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This entry is to document the large oak that fell in 2011, with photos to show the damage it did.
Back Gate & Wall, Pre-Extraction
Shang Fallen Oak, 2011
Oak Limb, Post Cutting
Back Gate & Wall, Post Extraction
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I’m not sure when my dad started building the oven. He talked about it quite a bit without explaining what it would look like or even why he wanted one. I definitely wasn’t interested in masonry as it was probably 1959 or 1960 and rattle snakes and the green jeep were my adventures.
In the forest next to our water tank was an old car frame that had been converted into a trailer with four high sides and painted green. This would be our improvised truck to bring building materials for the Dutch Oven. Off we went towing this four-wheel trailer to Pope Valley, up to Angwin and down to Saint Helena for building materials. A 1955 baby blue Cadillac towed the trailer that had to be built in the 1930’s and carried all my dad would need for the project.
The material list for the project was cement, mortar, fireclay bricks (flat and tapered bricks for the arch), clay chimney pipe and gravel, plus some new masonry tools. The return trip was slow, as the car worked hard pulling and slowing the trailer, which had no brakes. All went well until we left the Butts Canyon Road (which was still a gravel road at that time) and headed up the last three miles to Shang. The car couldn’t handle the steep inclines, and we walked up to get the jeep. The trailer weighted much more that the jeep, so we hooked a chain from the jeep to the Cadillac front bumper and doubled our effort. “Kinsey’s hill” was the worst spot. I drove the jeep and pulled with all tires spinning and the Caddy was doing the same. Dust and flying gravel went everywhere as we made it up the hill. It was a glorious adventure at 13 or 14.
My dad pretty much built the entire oven by himself. He never discussed its design, and it slowly grew into what it is. The door came from a weld shop in Oakland. The family gathered stones for the oven exterior. On top of the completed fireclay arch he put heavy concrete reinforcing wire and fiberglass with native stone covering.
One day, while my dad was working on the oven, I saw a large rattlesnake by the back-gate wall swallowing a rat. I made a snake catcher by running wire down ½” pipe and tied it to the end forming a loop to tighten on the snake’s head. We I got the wire half on his head and the rattling began, I backed off out of fearful respect and the snake, and it spit out the rat and disappeared into the wall; all the while, my dad just kept laying bricks.
Some oven memories are smelling baked bread all around the house, and large meals at the round table cooked in the oven with enough stored heat to makes bacon and eggs in the morning. Pete Sorensen made the first oven fire that was way too hot for the fresh mortar. Years later, my friend Jack White and I cooked a 180 lb. pig overnight for a party and the oven cooked the pig perfectly.
My dad was skillful in masonry, resourceful, pragmatic and hard working - all the things needed to accomplish this large project. The oven provided many memorable meals for family and friends who enjoyed the food and love from home cooked meals made in the huge Duch Oven.
When I look at it today, it seems to be a monument to him and his vision and time at Shang.
My mother was the tireless hostess and “fireman” stoking the oven with ranch grown meals, all work for her family and friends.
by Peter C. Madsen
In the forest next to our water tank was an old car frame that had been converted into a trailer with four high sides and painted green. This would be our improvised truck to bring building materials for the Dutch Oven. Off we went towing this four-wheel trailer to Pope Valley, up to Angwin and down to Saint Helena for building materials. A 1955 baby blue Cadillac towed the trailer that had to be built in the 1930’s and carried all my dad would need for the project.
The material list for the project was cement, mortar, fireclay bricks (flat and tapered bricks for the arch), clay chimney pipe and gravel, plus some new masonry tools. The return trip was slow, as the car worked hard pulling and slowing the trailer, which had no brakes. All went well until we left the Butts Canyon Road (which was still a gravel road at that time) and headed up the last three miles to Shang. The car couldn’t handle the steep inclines, and we walked up to get the jeep. The trailer weighted much more that the jeep, so we hooked a chain from the jeep to the Cadillac front bumper and doubled our effort. “Kinsey’s hill” was the worst spot. I drove the jeep and pulled with all tires spinning and the Caddy was doing the same. Dust and flying gravel went everywhere as we made it up the hill. It was a glorious adventure at 13 or 14.
My dad pretty much built the entire oven by himself. He never discussed its design, and it slowly grew into what it is. The door came from a weld shop in Oakland. The family gathered stones for the oven exterior. On top of the completed fireclay arch he put heavy concrete reinforcing wire and fiberglass with native stone covering.
One day, while my dad was working on the oven, I saw a large rattlesnake by the back-gate wall swallowing a rat. I made a snake catcher by running wire down ½” pipe and tied it to the end forming a loop to tighten on the snake’s head. We I got the wire half on his head and the rattling began, I backed off out of fearful respect and the snake, and it spit out the rat and disappeared into the wall; all the while, my dad just kept laying bricks.
