Pubdate: Sun, 24 Jan 2016
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Ukiah Daily Journal
Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback
Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581
Author: Kate Maxwell, TWN

LOCALS COLLECT MENDOCINO COUNTY'S CANNABIS HISTORY

Marijuana has been a part of life in Mendocino since the back to the 
land movement of the 1960s and '70s, but new regulations for 
commercial cultivation and proposed recreational use are likely to 
bring a significant transition to local growing communities.

Over the decades, the original long hairs have become gray hairs, and 
with impending state legalization and shifts in national enforcement 
attitudes, it seems to many that the age of underground weed is 
drawing to a close and receding into history.

So while farmers seek out new market opportunities, local historians 
are looking to preserve some of the unique culture of these secretive 
communities before the legal changes relegate that way of life to a 
fading memory. These historians are trying to preserve the history of 
this community so that, as the world's first historian the ancient 
Greek Herodotus said, "...that time may not draw the color from what 
man has brought into being..."

Such projects face particular challenges bringing to light a cultural 
history long ensconced in secrecy, where keeping any kind of records 
can be even more incriminating than sharing seeds. Despite this, 
several local historians are beginning to tackle the project of 
presenting history to the public, creating ways for locals and 
tourists to understand the historical development of the 
internationally renowned growing communities which took root in the 
north coast region.

The Willits News talked with several of the local organizers intent 
on developing projects to preserve and exhibit Mendocino County's 
cannabis history.

Museum and archives

At the Mendocino County Museum, Director Allison Glassey has been 
searching for ways to display some of the historical materials in the 
museum archives to provide a local representation of the county's 
cannabis history.

"For people that are interested in historical documentation, this 
will be considered an interesting chapter in our county's history. 
It's our history-one doesn't have to take sides to see there's a 
value in collecting archives, and looking at a wider perspective than 
the day to day political perspective," said Glassey, emphasizing the 
importance of timely archival preservation.

"Anytime you have an archival collection, someone 20 or 50 years 
earlier had to decide to collect all that stuff. You can't get the 
same level of understanding from a newspaper article."

Glassey pointed out that such exhibits can provide a broader 
historical understanding to visitors to the region, and that 
Mendocino County is considered on the forefront of many of the 
cannabis policy decisions that have shaped the industry's 
development. "This is certainly part of the county's history, and we 
hope people will contribute materials to see things displayed here locally."

She pointed out that this year's Mendocino County Road Show is 
focused on the era of Mendocino alcohol prohibition and bootlegging, 
and she sees a variety of historical parallels between the two industries.

Glassey will also be working "archive to archive" with the 420 
Archive, a national archive project started by historian and 
archivist Joe Hoover, who has been collecting and archiving oral 
histories from those involved with the cannabis industry around the country.

Hoover, who has attended national and local cannabis events seeking 
out participants for the project, is documenting histories in 
Humboldt and Mendocino counties from people who are willing to share 
their stories of the Emerald Triangle's past. After attending the 
Emerald Cup, Hoover met with Glassey and several local residents to 
expand research efforts in the region.

The project is focused on creating a formal archive for long-term 
material preservation, and California based board members to help 
identify resources and participants.

"It'll all be gone in a few years if we don't preserve it; it's very 
much in danger of being lost or misrepresented" he pointed out. 
"People think what's history is the pioneers, but as more states do 
their own growing, we hope to collect the heritage and history of 
this region in order to use it-for research, for tourism, there's a 
lot of substantial benefits."

Hoover is seeking additional participants and suggestions, and is 
also working to list a Laytonville area farm with the Federal 
Register of Historic Places as the oldest continuously operated 
cannabis farm in the country.

More information about the project and contact information can be 
found at 420archive.org.

Hoover and Glassey have also been working with one local archivist, 
Richard Jergenson, who started the Cannabis Culture Museum in 
Willits, which spans almost 50 years of local cannabis history.

After debuting at the 2014 Emerald Cup, Jergenson has displayed his 
collection at the Area 101 farmers' market in Laytonville and gives 
private tours. He is planning to collaborate with the museum and the 
420 Archive Project to find ways to better share his archive and 
Mendocino's history with the public in the future.

Library collection

At the Mendocino County Library, the new cannabis collection went on 
display at the Ukiah Branch last week, showcasing the project 
initiated by former County Librarian Wally Clark last year.

Inspired by the Wine Resource Center and Archive housed at the 
Healdsburg Regional Library, Clark began developing a local cannabis 
reference resource before his departure last year. The Wine Library 
contains materials documenting the local history of winemaking, as 
well as collections to facilitate industry research and ongoing 
educational events.

After seeking out locals knowledgeable about different aspects of the 
industry, including cultivation, making medicinal products, history, 
cookbooks, botany guides and more, Clark and Collections Librarian 
Jennifer Bishop began developing a list of relevant titles, to be 
housed in a "closed stacks" reference collection in the county.

After Clark's resignation, Ukiah Branch Director Anne Shirako 
volunteered to continue the project at the county's main branch.

"We're still working on expanding the collection," explained Shirako, 
who encouraged patrons to check out the resource and make suggestions 
for titles they'd like to see included.

"There are locals who have a lot of knowledge about this," she said, 
explaining the library wants to acquire titles that local residents 
think are important resources for cannabis cultivation, industry 
information and other cannabis research subjects.

A clipboard is currently attached to the new display to allow patrons 
to make title suggestions, and the list of available books can be 
found by doing keyword searches for cannabis, hemp or marijuana in 
the library catalog. Books can also be requested from other branches, 
and the collection includes over 40 titles and counting.

Shirako explained that due to the subject matter, the collection 
would be considered a "closed reference" collection for some titles, 
meaning that patrons must request some books that will not be shelved 
in the main library in order to prevent theft (also an issue for 
mushroom field guides, Grateful Dead histories and other popular subjects).

Other efforts

Another local group seeking to present the history of cannabis 
cultivation is the recently opened Emerald Pharms dispensary in 
Hopland, a dispensary focused on providing CBD-rich cannabis.

Martin Lee, who is involved in starting the project, said the 
dispensary will feature displays detailing the history of cannabis 
cultivation as well as some more recent artifacts from cannabis 
cultivation in California.

Lee is also coordinating with The Solar Living Institute in Hopland 
to build a hemp-based structure on the institute's grounds which will 
focus on presenting the history of renewable energy and cannabis 
cultivation in the region.

Lee said the group is working to develop a museum exhibit for the 
building that will illustrate how off-grid living and renewable 
energy use developed alongside the often remote homesteads where 
local growers began cultivation decades ago.

Lee said he expected the facility to be open to visitors to the Solar 
Living Institute and expected completion of the building sometime this spring.

Outside the county, historians in Humboldt County have been 
discussing similar museum projects since 2010, and researchers with 
Humboldt State University have begun several efforts to collect 
research for posterity.

Finally, the Oakland Museum of California will be presenting an 
exhibit titled "Altered State: Marijuana in California," billed as 
the "first ever" exhibit on cannabis in California, which opens April 16.

With the high possibility of a recreational use initiative on the 
2016 ballot, the exhibit description states its purpose is to provide 
"a community space where people can come together to learn, question, 
discuss, and add their voice to the different points of views 
surrounding this complex and evolving topic."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom