Southwest Sierra Then & Now - #13

Pappy Brooks (left) at the Alleghany Fair, 1979

Sunday June 11, 2023 ~ Afternoon thunderstorms continued last week. The antique roses in Alleghany are blooming. My favorite rose (the most fragrant of them all) is a cabbage rose that is pale pink (almost white) with a low growing habit. There is one located along the steps of the Red Star Café. I don’t know the exact variety, but the dried buds will keep their fragrance for years. I sometimes wonder who brought them here and when.

Backtracking: Revisiting last week’s article about rattlesnakes, I want to make sure that everyone understands that Benadryl has no effect on venom. It is only potentially useful if a person is having an allergic reaction to the snake bite. The only thing that can counteract the venom is anti-venom, and it must be stored in a special way. It is not something that can be carried out in the field by medics. This is why, if possible, you need to let the hospital or vet know in advance that you are coming. This is so that they can begin the process of preparing the anti-venom. It is prepared on an “as needed" basis because it is expensive and has a short shelf-life once it is mixed.

Backtracking even further: The story of the FBI raid (see # 8) was in 1979 and not 1978 as reported. I recently found some dated pictures of the big party that summer which confirmed this. I also learned that my memory of Moldy Marvin was a little mixed up. As it turns out, Moldy was a different person all together. He was the Secretary of the Hell’s Angels. I do believe that the adults did NOT disclose Sonny Barger’s name to us kids. Not while he was in the area on the lamb anyway. I still think that I was told that Moldy Marvin was Sonny’s name, but that was too long ago to know for sure. I was able to verify that it was in fact Sonny Barger who was the wanted man during the raid. Neither Sonny nor Moldy ever came to our house.

The story that follows is my memory of a night that I will never forget. First, I need to provide some background information. Sometime in the early 1970s the Alleghany school gymnasium was condemned by the State of California for school use. As a result of this, the students were bussed to Boreal Ridge for a full day of skiing once a week every winter. This fulfilled our PE requirement. We would leave Alleghany before dawn on ski day and get back to Alleghany well after dark. My parents rented a house in Alleghany for the winter of 1979-1980. This was done to facilitate school attendance for my brothers and me. Dad stayed at the Golden Bear Bunkhouse where he was the caretaker. The house we rented (now vacant) is located at 351 Main Street. (Most recently occupied by the late Kathryn Chandler). As mentioned earlier, Pappy Brook’s house was located nearby at the corner of the Plaza and Main St.

Pappy became the Alleghany Fire Chief while he lived here. He had gotten into trouble for using the fire department army jeep for personal use. On the evening that this story takes place, there was big meeting at the Bucket Club to discuss this. The Bucket Club was the old schoolhouse located on the hill across from Casey’s Place (burned down 1986). Most of the adult residents were in attendance and our County Supervisor was there. This happened to also be a ski day. Usually, I would walk home from the school where the bus dropped us off with Pappy’s kids. On that night, they went up to the Bucket Club leaving me to walk home alone. (I don’t remember where my brothers were. Possibly they were staying with Dad).

It was a full moon and as I walked up the small hill by Pappy’s house I suddenly stopped in my tracks. From where I stood the full moon was just above the roof. I stood there for a moment looking at the moon and then the house when I felt a chill go up my spine. I hurried home. I had just taken off my coat and sat down on the couch when I heard someone yelling. I went out front and Pat Finnegan was running up the street towards our house yelling: “Pappy’s house is on fire! Pappy’s house is on fire!” That was the night in early 1980 that Pappy’s house burned down. Nobody was home when it happened because everyone was at the meeting. Sadly, his dogs perished in the fire. I don’t remember anything about the firefighting effort. Naturally, under such unusual circumstances many people suspected arson. If I remember correctly, an investigation ruled that out. I don’t’ remember if the exact cause was determined or not (Messenger archives?). Pappy’s family lost everything in that fire. I felt sad for them. They moved away after that.

About the author: As a kid in 1975, Rae Bell moved with her family to the Ruby Mine area located between Alleghany and Downieville. She and her husband have lived in Alleghany proper since 1992. If you have news or suggestions to share, please send an email to: raebell44@gmail.com