Caswell Park Pictures--New Hope

About the only place in the San Joaquin Valley that might be something like it was when the pioneers came to the valley is Caswell Park.  There was an exhibit that looked back over time; the Native Americans, the settlers of Stanislaus City in 1848, which later became Ripon.  It failed to mention New Hope, The Mormon community which predated Stanislaus City by a couple of year, 1846.

I looked at the canopy of oaks, with wild berries and wild grape.  This was an area also teaming in wildlife--beaver, elk, deer and bear.  The river supplied fish. 

These pictures are what we saw, which may give some idea of 1846 when the Mormons of New Hope planted the first wheat in the valley.  It must have been a job to clear the land.