ORAL HISTORY J) ® lfj) ® © lfj) » KIRKPATRICK, JEAN Interviewed By: Cynthia L. Stephens History of the Mother Lode Course Instructor: Dick Dyer May 1, 1992
ORAL HISTORY
~®~fl1) K~[f~[p)~~[f~©
~ J) ® lfj) ®© lfj) »
KIRKPATRICK, JEAN
Interviewed By:
Cynthia L. Stephens
History of the Mother Lode Course Instructor: Dick Dyer
May 1, 1992
Jean Kirkpatrick (Jenson)
Jean Kirkpatrick (Jenson) was born September 25, 1913, in Napa, California. Her mother, Vivian Steves, was born in 1892 in the Fresno area. Vivian was a descendant of an early pioneer family who made their fortune during the Gold Rush and settled in the Napa area. Jean's father, Peter Jenson, was a native of Denmark. He moved to the United States to work on communication projects in the early 1900s. He and his partner invented the microphone and the loudspeaker, earning and quickly spending several fortunes.
Although not a native of Calaveras County, Jean began spending the summer months in Sheep Ranch when she was a child. She moved to Sheep Ranch when she was twelve, living there for several years. Her parents divorced, and while her mother stayed in Calaveras County, her father remarried and lived near Chicago. Jean spent the majority of her high school years with her father, but her real "home" was always Calaveras County. Jean moved to Murphys from the Bay Area in the 1940s, becoming a very active community volunteer, and later a teacher. She taught at the schoolhouse in Vallecito as well as many years at Mark Twain Elementary School in Angels Camp.
The first of the three interviews focuses on Jean's family background, her father's inventions, her schooling, and her activities in Calaveras County. The second interview focuses on Jean's memories about the Miwok Indians living in the Sheep Ranch area. The final interview describes the Sheep Ranch area and several of its residents, as well as the Murphys area and changes therein since the 1940s.
The quality of the first interview taping is poor as an older recorder was used. The quality is much improved for the remaining two interviews.
Recorder Count
001
067
214
265
314
325
363
430
481
542
INTERVIEW #1
March 15, 1992
Subject
Family background - Napa area
Father's history
Mother's move to Calaveras County
Riding the school bus from Sheep Ranch to San Andreas
Jean's home in Sheep Ranch
Children's activities in Sheep Ranch
Sheep Ranch Library (1920-30s)
Murphys Library (more recent history)
Jean's employment at Stanford outpatient clinic in San Francisco during the Depression
Jean's return to school to get teaching credentials in 1960s.
Recorder Count
001
034
149
231
258
328
360
381
392
418
442
INTERVIEW #2
March 29, 1992
SUbject
Description of Sheep Ranch Indian Camp
Story about "Limpy" (Rose Davis)
Jeff Davis' wife - Betsy Jeff Davis' death and disintegration of Sheep Ranch Indian
community
Jean's interaction with Miwoks in her community
Miwok children
Quail hunting
Acorn gathering
Interaction between children at school
Lenny Jeff
Story about basket made by Pinky Davis
Story about seeing Miwok men at Stanford Clinic in San Francisco
Recorder Count
001
046
107
207
256
303
340
428
INTERVIEW #3
April 12, 1992
Subject
Pioneer Hotel, Sheep Ranch
Bijoe Anderson
Miners and High Grade Holes
History of Jean's home in Murphys - built in 1882
Coke Wood - Murphys Museum
Ranch on Moran Road owned by Jean's mother
Murphys in 1940s - 50s
First Congregational Church, Murphys