LETTERS - DECEMBER 1995
Editor:
My wife and I are new in the area, having moved here from Kalispell,
Mont., last summer. ...
We have always wondered about the Carson Mansion and its mysterious
Ingomar addition as we have passed through Eureka while traveling
and vacationing over the years. We were very interested to read
two articles in your November issue -- "Shoot Out at the
Ingomar" and "Carson Mansion, the inside story"
both by Wally Graves. These were excellent articles and very illuminating
to two newcomers to the area. The Ingomar group and the mansion
are both quite the anachronisms!
In our former home, Kalispell, there is a house, the Conrad Mansion,
which is comparable to the Carson Mansion in both history and
the definitive character of its architecture. It was restored
to some degree by the descendants of the Conrad family and donated
to the city. The city finished restoration and it is open in the
summer for tours and during the holiday season for art and craft
fairs.
It seems that the Carson Mansion is not open at all to the public.
Ingomar (members), in their collective fiscal wisdom, apparently
have not seen fit to let the mansion become a tourist attraction
and asset to a foundering city....
Joyce and Harry Johnson
panda@northcoast.com
Editor:
I was perplexed after reading the twin articles on the Carson
Mansion and Ingomar Club in November's North Coast Journal. A
line of journalistic meanness seemed to have been crossed: "scarcely
a mansion," "grandiose bad taste," "when white
male Christians call the shots."
I then used highlight markers (red for ridicule and green for
praise) to analyze. Sadly, the deeply reddened pages probably
tells as much about the bent of the North Coast Journal as it
does about the dress codes of the Ingomar Club.
Of the positive statements, the most telling were: "a rare
survivor of America's gilded age" and "the circulation
of the club's business and its warm kitchens suggest the pleasant
aroma of a truly lived-in house."
I have an appreciation for museums in preserved historic buildings.
But I love old courthouses that are seats of government, old churches
that exude religion and elegant mansions that are exclusive. By
maintaining their functions, all are living cultural treasures.
Ned Simmons
Trinidad
Editor:
The "Comings, goings" (news brief) in the Journal's
November edition is misleading and should be corrected as follows:
1. Paragraph 3 of the article states that "When the MCSD
Board voted to lift a building moratorium, building permits were
gobbled up." In fact, MCSD has issued a total of nine sewer
permits following adoption of the ordinance on Oct. 12. Of those
nine sewer permits released, seven had been on the waiting list
for several months. MCSD has processed a total of two new sewer
applications from Oct. 13 through Nov. 1. Historically, MCSD has
issued an average of 171 sewer permits per year. MCSD cannot issue
building permits.
2. Paragraph 4 of the article states that "MCSD officials
counter that the weather allowed for the change at this time."
In fact, the MCSD Board unanimously voted to lift the moratorium
because we have substantially completed the upgrade project at
the wastewater treatment facility. The Regional Water Quality
Control Board reviewed the proposed action and did not object
to elimination of the sewer permit moratorium.
Joe Walund
President of the board
McKinleyville Community Services District
Editor:
Unfortunately M. Duane's cartoon (Oct. 1995) depicting a day in
the life of America's icon -- rugged, individualist cowboy --
is based on error and misconception. While it is a cute enough
piece, with droll humor and clever graphics, it reality is way
off base.
Although cattle do roam at will on some public lands leased for
that purpose, they do not roam for free. Ranchers pay monthly
fees based on the quality of the range and the number of animals
grazed. Much of the land is remote and marginal, requiring many
acres to support a single cow and calf.
Grazing permits are often passed generation to generation, and
most ranchers proudly consider themselves stewards of this public
land. It is in their long-term best interest to manage the resource
wisely.
And although many wealthy ranchers do lease public grazing lands
across the West, most outfits are run by small-time, hand-to-mouth
operators who would be driven from their livelihoods, lifestyles
and homes by sharp increases in grazing fees.
Furthermore, there are no government meat subsidies, and since
most ranchers are not also farmers, they receive no farm subsidies.
In fact, with today's depressed cattle prices, ranchers are getting
barely enough at auction for their calves to hang on for another
year.
Although most cowboy "icons" are far too proud and independent-minded
to want handouts from the government, probably they'd be delighted
if Mom bought them a new horse.
Susan Camarda
Miranda
Comments? E-mail the Journal: ncjour@northcoast.com
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