that's a lot of money right there before we got off. She was at Celebration. We made a lot of money and they always went broke before that. Well, that's the difference between governmental action and private action. So from that point we moved along that we moved on because the the the spirit of doing something for yourself and being involved is what really spurred the celebration and the gold nugget Museum on is because people wanted to participate

11:33 Simply because the people that were involved with it like you and

11:41 We had a we had enthusiasm about where we lived and we can felt like we needed to give something back to the community because once this the celebration basically is a family gathering every year for all the people of the people that lived in Paradise as a kind of a family reunions and as became very successful people look forward to returning to that early spring and enjoying the family and the parade and celebration. That's that's why we have three days of celebrating the gold nugget days ahead of rodeo, which is up there out of upper Clark Road, and they they put their Rodeo on on Sunday because we were pretty well dragged out by that time. So we didn't do much rolling. Do I tell you nothing warned that?

12:34 I figure to push this thing and get a gun then and I was going to be the leader. I said what I got to run the donkey Derby was not nice that donkey Derby was run up in Magalia and it went all the way down to Whiskey Flats now, that's about eight hundred to a thousand foot drop and we all went down to the bottom of that thing where we getting a ride down there. By the way with our donkeys were already down there waiting for us to climb that Hill. When is a mile and 1/3 from the bottom of the hill to Miguel you will come and get you.

13:12 And I don't be part of that. I did a lot of training I would run that he'll every day for 4 least a month. Willie Cole is another name. We shouldn't really have very much involved in a to especially in the background of it. He would take me down to the bottom of the hill and not run up the darn thing all for a whole month getting in training in front of it happened. I was the first guy to get up the hill after being taken off from the firing of a 44 magnum and a shotgun that got is all moving in every direction. So the race when I got up the hill first, I'm not bragging or anything but I got to the top of that darn thing went through all the obstacles used tires in there and it was black canvas up there and it was a water hole is all that sort of stuff and I went to the mall with quite easily by the time I got through there. I had to cross the road. I'm downtown Norman big town now look at you.

14:12 And that damn donkey quit on me and he did it right in the middle of the road. He wouldn't cross them two yellow lines. I guess he understood that yellow line stuff and I fought it and I find it funny that 54 pound pack on a donkey's back slipped and went right over up and hung on his belly. I couldn't pick it up no more. I was so out. I just couldn't pick it up. You know, I'm still waiting to date across that damn mine. Yeah, but that only failed big-time from that experience not to do it again, or did I ever let somebody by the way, who does the who puts the donkey Derby on?

15:07 As a part of the celebration they took that undertaking on and they do know one heck of a nice job. It is actually in its in Magalia.

15:18 At where they at? Finish Line is carcinoid and go down to the bottom of the canyon to where the starting point was because they're just no room. It's just all real tough road Wendy crooked and everything like that. What + what + what are the what are the clampers? What did they do? What is their function? Are they out of the society or the society in they do a lot of good that put a lot of placards up here in their matter of fact you to go to Magalia right now, you'll see if Parker there at Old Dog town where do used to be at that time. Know that I'm thinking about it warned people always ask me. Why don't you get the name Paradise? Well, we kind of cheated. It was a pair of dice that they played a lot of dice in those days. So that's where it came from and is still there today.

16:10 In the Magalia is name change from Dogtown because it did the early days that they had lots of dogs are ran around some lady raised a lot of dogs. I can't remember her name, but I definitely wasn't that's why they call the dog down but it's it's it's part of the history. They just keeps we keep bringing back and you don't have to kind of remind people look a lot of people understand this story but many of them don't and they said yes, but let me tell you a little another episode hear that happened to this course of time that the that noted it was gonna get it. What's up, it was owned by. Dr. Sterns. I think my correct. Dr. Stearns and the guy that found it on his claim was chance at Chauncey Wright seawright Eve and no it does not taking up the hill by Ed. Don't get it was pushed up in a wheelbarrow that had it been a quite a wheelbarrow.

17:05 Bear hunt safe one thing I've I've been on that road myself quite a few things and I'll tell you I'd rather have a donkey do it because the wheelbarrow is is just be unbelievably they had to be tough and strong in those days because they didn't think anything about it. Well, if you're going to have a party for 3 days with kind of drive you up the hill so, you know, anyway, I did the clampers took that event open. They've been doing that for quite a number of years. Well, they've contributed quite a bit to Gold Nugget days and then and then and then there's construction to yes because as you and I both know you got me involved with the celebration and I think that was part of the request you had to be one of them. I think they're called ecv clampers or something like that cuz you know what's going on.

