48-505: Redman Hirahara Farmstead is a complex including a historic house designed by William Weeks (1897) and a vernacular barn in the Pajaro Valley , south of Watsonville, California . A Japanese American owned farm which was maintained by local citizens and watched over by family friend, attorney John McCarthy, during the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II and was returned to
96-520: A few miles downstream of the upper lake. This type of water body forms when the channel below is unable to keep up with the flow coming from upstream. The San Andreas Fault divides the watershed and is responsible for altering historical flow paths. San Felipe Lake lies just south of the Santa Clara County line in San Benito County, just south of Highway 152 east of Gilroy at the foot of
144-550: A fight. In 1902, he returned to Tokyo. His mother died later that year. He began to experiment with Christianity, associate with the Heimin-sha socialist group, and attend foreign language school. After graduating from foreign language school, Ōsugi was arrested during a Tokyo trolley fare increase demonstration in 1906 and later released on bail. He married Hori Yasuko and became an Esperanto teacher. The same year, his writing began to attract attention. He edited Katei zasshi and
192-654: A migration pathway for adult steelhead trout migrating to spawning and nursery habitat in the upper watersheds of the Pajaro's tributaries ( Corralitos , Uvas , Llagas and Pacheco Creeks ), although the Pajaro River mainstem itself provides poor spawning and rearing habitat due to low summer flows and high sedimentation loads. In a 1912 report, Stanford University ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder indicated that there were reports of Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tschawytscha ) in
240-659: A national labor union, and to Berlin in 1923 for the International Congress of Anarchists. However, before he could attend, he was arrested in a St. Denis May Day demonstration and deported. Several months after returning to Japan, he was murdered alongside Itō and his nephew in the Kantō Massacre aftermath of the September 1923 Great Kantō earthquake . This crime became known as the Amakasu incident . In June 1920 Osugi
288-629: A public access point for canoes and kayaks, including a parking lot, trail, and public restrooms. The Pajaro River CARE project was funded by the California Natural Resources Agency. The Pajaro River Watershed Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) is a movement by the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA), San Benito County Water District (SBCWD), and Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) to join together in order to create and benefit
336-575: Is Mediterranean. Watsonville annual high temperatures reach 68 °F and lows of 47 °F. The average temperature is around 57 °F and average annual precipitation (essentially all in the form of rainfall) is about 23.5 inches. Certain tributaries frequently run dry due to a lack of rainfall in the summer. The watershed is approximately 1,300 square miles (3,400 km ) and covers portions of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Monterey Counties. The Pajaro River mainstem begins just west of San Felipe Lake , also called Upper Soap Lake, which
384-467: Is a permanent natural lake formed by the confluence of Pacheco Creek , Tequisquita Slough and Ortega Creek. Pacheco Creek's headwaters are in the Diablo Range at about 400 feet (120 m) elevation. The Pajaro River mainstream flows west for 30 miles (50 km), passing the city of Watsonville and emptying into Monterey Bay . Lower Soap Lake, also called Soap Lake, is an intermittent body of water
432-504: Is located by the Pajaro gap adjacent to the river in San Benito County. Due to the geology in the area, the geomorphology of the watershed is unique. The river begins at Diablo range in the east. In the south, from the Gabilan mountains flows another tributary northward. From the north, tributaries flow from the Santa Cruz mountains southward to meet with the Pajaro. The climate of the region
480-554: Is perhaps the southernmost record of North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) in a California coastal watershed. In 1969 river otter were recorded eating freshwater mussels ( California floater ( Anodonta californiensis )) on the Santa Ana Creek tributary of Tequisquita Slough, 2 miles east of Hollister. The river is heavily polluted by people dumping illegally. One cleanup in 2015 revealed over 1,000 tires, five boats, two trucks, and tons of trash. High toxicity levels in
528-600: Is the San Benito River which is much longer than the Pajaro, flowing northwest from its source at an elevation of 4,760 feet on San Benito Mountain on its course between the Diablo Range and the Gabilan Range , traveling for about 65 miles (105 km) before its confluence with the Pajaro River, about 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the ocean. The lowest tributary of the Pajaro River is Salsipuedes Creek which drains
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#1733105856841576-400: Is where Llagas Creek and the Pajaro River intersect, with about 183 total acres. The intention is to leave the land undeveloped, thereby reducing risk of flooding for the lower watershed. It is also intended to preserve and restore habitat corridors linking the Santa Cruz, Gabilan, and Mt. Hamilton Ranges. Sakae %C5%8Csugi Ōsugi Sakae ( 大杉 栄 , January 17, 1885 – September 16, 1923)
