Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council

12/31/2024

Unfortunately we lost access to this page until just now and we don't think we can get back into it again. With that said, we'd appreciate it if people could go like and follow our new page as it is all linked with our website and other social media accounts. It is located at

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091688027768

Mission Statement

"Connecting people with their natural and cultural heritage and providing a community gathering place through restoration and operation of historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch.

07/22/2023

White Sulphur Springs Ranch makes great progress

Historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch in Clio, CA. It is being restored for our local schools, disabled children, disabled veterans, and the community.

07/22/2023

Historic White Sulphur Springs Ranch in Clio, CA. It is being restored for our local schools, disabled children, disabled veterans, and the community.

04/06/2023

Matt Axton will entertain at Summerfest 2023.
Read more below about Summerfest 2023

04/06/2023

LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.

04/06/2023

LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.
LOOK OUT FOR SUMMERFEST 2023
It has been in the planning stages for weeks. Summerfest 2023 will happen, as usual, on the last Sunday in June. That makes it this year on June 25, at the historic ranch at White Sulphur Springs, 2200 Highway 89 in Clio, CA.
This is an outdoor event complete with entertainment, food, a silent auction, a live auction and a no host bar. The restored ranch house will be open between 3 and 4 pm.
Entertainment this year will be provided by Matt Axton’s Blue Grass Band from Tahoe City. Matt describes his music as a “humble slice of America”, a mixture of folk, country and rock. He comes from a long line of prestigious musicians. Matt’s father was Hoyt Axton, a prolific song writer and Country & Western entertainer. His grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel’ for Elvis Presley. Matt is sure to be a hit with attendees.
The food main event will feature a pulled pork, ranch barbecue with all the trimmings, provided by Clarky’s BBQ Smoke and More.
Tickets will be available online from the White Sulphur Springs website and at selected locations in Graeagle, CA. Plans for Summerfest 2023 are being finalized and more information and details will follow but interested parties should save the date for this Plumas County tradition.

04/06/2023

With thanks to Chris Coughin for sharing this recent photo of the WSSR main house, with visiting deer.

03/28/2023

A NEW FACE ON AN OLD FRIEND
In September of 2021 the front porch of the old house at White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR) began to get a facelift that had been planned for years. Motorists traveling on Highway 89 near the entrance to the Mohawk Valley saw the improvements progress day by day. Each time they passed the historic ranch site, the front face of the house looked a little different….a little better.
In February and March of last year volunteers John Barker and Don Maddelena made significant progress. All of the structural rebuilding was completed and approved by the County. Some of the original 140-year-old balusters had been restored. New ones were made to match. Skirting and hand rails had not been seen on the old ranch house since they were destroyed in 2008. Great pains were taken to restore the original character of the historic ranch house.
It was designated an historic structure in the 1983 Plumas County general plan. In spite of this the old house was in the process of being dismantled in 2008 when the community took notice and started the campaign to save what was left of the historic site. The Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) was formed in 2009 and the restoration began.
Community members who would like to be a part of this effort should call Judy Porep-Lullo at 530-836-0254.

12/13/2022

A WET CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH
Tuesday the 10th of December was the day of the Christmas party for members and invited guests. A big crowd was expected but only a few actually braved the terrible weather. It was a deluge outside! Some of the old time Eastern Plumas County residents couldn’t remember a more fierce rain in the month of December. Many remarked that if it was snow instead of rain nobody could have attended because the roads would be impassable. Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) Volunteers Yvonne Ware, Barbi Hendrick and Judy Porep-Lullo had arranged for the old ranch house to be festively decorated, the dining room table full of goodies and Santa ready to greet guests and take photos with the kids. Unfortunately, none of the attendees were young enough to sit on Santa’s lap.
The raffle prize was a Christmas wall decoration and a 50-dollar gift certificate to a local restaurant. It was won by Joanne Grasso of Graeagle.
The renovated old ranch house never looked better. Docent guided tours were available for the asking. The front façade, recently rebuilt, showed a lighted, front porch. There was a Christmas wreath at the front door. The rest rooms functioned, and the elegantly furnished living room lent a warmth to the whole scene, in contrast to the tempest going on outside.
Information about White Sulphur Springs Ranch, current projects and membership in the MVSC is on the website, www.WhiteSulphurSpringsRanch.com

11/18/2022

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS OFFERS DONATED ART WORK AT THE CRAFT FAIRE
In the course of renovating the old Ranch House the Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC), stewards of White Sulphur Springs Ranch, received many gifts of furniture, antiques, heirlooms and art work. The art work that could not be made a part of the décor is being offered for sale in order to support the ongoing restoration process. The chosen venue is the traditional Mohawk Community Art Faire (MCAF) to be held on the two days after Thanksgiving.
This will be the second year that the MVSC will have a booth at the Faire. This year there will be over 20 items for sale. They include prints, watercolors and oils on canvas. Some are elegantly framed and ready for hanging. Prices start at $10 and sizes range from 8 x 10 to 32 by 44 inches.
The Art Faire is a holiday tradition and will be held at the fire hall, in downtown Graeagle, on the 25th and 26th of November. Doors open at 10 am on both days.

