When preserving artifacts, the focus is often not on restoring the object, but rather preserving the piece of history. This poses the question: What if there was a way to restore parts of history that have been ruined?
Such an opportunity is here in the Central Valley, where an effort is being made to restore a piece of local history.
The San Joaquin River is one of the Valley’s most valuable parts of nature. Over the past few years, the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust has taken steps to help restore the river.
Restoring this body of water is intended for the future use of the river. In order to record such efforts, author Coke Hallowell has compiled interviews of the river’s history to be preserved in a book, Take Me to the River.
Hallowell has put forth the effort into maintaining the history of the river. Over the past 10 years, Hallowell has been traveling up and down the river with her daughter, Joell, finding those who make up the history of this natural area.
“Being able to go through this experience with my daughter has been absolutely wonderful,” Coke said. “We have made so many memories for a good purpose by going up and down the river.”
This book differs from the common novel in that it consists of interviews, compiled during Hallowell’s journeys, from those with memories of the river, giving readers the opportunity to learn about and relate to them. She hopes the book will get the community more involved in restoring the San Joaquin River and preserving its history, she said.
“The stories are all so different,” Hallowell said. “There really is no better way to experience the history of the river than reading the stories of those who lived on and off of it.”
On Nov. 30, Hallowell offered one of many opportunities to speak with her and ask questions about the river and book, known as an “author talk,” at the Woodward Park Regional Library.
Unlike the typical author talk, where the writer may speak on his inspiration and background on the story, Hallowell took a different approach by focusing her oratory on the people in the book, the true storytellers.
The author talk began with a video of the interviews that Hallowell and her daughter had done while piecing together the book. Thirty-three interviews make up the book, and each storyteller was shown in the film, putting a personal perspective to the content of the book.
In addition, three volunteers read sections out of the book, including a friend of one of the women who shared a memory in Take Me to the River.
By attending this event, it became obvious that the book was written for a purpose, not simply for pleasure.
For more information, read the March 28, 2008 article, Fresno parkway expansion creates gem.
For more information on restoring the San Joaquin River, visit the San Joaquin River Partnership, or check out The Parkway Trust.
