Op-Ed
APAPA committed to civic engagement — Page B3
Sports
Business
Blue Devil football continues work on field
Downtown merchants mourn one of their own — Page A3
— Page B1
enterprise THE DAVIS
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023
Happy trails
By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer Retracing the steps of Gold Rush era Chinese who navigated across the Pacific and landed upon Gam Saan (Gold Mountain in Cantonese), members of the local Chinese community recently gathered at a new California State Park trail head near where James W. Marshall found specks of gold in 1948 about 36 miles up the American River from Sacramento. Run by California State Parks, new interpretive signs at the beginning of the trail share the message: “News of the California Gold Discovery started in Coloma and reached as far as China. Tens of thousands of Chinese were inspired to come here to seek their fortune and began calling California, Gam Saan. Although subjected to severe racism, through their perseverance and ability to adapt to change, Chinese people continue to make contributions to the rich and diverse fabric of America. In honor of those seeking Gold Mountain, this trail segment is named the Gam Saan Trail.” While the 2.5-mile trail is now over a year old, back in February, members of the Asian Pacific Islander American
Courtesy photo
Members of the Davis chapter of APAPA headed to the Gam Saan trail to honor ancestors with a Ching Ming Festival, which includes visiting and sweeping ancestral tombs. Public Affairs Association Davis Chapter, which serves UC Davis and Yolo County; the Locke Foundation, the Chinese Benevolent Association, and the APAPA Delta Chapter honored their ancestors with a Ching Ming Festival, which includes visiting and sweeping ancestral tombs. Aaron Wedra, Mary Yin Liu, and Alan Wei represented the Davis APAPA Chapter, where former Mayor Ruth Asmundson is chair and Carla Datanagan is the chapter president.
Sloping toward the setting sun against the American River, the “feng shui” landscape of Gam Saan near Coloma and Lotus, was idyllic for those who perished there during the Gold Rush era. As it was believed that when they died, their spirits would not rest until they received a proper burial in China, bodies were buried in graves for future exhumation. California State Parks have developed a “Through Our Reexamining Our Past” initiative to become more inclusive
and accessible of some of the stories they’ve been telling, and the Chinese mining story was one that we felt needed a bit more understanding and interpretation, explained Steve Hilton, Supervisor of the Cultural Resources Program at California State Parks. “We’re also looking at the Black experience, the Native American experience, and anybody else who isn’t in mainstream literature, especially about things like the Gold Rush,” Hilton said. “We feel like the world rushed in where we say that everybody came to Marshall for gold, and so we view this as an opportunity to expand on all those stories.” The Gam Saan Trail meanders through heavy oak woodland, poison oak and blackberry bushes — natural deterrents that obscure the exact location of the exhumed graves and persuade people to stay on the trail. Hilton said when the burial ground was first identified, even archaeologists back in the ’80s who looked at it didn’t know exactly what it was. It wasn’t until around 2007-2008 that State Parks came across it. “We didn’t know what we were seeing, exactly, but then we did a little bit more research,” he said. They were able to identify this
Student’s family accepts posthumous degree By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer
The 108 members of the UC Davis School of Medicine Class of 2023 received their Doctor of Medicine degrees at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on May 20. In addition, a posthumous degree was awarded to the family of Joshua Crane (19922022), a fourthyear student and CRANE U.S. Navy veteran Drowned who drowned in the American saving rafters River last July while saving two rafters. “Obviously, I much rather watched him walk across that stage, but it was a very cool gesture,” Jessica Crane, his sister, said in an interview with The Enterprise. “In hindsight, you don’t think of it that same way when you’re going through it until you finally get there. And it was like the light at the end of the tunnel. He was there. He was almost
See TRAIL, Back page
See STUDENT, Page A5
Tandem Foundation keeps up tradition Final Davis ‘ghost gun’ defendant enters plea deal with $40K donation to Davis schools By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer The Tandem Foundation hosted its annual grants reception on Wednesday, May 24, at Tandem Properties, 3500 Anderson Road in Davis. While their $40,000 donation is substantial to say the least, even more impressive is the fact they’ve been donating up to this amount for the last 22 years. Tandem business partners John Whitcombe and Bill Roe embody the sentiment of putting their money where their mouth is (as did their late business partner, Paul Makley). And with nearly $500,000
VOL. 125 NO. 64
INDEX
Business �����������A3 Dial-A-Pro ���������B4 Op-Ed �����������������B3 Classifieds ���������B5 Forum �����������������B2 Sports ���������������B1 Comics ���������������B4 Living �����������������A4 The Wary I ���������A2
donated to date, they have displayed not only the care toward the community they’re a part of, but the students and teachers within it as well. “We really like to think that we’re part of the community. Speaking for myself, I’ve been here for decades. But the community has done a great deal for us and we want to be a part of it. We’re working on things we’re good at which is providing housing for people. Right now, we’re working on a program that will benefit teachers and young families looking to get started in Davis but can’t find starter homes,”
WEATHER Today: Partly sunny and cool. High 76. Low 52.
Whitcombe said.
By Lauren Keene
“As far as the donations go, I don’t even think about the money. I just think about all these people here at this reception and seeing that we’re able to help to some degree. Hopefully we’ll be able to come to a time where we’re able to provide a bit more for people. But it is meaningful, and that’s something we’ve learned year after year is that people do appreciate it, and I think it goes to great places in this town.”
Enterprise staff writer
The event was serenaded by the Davis High School Baroque ensemble and
See TANDEM, Page A5
WOODLAND — The final defendant in a Davis “ghost gun” case accepted a plea deal last week, nine months after his three codefendants made similar agreements. King James Goodwin, 22, pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed firearm, changing his previous not-guilty plea, during an appearance Tuesday in Yolo Superior Court. He’s expected to receive a probation term at his July 5 sentencing before Judge Samuel McAdam, with no state prison time
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unless he violates the terms of his agreement, according to online court records. Three other defendants in the case — Demori Fobbs, Dewayne Dixon and Anthony Broadnax — each pleaded no contest last August to single charges in their case that also resulted in probation sentences. The case stems from an Aug. 2, 2021, traffic stop on L Street in Davis, where officers reported finding assault rifle components and weaponmanufacturing tools in
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