Some oven memories are smelling baked bread all around the house, and large meals at the round table cooked in the oven with enough stored heat to makes bacon and eggs in the morning. Pete Sorensen made the first oven fire that was way too hot for the fresh mortar. Years later, my friend Jack White and I cooked a 180 lb. pig overnight for a party and the oven cooked the pig perfectly.
My dad was skillful in masonry, resourceful, pragmatic and hard working - all the things needed to accomplish this large project. The oven provided many memorable meals for family and friends who enjoyed the food and love from home cooked meals made in the huge Duch Oven.
When I look at it today, it seems to be a monument to him and his vision and time at Shang.
My mother was the tireless hostess and “fireman” stoking the oven with ranch grown meals, all work for her family and friends.
by Peter C. Madsen
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Randy and I recently visited the De Young Museum, where an exhibit on Elem Pomo Basketry is currently happening until April 17, 2022. The baskets are from the indigenous tribes who lived very close to the ranch, around Clear Lake, and even in some closer areas. Another feature of the exhibit is the paintings by Jules Tavernier. The painting of the subterranean roundhouse at Clear Lake is from 1878 and shows in vibrant detail a glimpse into the Elem Pomos' traditions. Here is an excerpt from the De Young's description of the exhibit:
“Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo is a timely exhibition that brings alternative perspectives to narratives that have dominated the interpretation of American history and art from this period,” states Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “With insights added from the Elem Pomo community, Tavernier’s Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California reveals a more complex story of a moment in time, bringing to light the impact that Western expansion had on the Elem Pomo community in Northern California and highlighting the resilience and significant heritage of this community.
Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo has special resonance for Robert Geary, Elem Pomo tribal citizen and ceremonial roundhouse leader, who states: "Through this exhibition I hope to educate the world about the beauty of my people and my village. The Elem Xe-xwan (ceremonial roundhouse) still exists today with the ceremonies and the Elemfo (Elem people) whom Tavernier painted in 1878.’”
Alongside Tavernier’s recently rediscovered masterpiece Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California (1878), more than 70 works will be presented, including paintings, prints, watercolors, and photographs by Tavernier, as well as representations of Pomo peoples by his contemporaries. An extraordinary display of over 40 pieces of Pomo basketry and regalia, along with a documentary film highlighting the Native context of Tavernier’s canvas, will celebrate the enduring culture and artistry of Pomo peoples.
Here is a video describing more of the Elem Pomo
Grandma loved learning about the history of the people of the land around Shang. We love learning about it, too. We thought you might appreciate it as well!
Katie
“Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo is a timely exhibition that brings alternative perspectives to narratives that have dominated the interpretation of American history and art from this period,” states Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “With insights added from the Elem Pomo community, Tavernier’s Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California reveals a more complex story of a moment in time, bringing to light the impact that Western expansion had on the Elem Pomo community in Northern California and highlighting the resilience and significant heritage of this community.
Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo has special resonance for Robert Geary, Elem Pomo tribal citizen and ceremonial roundhouse leader, who states: "Through this exhibition I hope to educate the world about the beauty of my people and my village. The Elem Xe-xwan (ceremonial roundhouse) still exists today with the ceremonies and the Elemfo (Elem people) whom Tavernier painted in 1878.’”
Alongside Tavernier’s recently rediscovered masterpiece Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California (1878), more than 70 works will be presented, including paintings, prints, watercolors, and photographs by Tavernier, as well as representations of Pomo peoples by his contemporaries. An extraordinary display of over 40 pieces of Pomo basketry and regalia, along with a documentary film highlighting the Native context of Tavernier’s canvas, will celebrate the enduring culture and artistry of Pomo peoples.
Here is a video describing more of the Elem Pomo
Grandma loved learning about the history of the people of the land around Shang. We love learning about it, too. We thought you might appreciate it as well!
Katie
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Pete W. and I met the Insurance adjuster to survey the fire claim. I took this picture of the old oak tree over the Memorial Area.
The tree was the first project my Dad and I did at ranch. I climbed the tree, age 12, and looped the cables around the trunks. It had suffered fired damage years before and needed support.
This fire finished the job and you can see the white ash on the large trunk.
-Peter C.B. Madsen
The tree was the first project my Dad and I did at ranch. I climbed the tree, age 12, and looped the cables around the trunks. It had suffered fired damage years before and needed support.
This fire finished the job and you can see the white ash on the large trunk.
-Peter C.B. Madsen
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Local History
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A glimpse of Shangri-La in 1963.
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This page is a place to share memories of projects, gatherings around the table, great music and good times. It can be a specific memory or a general sense of what Shangri-La means to you. As this page grows, we will put postings into different categories.