18:05 Yahoo mail that is another story no self, but we can't bring up. We can't bring up and stir the water too bad. That's right, but they

18:16 The because of the clampers being involved with gold nugget days and the museum was because of their ability to have the history and they preserve preserve the history for the of the 49ers because at that time there was no women there was just this Miners and they were come into town and they would end up not being accepted and things so they said well, we'll start our own organization. So they did and it's kind of a spoof basically on organized organizations and it seems to kind of fit with the

18:55 The celebration and the history and they are everywhere in the state of California and they put up monuments for the historical event that happens in their areas, wherever it is, you can start name and all kinds of Nevada and Nevada and they in fact President Reagan has to be a member of the paradise chapter 7 honorary is an honorary member from a long time and is he was brought in by a man by the name of dr. Anderson who was a veterinarian and he was a veterinarian that took care of the chimpanzee that when President Reagan was

19:39 Can't think of the name of the movie now.

19:43 Bedtime for Bonzo or something like that? I think it was.

19:47 Anyway, that was how that connection is and then as they don't like recognition. So therefore we just kind of fade back into the history of seeing the things get done and completed. You're right there. Let's see what happened with me. And what I think is $14,000 and we had a lawyer Among Us and his name was John bisher know at the meeting that I was presiding over with John said no. No, you can't have that money. It's against the law you can have that much. I can only have $10,000 and it is a long. John.

20:31 You got to keep in mind we're going to build a museum or we're going to do how we going to do. This is all that's different. That was day one of that museum. That's right. And yeah, I think it was 65 or 7 or something like that the date they don't remember anymore. I think we find member we had we had

20:58 Know what I thought about that. You got your that down, but I had to

21:03 It dumb.

21:06 I think we ran one or two years and found out how to make make it work and successful by selling the badges in the newspaper and and the fundraisers fundraisers. They were the people we put in charge of different events like that boy scouts say did one and we got a percentage of the ad and and the clampers do there as we go 2% each other and under our deputies. I sure from deputies sold all the badges and that's what I think.

21:38 Had that that's that's part of for the participation of letting people do their thing to run things as a community and be successful at planting the seed of it. You want to be involved and be able to give back to your community and these people in their different organizations, and we actually controlled it through gold nugget days because

22:04 We were acting like a actually rule acting like a government.

22:10 Because we would that we'd have to go to the county and ask him if permission for different things. But at the same time we were at for that particular week, the town was was County was County and we had people that participated in lie.

22:27 Taking them all aspects of traffic and I can't I've got too many things on my mind about what we had to work out to make it run. Absolutely. I mean, you're down to even one year. We got one complained that said, well, we have all these people to come to the parade and everything and you have no bathrooms are the people in the community of the business people. They said well, we can't have all these people come into our shops. And so then we had porta potties. We had to put porta potties in then there was a trash thank each one of these little things or something that we had to work out but we had to do it as thinking of like a government or city count, you know government to solve the problems. Once we give them once we were given a problem we solve them.

23:19 You got that right? Yeah, you know it it took us a while, but we were all businessmen to accept you and how how the hell did I ever get you involved in that thing? As you are very smart cuz you know who got yourself. I know it I said warranty or treasure. That was if I never get some gas. So how long is this been going on? That's so nice of your treasure, trustworthy just one hell of a guy then and it worked out great. Thank you for the compliment. By the way. Did you ever steal any money? Did I ever steal any money anymore? You know, I would never think that was the one thing about it. That's what I admire you about. His Integrity. This is the whole

24:20 Thing is built on integrity and participation and in the community and things in it and as we've talked about this and laugh to see it today and how its function is remarkable and it's a great compliment to to you right for been guiding through the rough times and believe me we've had rough time is it it's never going to be enough time to be able to discuss all the things that has been done but it's successful today because of good leadership and that's what it was and I have to admit when he asked me to be a treasure. I couldn't even keep it keep a checkbook. That was my wife job, but during this it's the situation. I was being the treasurer and everything. But my wife Darlene was she was actually those Treasure of the department that are those community.

