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Soliciting local folklore
George McKale
There is so much history to write about that occasionally I come up with a little writer’s block. My wife calls that an oxymoron. Truth be told, I threw in the “oxy.” With the help of the Internet, I took a look at events which occurred worldwide on Dec. 17. On this day in 1961 a disgruntled employee set fire to a circus tent in Niteroi, Brazil. In 1944 the Green Bay Packers won the NFL championship. In 1821 Kentucky abolished the debtor’s prison, which was a good thing because at least half of all Americans might be spending Christmas in the hoosegow. The Aztec calendar stone was discovered in Mexico City in 1821. Now we may be getting somewhere.
The Aztec calendar stone doesn’t work either. So this week, I’m going with the vice of the devil: a little sarcasm. This week’s Turning Stones column is a challenge to my readers to get back at me. At the end of each column it tells you how to reach me. Please do it. Here’s what I need. Each week I meet new people who provide freely a little piece of Sonoma history. Often the conversation turns into a sort of game called, “Stump the City Historian.” My first clue we are playing the game usually comes with the words “I bet you didn’t know that …” Usually my response is “Wow.”
So let’s play. Most submissions will be presented in the last column of the year. Any submission that can be easily verified on Wikipedia will not be published. Let me provide you with some recent examples. Did you know no building in Sonoma can be taller than our City Hall? Did you know there is a clause written somewhere if our Mission is torn down, California is to revert back to Mexico? Did you know while Count Haraszthy, Father of California Viticulture, was supposedly eaten by a crocodile in Nicaragua – though some contend he actually made it back to Sonoma and was murdered? His makeshift grave, a decorated toilet seat, is up at Mountain Cemetery. Did you know a canon was found during construction of a new building on the Plaza in recent years?
Let’s talk about the history of the term “old wives’ tales.” Wikipedia says it is a type of urban legend generally passed down by old wives to a younger generation. These tales usually consist of superstition, folklore or unverified claims. I don’t think it is fair to call them old wives’ tales, as I remember my Dad when he was quite young, telling me a few strange and farfetched stories as I reached puberty. The submissions I am looking for must fall into the realm of superstition, folklore and claims that would be difficult to verify.
Folklore is a serious matter. There is in fact an American Folklore Society, an association of people who study knowledge about folklore throughout the world. Folklore includes knowledge that is shared primarily through word-of-mouth. Every group, including valley dwellers, comes with a sense of their own identity which includes folk-traditions-things people traditionally believe. So, by understanding some of the folkloric traditions and knowledge possessed by our locals, we may gain a better understanding into the culture we know as “valley life.” If you’re confused – great; so am I.
Thank goodness I am approaching my minimum word count. There seems to be a smidgeon of truth in superstition, old wives’ tales, urban legends and folklore. Provide me with yours and I shall dissect them to see what historical truth may lie within their creations. Like listing the greatest events of the past year, or counting down the best songs of all time, this years’ end for Turning Stones readers will include a list of the best folkloric tidbits you readers can muster. Don’t be shy, rest assured – to protect the abashed, names will not be published with your submissions.
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