By Bob Labozetta, Master Gardener —  In the last article of OtGF, we covered the proper techniques for planting bare root fruit and nut trees. If you have not yet, now is the time to prune such trees. By pruning at the time of planting (or close to it), you will more easily shape it to a desirable structure that ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Northern Mariposa County History Center will be reopening its doors to the public on Thursday, Feb. 8, with a similar schedule as in 2017 – Thursday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., plus Memorial Day and Labor Day. There will be a Gala Reopening preview on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 2 to 5 p.m., ...

A local resident brought this sign in to the Sierra Historic Sights Association (SHSA) recently. It was given to him by a neighbor who had since died. The neighbor had told him that he found it in a forest in 1945. The donor had no idea where in the forest his neighbor found it. The SHSA would like to identify ...

NORTH FORK — One History Mystery leads to another. There was one comment on History Mystery #58, “What was the name of the school that Dorothy and Grover Whitener bought and used as their house.” A reader wrote that the school in the photo was torn down earlier, and Grover Whitener built the house in the photograph. Sue Whitener Parker, ...

A School, A House, A Home — This is the photo of the first house that Grover and Dorothy Whitener bought. The building was located along the South Fork of Willow Creek just east of the town of North Fork, and was formerly a schoolhouse before it became a residence. The Mystery — What was the name of that school? ...

MARIPOSA — Heavy winter rains, summer drought, devastating fires, firewise landscaping, and native plants are gardening issues that continue to occupy the minds of Sierra foothill residents. In its continuing effort to assist Mariposa homeowners, the Mariposa Master Gardeners will address plant choice with a public “Native Plants and Care” workshop on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. – 12 ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Mariposa County Resource Conservation District’s (MCRCD) annual native plant and wildflower seed sale is coming up soon. This popular event will take place at two county sites in late October and early November–on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Ag Building at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, and the following Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Coulterville Community Park. ...

In the Blackhawk Lodge area, there is what appears to be part of a mine or mine airshaft complete with wood timbers. The tunnel is slanted at a 45-degree angle and is flooded with water about 20 feet from the surface. E Clampus Vitus (ECV) 41-49 has been working on a project to locate the old Zebra Mine, and several ...

COULTERVILLE – The coming of fall doesn’t dampen the itch to garden for those who love to dig in the dirt. The Mariposa Master Gardeners will host its annual Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fire House Garden, at the corner of Highway 49 and J132 in Coulterville. There will be ...

COARSEGOLD — The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV), otherwise known as the Clampers, is working hard on another monument to the history of the west – this time in the community of Yosemite Lakes Park. While the Clampers are always open to some good old fashioned merry-making, they do have a very important mission – the ...