25:08 Committee, not Community. Well in any event we did a good job and

25:15 There's some to raise money and things was always something on her mind to be able to it to make it come out profitable about 71 or 72 can't be exactly sure about that. But thank John Fisher aren't that a lawyer that was involved with us if he did a heck of a job getting us on the right track and doing on it first. Yeah.

25:39 Did not know and then I got sued holy more you and I still be trying to straighten it out. I'm still trying to recover. I still can't believe how this is how it has been so successful over the people that have stayed and then been involved their friend Man. Tony has a head of the museum right this point. She did do the friend was a really neat lady and still is she wrote to find out more information on that 54 pound gold nugget. She wrote a letter to the

26:16 San Francisco to the US men's nit and laughter searching and searching they responded back saying that it was melted down and there was no record of anything but we know through different parts of history that it was taken to San Francisco mint how they got it down there. I don't know black Bart did not get it and the story about having it fall out of the wagon and be lost is not true either because it was they they found the Nugget but this because they were little intoxicated and it fell out they had to go back and pick it up again. But that story is I'm heading up Nigeria. There's a there's a monument up there and it's got a pipe and planet in that monument that looks with the exact spot where that nugget was found and that was not put up by the car.

27:16 First it was put up by the ladies of the golden west but I would also stand corrected to that but it was a bunch of women that did it or had it done. Well, if it hadn't been for the women this organization of them gold nugget Museum would not even function and I have to admit that and I think you're very proudly I have to admit that because one of the things that the women are the men could do the things in the all the BS and I've always coddled considered it being better service, but we took care of the Rowdy parts of it, but the women did the the part of organizing it and keeping us on the right track and they only got in trouble one time. Yeah, they were kicked out of the wheel art Lounge. I never heard exchange. I know and they were banned for life from there.

28:16 It also reminds us of a time when there was a

28:23 People calling think they're called the Dogtown wrestlers will have to go back and talk a little bit about you talked about the jail and Skeeter down and everything. It was kind of a tradition to see if you can feel the jail. And this is a the jail was used to have a ba promote selling the badges. Well, if the jails gone we can't sell the badges escorting. Who are we we thought anyway, so somebody that always try and steal and we'd have to run around and find it that's kind of a spoof on people that were built high sheriff in the deputies and things and the dog pound wrestlers.

29:05 They took to jail. If you don't tell a story that's being so possessive we decided you know, this is not right because it's cutting into their sales. And for the goat for the museum we are not going to be able to do is go to job and everything and it got to be a neighbor's live laugh. And then this is when the radio station start coming in because the women set up a state they actually stole the jail. They stole that I stole it and they took it out and painted it pink and that was just offensive to us to the deputies black cars and during the

29:55 Selling the badges and things we had to go out every every night of the week. Do you know for that week cuz you know, we had to make money for the museum and if you believe that story don't worry, I have another one.

30:07 So

30:09 By gum house, they'd women painted it take it down.

30:15 To a radio station, I think about 3 or 4 in the morning one time or two, whatever it was that they they did this and then the radio stations got into competition about the rest of the Dogtown restaurants would call one radio station. The other radio station would go back and answer them and cousin were running around like a chicken with her head cut off and was very serious. I was super serious.

30:44 So we finally got wind of where the jail was and we recaptured it. But to save our cells from embarrassment and keep our dignity the let women still in jail on us without bad. That was bad. That was just about we had to Kangaroo Court the whole bunch. We caught the Dogtown wrestlers. We caught the women the clarity James they were called.

31:13 And we can go recorded them and we ran them down the parade and the purpose of this whole story is this is when the gold nugget Museum became and you couldn't paid Madison Avenue enough money to get the publicity and they have fun in the enjoyment that we have and that's I think the event that I think the radio station had a lot of fun to they did. Oh, we're going to have to wrap it up Kevin.

31:43 If you got any beer.

31:48 No, but I'm sure get some we're going to go to find that little line now. That's what yeah, I know we've got our livers haven't held up as well. Rest of the people is involved with this is not you're not here, but that's why we're this is being recorded and I hope it's been an interesting day as it has been fun talking about it, but there's so many stories. Do you know this could take us about a week? I keep letting these fine folks are going to leave us now. Well, we're going about 10 minutes or we're going to use there cuz I've always said do you know that I have more BS tonight, but if you've ever met but I don't always been better service either, but I'm going to recap just a little bit. Okay, Jenna Fischer.