624-619: The Army Corps of Engineers along its lower 22 miles (35 km) and severe runoff into the river from agricultural fields. There are six species listed as threatened or California species of special concern (SSC) under the CESA that regularly occur and/or breed near or in the Pajaro River. Western pond turtles ( Actinemys marmorata ), pallid bat ( Antrozous pallidus ), burrowing owls ( Athene cunicularia ), dusky-footed woodrat ( Neotoma fuscipes ), least Bell's vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus ), and
672-457: The Corralitos Creek and Salsipuedes Creek sub-basins. The lower watershed is in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties which currently have levee systems. The original river system was Corralitos Creek, fed by Aromas Creek. The Pajaro river has taken over this system, and Corralitos Creek is now only a tributary. A residential development, agricultural fields, and Zmudowski State Beach border
720-870: The North American Plate . At another time it flowed into the Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, California , then into the Pacific Ocean, but today it joins with Corralitos Creek to discharge into the Pacific at a slightly more north location. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the Santa Cruz Mountains deformed the Pajaro levee system. Other faults within the watershed are the Zayante fault, Sargent Fault, and Calaveras fault. A. R. Wilson Granite Rock quarry
768-572: The San Lorenzo River , 25 miles (40 km) north of the Pajaro River mouth on the California coast. Historically, the Pajaro River is one of two Northern California coastal rivers mentioned in 1829 by Russian explorer K. T. Khlebnikov as hosting sturgeon, presumably white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus ), along with the Russian River . San Felipe Lake, which is the central feature of
816-540: The yellow-breasted chat ( Icteria virens ). Four species are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) that are present or for which suitable habitat exists in or adjacent to the Pajaro River. Steelhead trout, the California red-legged frog ( Rana draytonii ), the Northern tidewater goby ( Eucyclogobius newberryi, ), and the snowy plover ( Charadrius nivosus ), which nests at
864-624: The "Bolsa de San Felipe", is designated as a "California Important Bird Area " by the National Audubon Society . The Bolsa is a crossroads for birds migrating between San Francisco Bay to the north, Monterey Bay to the west and the Central Valley to the east. The Bolsa is also identified by the National Audubon Society as a "bird vagrant trap", a site where bird species far outside of their normal range appear. Also noteworthy
912-797: The 'Fresno Assembly Center" and from there the Hirahara's were sent to the Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas by train. When the Jerome center closed, they were relocated to the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas . During this time away from their home in Watsonville, CA, as noted above, the Hirahara's were fortunate John McCarthy watched over their property in Watsonville to ensure
960-639: The California Department of Transportation were all held responsible for failing to maintain the Pajaro River during floods and sued by about 250 people. Plaintiffs held the counties responsible because in 1944, both counties made promises to maintain the levees implemented by the Army Corps of Engineers. Damage to 3,280 acres of agricultural crops along the Pajaro River were estimated at $ 67 million, and urban damages in Pajaro estimated at $ 28 million. Two persons drowned The San Andreas Fault line crosses
1008-525: The Diablo Range. The lake is a sag pond dammed by the fault scarp of the Calaveras Fault , which forms a natural dike along the western shoreline. It is perennial in all but the driest years, e.g. 1977. San Felipe Lake used to be 50% larger until the man-made North and South Outflow canals, which drain to the Miller Canal, were cut through the western rim in 1874. The Pajaro River's largest tributary
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#17331058568411056-518: The Hirahara family after the war, it is on the National Register of Historic Places .The barn included a living unit prior to the war and was expanded postwar to house other returning Japanese families. This Victorian house was designed by architect William Weeks, in 1897 for James Redman, who died in 1921. In 1937, it was sold for $ 69,575 to J. Katsumi Tao, a naturalized citizen and "brother-in-law" (or sibling-in-law) of Mitoshi Hirahara. Mitoshi
1104-581: The House was carried out in Summer of 2005 and reported on by Charr Simpson-Smith and Rob Edwards. The soil stratigraphy showed cultural strata interspersed with silt lenses of episodic flooding. The foundation for the front porch had been repaired, possibly after the 1906 earthquake. The distribution of artifact categories indicated the greatest activity occurred at the back door (32), front door (7), side door (3) and side of house with no door (2). An extraordinary artifact
1152-641: The Pajaro River at the Pajaro Gap just east of Chittenden Pass and Logan, California (near Aromas ) on California State Route 129 . The Salinian Block rests above the Pacific Plate which slips north along the San Andreas Fault. It is made up of granitic material, and marine sediments. The Pajaro River has a history of changing its course due to the San Andreas fault slippage between the Pacific plate and
