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The Bells of El Camino Real: Restoring the Original Chimes
| Article
# : |
21486 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
5 / 2001 |
1,651 Words |
| Author
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Laura Byrd
Laura Byrd is an international travel writer and television
reporter with MediaInk Productions, based in Seattle,
Washington. |
To this day, the man's name remains a mystery. No one can remember where he lives, where he works, or how to reach him. All anyone can recall is that he tried to do a good deed and it went bad. "It's really sad," says Maureen Everett, chairman of the California Federation of Women's Clubs. "He wanted to do the right thing; he felt very bad about having the bell for so long. He knew it was valuable.
"When this man came into the Mission San Miguel a couple of years ago,"
explains Everett, "he told the mission's museum curator he had a bell in his garage that had been given to him by one of his employees over twenty years ago. He knew its history was significant--that it was an El Camino Real bell used to mark the original route from Mexico into the state of California back in 1906. He was embarrassed to have kept it all these years, and wanted to return it to the mission." But like many artifacts stolen by thieves who disregard history without blinking an eye, the treasure was never returned.
"A few days later," explains Everett sadly, "the curator called to make arrangements for transportation of the bell from the man's home, and was told that two men from the mission had already shown up days before and taken it. This man thought he was giving the bell to us, but we have no idea who the men were that picked up that bell, or where they went with it."
The only thing Everett and the other members do know is that this stolen bell will not be joining the growing number of new bells the club has been reproducing for the last four years. It's a
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