32:39 Spearheaded the museum and saving the gold nugget celebration and it's been a number of years and the gold nugget museum is one of the most successful things in town and it brings in people get involved. It brings in a lot of tourists but also preserves a history cuz one thing we've all I said was you don't know your past. You can't you just keeps you from making the mistakes in the future. So that was one of the things that I know that we had in the museum, but there was another time when we would head of the discussion was we going to have a Living Museum or Memorial Museum and the lady that was Mildred Forester. She wanted to Memorial Museum and we had a heart little difficult time trying to figure it to convince her that we wanted to Living Museum to where kids could come in and have it torn and participate in

33:39 Actual try and see what it is like to have live in those days of the Early times and this is the museum has done an excellent job on that. They have school people come from all over the county and all over your butt cement. They bus them in for living history days and

34:00 This ice function going on over there mention about two other people that we didn't talk about much too much and you as the first treasure and then friend mantoni. I just absolutely wonderful Museum and the early part of this all the way through from day 1 till just she's still there. In fact, I'll talk to you two guys and girls it's the compliment to you to know the Personalities in the characters that you chose the to work with this though. It's greatly appreciated. And I mom

34:50 Very honored there's one other thing. I kind of wanted to mention here of what we got what we had that one of the reasons that we were very successful was the very minor thing, but it's very important thing.

35:02 When we had the museum the first year one of the first years we were going to have a celebration and Iris out of Celebration, but thank you dinner for everybody that participated. We went to call the optimal.

35:17 And at the time we figured that, you know, we would pay for the dinners and everything. Well after that dinner, there's a gentleman by the name of Nick Becker.

35:28 He said, you know if we're going to build a museum and we're going to spend money. Why should we even work on it? If you're going to spend it on the people afford to pay for their dinners and things like that, and it's not right.

35:45 Well, then think too much about it at the time, but he what he was actually saying was it there's no free lunch. And if you're going to work with do it voluntarily and is like you want to and ever since that particular event.

36:01 Anytime Golden Nugget puts on a celebration no matter if you're the chairman, if you're the participant whatever it is if the fee or whatever they charging for the general public the people are putting it on pay for it the same as there is no free lunch and it happens to me. I feel is the key of why people participate because that means they really want to do it and they volunteer their time and talents and

36:29 Gold nugget days has been a very successful and there's been a lot of organizations that that is the key thing that has put them under his because too many people legal got involved and they ended up wanting something from nothing more recognition of what they have any true but they have the same time. How's that museum had to put together. We had. I swear to God 3/4 of the builders in Paradise. It's right that went ahead and literally built that museum. So we didn't have no problem that's teaching anybody how to do it. They already knew how to do it. That's right, cuz they all seen the plans I worked with it and it went up fast and it was paid for when it was finished. That's the key cuz some of the lumber companies are what you'd be a builder supply and it's a Foothill sewing mail and Diamond National at the time too, but they all put money in there and donated

37:29 That helped to do because the community as a whole came together 411 Central project and that was to build a museum to keep the history because at the time. I's are growing Fast and Furious and we were losing you lost apple orchards. We lost historical buildings. We lost lots of things but still is the one of the best places to live in the

37:55 Recreation department gave us some more land here not too long ago to make the even bigger and we still looking for more and more than likely have the guy just offered a dynamic to collection on giving it all to the museum, and he's 90 years old, and I think that they just had signed a piece of paper to thing that would take it in, but do we still got a lot of details to work out there? Because it's he's got too many tools. It's going to take a big big place. Maybe we better go home. So we better go back to work.

38:33 We'll start with another I told you how old I was me on my heels getting tougher as much but I think we get it all done yesterday.

38:54 Well Kevin, I just want to tell you thank you very much for asking me to participate in a wonderful Adventure. Well, you're greatly appreciated your just like an encyclopedia them do donkey and elephant know the donkey's more after using made an ass of myself most of the time but that's okay little bit. I wish we had more time to be able to even go further but maybe somebody will call as Matthew has to do it. Well, I don't know I got to prove he's 90 years old. He's sharp as a tack to he worked on the Museum 2 good