1200-415: The Pajaro River mouth and the connecting Watsonville Slough. The river mouth is often open to tidal action for extended periods, especially during the winter months. Should the mouth fill with sediment, it must be physically reopened to prevent nearby agricultural fields from flooding. The main water source for agriculture and drinking water in the region comes from groundwater. The three primary aquifers in
1248-595: The Pajaro River watershed. However, his 1909 seine nets obtained no small specimens at his collecting stations. In 1953, local Gilroy resident, Herman Garcia Sr., caught a Chinook salmon in the Uvas Creek tributary of the Pajaro River. Although the image shows no adipose fin, California's hatcheries were not clipping adipose fins until the 1970's, so it may be an artifact of the taxidermy. However, citizen naturalist and author William "Bill" Leikam reported salmon in Corralitos Creek while fishing for steelhead trout in 1956 in
1296-675: The Pajaro Watershed are the Alluvial, the Aromas, and the Purisma aquifers. All three suffer from seawater intrusion due to groundwater overdraft, the worst affected being the Aromas aquifer. The Alluvial aquifer is heavily polluted by agricultural runoff. In 2006, the Pajaro River was designated as " America's Most Endangered River " by the American Rivers organization, "due to levees" constructed by
1344-503: The Pajaro river mouth at Zumdowski State Beach at the Pacific Ocean. Native California fish present in the lower Pajaro River are: three-spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus microcephalus ), Sacramento perch ( Archoplites interruptus ), riffle sculpin ( Cottus gulosus ), Russian River tule perch ( Hysterocarpus traskii traskii ), South Central California Coast steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ), and thicktail chub ( Siphatales crassicauda ). The Pajaro River serves as
1392-564: The Pajaro watershed to pay for water projects. One project funded was the building of two 1 million gallon storage tanks for the waste water recycling plant which provides water to local agriculture in the Valley. In early 2015, a land purchase in the upper Pajaro Watershed was purchased by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority in an effort to preserve agriculture, and increase floodplain and wildlife protection in Santa Clara County. This land
1440-551: The State Water Resource Control Board determined that the Pajaro Valley Watershed suffered from saltwater intrusion due to groundwater overdraft. In the 1970s, the groundwater basin consistently fell below sea level, and was identified in 1980 as critically over-drafted. By the 21st century, 54 square miles of the Pajaro Watershed's groundwater supply was overdrawn and as a result, below sea level making
1488-448: The USACE (United States Army Corps of Engineers) acknowledged poor planning in levee design, and congress authorized re-construction of the flood control system, however no funds were provided from the federal government. Following the 1995 floods, several lawsuits were issued against the different counties and cities by farmers and homeowners affected. Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, and
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1536-449: The area susceptible to saltwater intrusion. The Pajaro River has a recurring history of flooding. The towns of Pajaro and Watsonville were built on the river's natural floodplain. Before the Army Corps of Engineers built the levees, flooding devastated homes, businesses, and agriculture. Since the $ 748,000 levees were constructed in 1949, there have been several instances of flooding from severe weather events and failed levees. In 1963,
1584-562: The badly damaged house as the "Stem House" in the mystery novel Strawberry Yellow. Pajaro Valley The Pajaro River ( pájaro is bird in Spanish ) is a U.S. river in the Central Coast region of California, forming part of the border between San Benito and Santa Clara Counties, the entire border between San Benito and Santa Cruz County , and the entire border between Santa Cruz and Monterey County . Flowing roughly east to west,
1632-429: The expedition, noted in his diary that they "found half the body of a very large black bird, hanging [from] poles" (possibly a condor ). The Pajaro River has had many names. Early Spanish maps had the name Rio de San Antonio and Rio del Pajaro . Alternate names included Pigeon River , Rio de La Senora La Santa Ana , Rio del Paxaro , Rio de Santa Ana , San Antonio River and Sanjon del Tequesquite . In 1953
1680-435: The exterior of the home could also be found inside — expensive and decorative wood, including eastern oak and bird's eye maple, were used for doors, mantels, and window casings. Author and Hirahara descendant, Naomi Hirahara, describes a visit in the 1950s, “One favorite spot for all the grandchildren, grand-nephews, and grand-nieces was just on the side of the curved staircase on the first floor”. Salvage Archaeology around
1728-417: The farm until they could get back on their feet. The house was constructed in 1897 and designed by William H. Weeks, who was responsible for the design of hundreds of unique buildings throughout California. It was a classic Queen Anne — it featured a rounded corner tower with a turret, gables with meticulously carved panels, Palladian windows and dentil molding. The intricate detailing that Weeks designed for