10/14/2022

COMMUNITY PARTNER SUPPORTS WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH
Gumba’s Family Pizza sponsored a fundraiser at their restaurant in Blairsden on September 21st 2022. Gumba’s donated 20% of all food purchases made between 11 am and 9 pm on that day, to benefit the restoration of White Sulphur Springs Ranch (WSSR).
The event was organized by Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) volunteer Tim Buckhout. Community members have seen him outside the Graeagle Market selling raffle tickets for this and other events. He is dedicated to make WSSR accessible to children, disabled veterans and the community in general. His Porta-Saloon can be seen at Summerfest at WSSR and at craft fairs in Graeagle. All beer sales are donated. Drivers on highway 89 with keen vision can see him moving dirt at the WSSR site. He and his helpers Robert Ware, Bob Hermsmeyer and Jim Maul are transforming the landscape to achieve the vision that MVSC members have for this historic property. Tim is a specialist in getting businesses to donate goods and services. The grand prize at the Gumba event was a Weber BBQ smoker donated by Big R Supply in Sparks, Nevada. It was won by Ronnie Gedatus from Sacramento. Tim delivered the prize personally.
Matt and Elizabeth Cruz are the owners of Gumba’s. The event on September 21st was the 4th annual fundraiser to benefit WSSR. The restaurant was crowded with patrons the whole day. Eighteen prizes were raffled off and two custom carvings were auctioned. It is this kind of community support that the MVSC depends on. Big thanks go to the owners and staff of Gumba’s Family Pizza

Photo Captions photos by Tim Buckhout
The Gumba gang at the White Sulphur Springs benefit on September 21st.
Tim Buckhout, in Sacramento, helping the grand prize winner load the barbeque in her car.

10/03/2022

LIVING HISTORY SCHOOL DAYS AT WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS RANCH
After a two-year Covid layoff, the kids came back to White Sulphur Springs Ranch in 2022. The previous School Days was in 2019, which was the last one in an unbroken string stretching back eight previous years to September of 2009. Unlike in previous years which only welcomed students from Portola, this year 3rd graders from two different schools stepped back in time. Over 100 kids from Quincy and Portola participated, helped by 16 teachers and 20 volunteers from each community.
Mohawk Valley Stewardship Council (MVSC) volunteers showed what the ranch and the community was like in the old days. The event was organized by a five-member planning committee. Six different educational stations were coordinated by Cathy Danielson and directed each day by Jim Maul.
Each day began with a group welcome and introduction by Bob Hughes. The kids were then broken down into small groups to begin their tour of six different stations. First one was a tour of the old ranch house given by docent and volunteer chairman Judy Porep-Lullo, in period costume. The kids then proceeded to 5 different educational stations. There was frontier cooking, shepherding, Maidu life, fruit box construction and washboard laundry.
The pioneer cooking station was manned by Cathy and Bob Danielson. The kids ate Johnny cakes and made homemade butter. They learned about the daily life of a pioneer child. The next stop was “shepherding” with real live sheep! Anna Harvey and her crew from Harvey Farms showed the many products we get from sheep and the kids were allowed to see these animals close up. In station number four Janice Cross and Hillary Hughes led the kids up a local trail to show them Maidu Indian grinding rocks and local artifacts. At station number five Janet and Leo Reihsen, with a bunch of volunteer “carpenters”, showed them how to make miniature wooden fruit boxes. In 1919 the California Fruit Company purchased the land along Graeagle Creek in order to cut and mill lumber to build shipping boxes for fruit which they provided to growers throughout the State. The old fruit exchange still stands in Graeagle and the blue anchor California fruit logo can be seen on this stone building. The students got to keep the wooden boxes they produced. At the final station Janine Wolcott showed them how the laundry was done in the old days. The kids hauled water and used old fashioned washboards.
Each day ended with the classes assembling on the deck for a group photo taken by Linda Cooley.
Living History School Days 2022 was partially funded by the Safeway Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to bettering the lives of people in the neighborhoods. In a letter dated May 23. 2022, Wendy Gutshall of the Foundation’s Northern California Division, sent a check for $2500 to Janet Reihsen of the MVSC. The MVSC depends on support like this to complete the work of restoration at the historic ranch site. It is especially welcomed because this grant specifically supports the School Days program for 3rd graders in Portola and Quincy school
The mission of the MVSC is to serve as a community gathering place and a center for living history. The many hardworking volunteers hope that these students will be future supporters of White Sulphur Springs Ranch and that their children will be able to come here one day to enjoy the site and learn about the proud history of the Mohawk and Sierra Valleys.
Interested parties that would like to be a part of the restoration of WSSR should e-mail: [email protected]

Photo Captions photos by Linda Cooley
Third graders leave their bus and gather in front of the old house at White Sulphur Springs Ranch.
SchoolDays20222.jpg
Kids being greeting by docent at their first of six educational stations at School Days 2022.
SchoolDays20221.jpg
One of the six stations at School Days was about sheepherding and the products from sheep that we enjoy.
SchoolDaysSheep.jpg