Small Town News

Fort Ross plans for bicentennial

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The Fort Ross Bicentennial Steering Committee has selected award winning Mendocino Coast artist Drew Fagan's design as the official logo for the 2012 200th anniversary commemoration of the fort's founding.

Fagan's design was chosen from a field of submissions as the best representation of many of the facets of Fort Ross by his use of the Kashaya basketry, the Native Alaskan moon symbol, and images depicting the maritime industry, agriculture and the Fort Ross Chapel. The logo will adorn everything from coffee cups to t-shirts (which are now available at the Fort Ross Visitors center), to the new Adopt a Highway sign near Jenner, as well on all publications and exhibit work.

Fort Ross was established in 1812 as the southernmost outpost of the Sitka based Russian American Company to provide a base of operations for their marine mammal fur industry along the California coast, as well as an agricultural base providing food to the Alaskan Russian American settlements. It was abandoned by the RAC in 1841. After the RAC left this area the land was farming, ranching and shipping center for the rest of the 19th century. In 1906, just a month before the San Francisco earthquake effectively demolished many of the buildings, it became a part of the California State Park system and ranks today as one of the oldest State parks.

Throughout 2012, the Bicentennial will highlight the various components of the Fort's history with monthly themes beginning in January with the Native Kashaya and extending through the Mi-wok, the Native Alaskans, The Russian Settlement, the Ranch era, Natural History, and the Church.

Activities scheduled throughout the year will include musical and dance presentations, a lecture series, historical re-enactments, a cultural heritage weekend, a U.S.-Russian youth exchange program, historical painting, portrait and photographic exhibitions, as well as a conference on Fort Ross, Sonoma Coast and Russian American History.

Events will be scheduled at Fort Ross as well as throughout Sonoma County and the Bay Area. Visitors from across the country and around the world are expected to join in this 200th anniversary celebration. To learn more about this event visit the Fort Ross website at www.fortrossstatepark.org or www.fortross2012.org

Fagan, a Gualala-based artist, has had six solo shows, won national and local awards and has been represented and shown by five galleries. Fagan has designed logos for other educational and cultural organizations. He says the design for Fort Ross holds special meaning for him: Fagan grew up in Sacramento and first visited the Fort on a middle school field trip in the early 1950s. Drew Fagan's website is www.drewfagan.com



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© 2011 Independent Coast Observer Gualala, California. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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