The Jaco Family has worked hard into the cold night to prepare Christmas trees for the Pocket neighborhood. Tony Jaco, Steven Jaco (son), Heather Johnson (daughter) have been selling Christmas trees for the last four years for owner Tracy Franz (former football player for SF 49ers in 1980s) who owns nine tree lots. Mikey’s Christmas Trees is located at the corner of Riverside and Florin. Mikey’s is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday until Dec. 25. All trees are $47.  Recycle cut boughs for $2 per trunk-load. See http://www.mikeysxmastrees.com/index.html for all nine locations.

Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part series regarding the history of East Sacramento’s former New Helvetia Cemetery.

It has been nearly 162 years since Captain John A. Sutter set aside 10 acres for his establishment’s first formal burial ground, the now nonexistent New Helvetia Cemetery.

The cemetery, which was eventually doubled in size, served the community for many years before evolving into a public park, which was known as Helvetia Park.

The old cemetery grounds, with the exception of a tombstone-like marker presenting information about the former cemetery, are no longer distinguishable. The land is presently the site of Sutter Middle School at 3150 I St.

In the process of creating Helvetia Park, the old cemetery, which actually adjoined East Park (today’s McKinley Park), had its headstones removed and replaced with flat gravesite identifying markers.

Unfortunately, various decisions and actions connected to the processes of creating the park and removing the cemetery in its entirety resulted in many missing tombstones and markers and even unidentified graves.

Other gravesites were presumably left unidentified in earlier times due to such possible causes as the deterioration of wooden markers and flooding that carried away wooden markers. Because of recurrent flooding in the area, there were no burials at the cemetery from 1850 to 1857.

A classic example related to the old cemetery’s missing markers was presented in the Aug. 11, 1989 edition of The Sacramento Bee, as a story was related in which a lecture about Sacramento cemeteries at California Middle School was interrupted by a boy who raised his hand and said, “We have some of those stones in our yard.”

In a meeting with the East Sacramento News last week, Dr. Bob LaPerriere, co-chair of the Sacramento County Cemetery Advisory Commission, discussed the topic of missing tombstones and other markers from the New Helvetia Cemetery.

“When they removed the bodies in the 1950s, we’re not sure exactly what happened, but some people recall that these concrete markers were kind of stacked up along the street,” LaPerriere said. “A couple years ago, we located – just between two homes behind Sutter Middle School – over 70 of these flat, concrete markers. They were used for stepping stones and kind of to widen the driveway.”

LaPerriere said that a unique event occurred following the discovery of these markers, as the stones were transported from Sutter Middle School to East Lawn Memorial Park at Folsom Boulevard and 43rd Street via a horse-drawn wagon.

The decision to deliver these markers to East Lawn Memorial Park was a simple one, considering that the city had purchased property at the cemetery for a mass, unmarked burial site, where 4,691 unidentified human remains from the New Helvetia Cemetery were reinterred.

Unfortunately, this large number of “unknowns,” as these unidentified remains are often referred to, account for the majority of the remains from the New Helvetia Cemetery.

The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery at 1000 Broadway is the site of the remains of about 400 additional people who were once buried at the New Helvetia Cemetery.

However, these remains are individually identified and are located in three separate areas at the Broadway cemetery, west of Riverside Boulevard.

Other individually identified remains from the New Helvetia Cemetery were reinterred at the following Sacramento city and county cemeteries: East Lawn, Masonic Lawn Cemetery at 2700 Riverside Blvd., Odd Fellows Lawn Cemetery at 2720 Riverside Blvd., St. Joseph’s Cemetery at 2615 21st^t St., St. Mary’s Cemetery at 6700 21st St., Sacramento Memorial Lawn at 6100 Stockton Blvd., Elk Grove Cemetery at 8540 Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove and the Sylvan Cemetery at 7401 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.

Despite this long list of other cemeteries, LaPerriere notes that a relatively low number of remains from the New Helvetia Cemetery were relocated to these cemeteries.

LaPerriere provided the following numbers regarding the relocations of these remains: 410 sent to Broadway cemetery, 84 to East Lawn, 32 to Odd Fellows, six to Sacramento Memorial Lawn, three to St. Joseph’s, three to Elk Grove, two to St. Mary’s and one to Masonic.

In regard to the many flat markers from the New Helvetia Cemetery site that are still missing today, LaPerriere mentioned that he would not be surprised if some of these markers are presently located on residential properties within the nearby vicinity of this former East Sacramento cemetery.

Although the aforementioned mass burial at East Lawn Memorial Park is recognized as consisting of “unknowns” or unidentified remains, this does not mean that there are no records of any of the names of the deceased people from the New Helvetia Cemetery who were reburied there.

To the contrary, records exist for many people who were buried at the New Helvetia Cemetery and it is by deduction from the names of those who were reinterred in other local cemeteries that a list of assumed names was created for the mass burial site at East Lawn Memorial Park.

LaPerriere said that East Lawn Memorial Park, although it was not obligated to do so, greatly contributed to the cemetery’s mass burial site.