1776-481: The layer of a 1937 newspaper and two upper layers of wallpaper, portions of the Japanese book The Autobiography of Osugi Sakae was nailed to the wall. Osugi Sakae (1885-1923) was a rebel, anarchist and martyr. The carriage barn was expanded postwar to house other returning Japanese families. Various wall treatments and linoleum support the existence of four apartments. In 2013, the writer Naomi Hirahara , describes
1824-502: The property rights were retained. Mr. McCarthy even went to visit the Hirahara's in Arkansas. Before the entire Hirahara Family returned to Watsonville, CA, Mitoshi Hirahara and his eldest son Fumio Hirahara traveled to Watsonville first to ensure it was "safe" for the rest of the family to return. Upon receiving confirmation from Mitoshi and Fumio, the rest of the Hirahara family returned from Arkansas on June 4, 1945, by train and reoccupied
1872-460: The property. However, for many Japanese-Americans, injustices continued after the war and many were unable to return to their prewar housing. Additions to the carriage barn on the Hirahara property were made in order to provide housing for other Japanese-Americans who did not have homes to which they could return. Following the World War II, Mitoshi Hirahara employed many Japanese-Americans to support
1920-437: The reach along Freedom, California at the season's first large winter storms. Two adult Chinook salmon 60 centimetres (24 in) and 65 centimetres (26 in) long were caught by gill net and released in a 2005 study of San Felipe Lake, although these may have been fall-run Chinook from hatchery net-pen operations that released these fish at Moss Landing . Snyder did not report Coho salmon ( Oncorhyncus kisutch ) south of
1968-448: The river are a result from agriculture in the watershed. During low flows, organophosphate pesticides have been detected in the river, and organochlorine pesticides have been detected post-high surface runoff events. Toxaphene, DDT, and Diazinon have also been detected at concentrations unhealthy to local aquatic species. In 2010 the City of Watsonville was awarded a $ 424,000 grant to create
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2016-569: The river empties into Monterey Bay , west of Watsonville, California . The first European land exploration of Alta California , the Spanish Portolà expedition , camped near the river for two nights, in the vicinity of today's community of Watsonville , on October 8–9, 1769. The party continued north the next day toward Santa Cruz. Expedition soldiers called it "Pajaro" (meaning "bird" in Spanish). Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí , traveling with
2064-455: The watershed as a whole. The Pajaro River Bench Excavation Project which was approved in 2012 will remove excess sediment and vegetation from the bench in order to better allow flow through the levees to improve flood protection. Approximately 336,000 cubic yards will be removed. The project begins at Murphy's crossing, and extends 7.5 miles westward to the Pacific Ocean ending before highway 1. The state of California allocated $ 7.6 million to
2112-633: Was a prominent Japanese anarchist who was jailed multiple times for his writings and activism. He was murdered alongside his partner, Itō Noe , in what became known as the Amakasu Incident . Ōsugi was born on January 17, 1885. He was raised in Tokyo and Sendai . During Ōsugi's early youth, his father fought in the First Sino-Japanese War . As a teenager in military school , he was disciplined—likely for homosexual activity—and later expelled after
2160-720: Was charged by the government for writing "Shimpei shokun ni atau" and "Seinen ni uttau". He spent part of 1907 in jail and returned twice in 1908, for the Rooftop Incident and the Red Flag Incident . His father died in 1909, while Ōsugi was in prison. After his release in 1910, he published Kindai shisō (1912–1914), Heimin Shimbun (1914–1915), and Kindai shisō again, briefly. In the same time period, he met and began affairs with Ichiko Kamichika and Itō Noe . In 1916, as Itō left her family for Ōsugi, Kamichika stabbed Ōsugi. Ōsugi
2208-471: Was considered an 'alien' and could not purchase property at that time. Mr. Tao sold the property to Mitoshi's son, Fumio Hirahara (age 16) in 1940 for $ 10.00 as Fumio was also a naturalized citizen. Pajaro Valley Japanese Americans were removed in 1942 under Executive Order 9066 . The Hirahara's had traveled to Fresno, CA to visit a relative, thinking they would be safe there, but soon all immigrants and Americans of Japanese descent were instructed to gather in
2256-473: Was divorced by 1917 and had a daughter with Itō. Ōsugi briefly published Bummei hihyō and Rōdō shimbun in 1918, and Rōdō undō from 1919–1920 (and again in 1921). He was briefly jailed in-between for hitting a police officer and his second daughter was born. He would have two more daughters, in 1921 and 1922. Ōsugi went to Shanghai in 1920 for the Congress of Far Eastern Socialists, to Osaka in 1922 to found
2304-514: Was found near the back door, an " Imari industry" decorated bowl dated to the 1800s. It would classify as a “heritage” item as the Hirahara family first occupied the Farmstead in the 1930s. The barn was estimated to have been built around 1900, about the same time as the Victorian. The barn was 1 and ½ story with an attached lean to element. One small living unit was built prewar. In this room between
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