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| Landmark #686 | Napa County | Visited: July 13, 2014 | Plaque? NO. 🙁 |
| What is it? | The last remaining hearth stones of Nancy Kelsey’s House! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Nancy Kelsey arrived in California in 1841 with the Bidwell-Bartleson party and settled with her family south of present-day Calistoga. Now the hearthstone is all that can be seen of the house. The property is owned by the Rockstrohs.
OTHER TIDBITS: And why is this important, you might ask? Well, Nancy Kelsey was the first woman of European descent to cross Utah and the Sierra Nevada mountains! Her husband, Ben, wanted to see this California place, and rather than experience the “anxieties of an absent husband,” Nancy decided to make the 2,000 mile journey with him! Though the family went back and forth between Oregon and California, Nancy is most famous for stitching the very first bear flag for the appropriately named Bear Flag Revolt! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 500 ft NW of intersection of State Hwy 29 and Diamond Mtn Rd 1.1 mi S of Calistoga, CA 94515 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~426mi (686km) — 7.1hrs |
| When should I go? | You can see the ruins from the road, but don’t go trespassin’ on anyone’s private property, ya hear? |