“The city never put up a marker or anything (at the mass burial site), absolutely nothing,” LaPerriere said. “It took John Bettencourt (the late cemetery historian and preservationist who was vital in the formation of the Old City Cemetery Committee) and I working with East Lawn, quite a few years ago, to get the area memorialized. East Lawn, of course, had no responsibility to do it. The city bought the area, buried the people and the city should have taken care of things. But East Lawn, being very community minded, worked with us and they put four (right angle) corner walls in around the area to demarcate the area and they put a nice monument in the center memorializing those who were moved from New Helvetia (Cemetery).”

In addition to this burial site’s corner markers, most of the perimeter of the site is outlined with the flat, concrete markers that had been retrieved from the residential yards near Sutter Middle School.

As of about two years ago, the whereabouts of only one verified original tombstone from the New Helvetia Cemetery was known.

But fortunately, it was discovered that another original New Helvetia Cemetery tombstone – that of members of the Asch family – was located in Auburn.

About a month ago, the stone was relocated to Sacramento and it will soon be placed in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery’s already existing Asch plot.

LaPerriere said that anyone with information regarding missing headstones or markers from the New Helvetia Cemetery is encouraged to call the Sacramento County Cemetery Advisory Commission at (916) 874-9103 or write to the e-mail address: cemeterycommission@saccounty.net.

Anyone with information regarding missing headstones or markers from the New Helvetia Cemetery is encouraged to call the Sacramento County Cemetery Advisory Commission at (916) 874-9103 or write to the e-mail address: cemeterycommission@sac

county.net

Bonsai Sekiyu Kai of Sacramento presented the 33rd annual show of the Bonsai and Rock Exhibit at the Sacramento Buddhist Church at Betsuin Hall, 2401 Riverside Blvd. on Saturday and Sunday April 3-4. The annual event is a special, unique presentation of this classical gardening and geological art conducted by local masters in the discipline. 

 

Pictures by Land Park News photographer Noah Winn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Jennifer Benton, Jason Williams and Carol Hernandez began their business two years ago, it was the culmination of a business relationship that had spanned 10 years. Their shop, Artisan Salon, soon built a clientele in its little lot at 3193 Riverside Blvd., all while making the most of the 1100 square feet at their disposal.

But before long, space became an issue and the opportunity to expand was staring them right in the face.

“I would sit in the lobby and look at the place across the street,” Hernandez said of the large vacant building visible from their shop.

The three business partners reacted swiftly to ensure that the building at 3198 Riverside Blvd.. remained vacant no longer. In fall of 2009, the process of making the short, but giant leap across the street was underway.

First, they had to secure all the necessary permits to make the move. This process was especially nerve-wracking for them. Hernandez described the process as “a lot of hurry up and wait.” Once the permits were acquired, it was time to get down to the next phase – moving in.

The move began in early January and took three weeks to get everything squared away in its new proper place. The lot, which was formerly Taylor’s Coffee Emporium and also Central Valley Coffee, is roughly 2,000 square feet according to Hernandez. The extra space provided for plenty of room to play around with – something that the old location simply didn’t provide.

The extra space has allowed them to add two additional stations as well as an area for the newly minted on staff massage therapist. Hernandez said they hope to soon have a manicurist on staff as well.

“It’s a beautiful building,” Hernandez said. “It has some history behind it in the area.”

The building sat dormant for a long time before Artisan moved in. But now that the large shop once again has an identity, the Riverside Boulevard Business Corridor might just get a shot in the arm, Hernandez believes.

“It brings a new life. We think that it will bring people to the area and will be a welcome place for people to visit.”

The new digs, now at 3198 Riverside Blvd., come complete with what Hernandez called an amazing staff of 12 stylists and the aforementioned massage therapist. Five of the stylists are brand new to the salon.

As for the old location, nothing has been decided as of yet in regards to what might one day fill its walls, but it is rumored that a business in the area could soon move in to fill the void.

The salon had a soft opening without a lot of fanfare on Feb. 9. It was the end of a long process, a quick move and hopefully a long stay for the owners. In the short time that the salon has been open, many residents have stopped by to see what is going on with the newly filled space. Clients, both new and old, helped to make the process as easy as possible according to Hernandez.

For those who are unaware of the salon’s opening last month, don’t worry, a grand opening is in the works for the end of March.

“We want to make it a customer appreciation-type thing,” Hernandez said. “We want to show the people in the community that we’re here and that we really do appreciate them.”

She also spoke of drawings for hair products as well as having half price haircuts on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The salon offers full service hair care including facial waxing, extensions, highlights, lowlights, makeup and special occasion hair. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about Artisan Salon and the services it provides, call (916) 443-5478 or visit the salon’s Web site at www.artisanlandpark.com.

 

E-mail Benn Hodapp at benn@valcomnews.com.

May 9, 2013 Edition

The Land Park News markets to one of the most influential neighborhoods in Sacramento. Land Park residents are many of the Sacramento regions’ opinion makers and business leaders. Also among the readers of this publication is Curtis Park; a family-friendly community bordering Sacramento City College; and Hollywood Park, a neighborhood recently experiencing an economic revival.