I would like to share in these following pages a bit of my experiences concerning a place near my old home in California. The place I will be talking about is a site where the coal mining town of Tesla once stood. It was a short lived town but very significant in the history of industrial development in California.
It was a place that was well known for some cultural aspects as well. It existed for a time in the 1890's through the 1910's. But rather than delve into the more historical aspects of Tesla I would like to share with you the reasons why I feel drawn to it and my own experiences of visiting the old town site. I also have several pictures on following pages which I have taken over the years of visiting this wonderful place. For those who would like to learn more about Tesla's history please visit the following link:
http://cmug.com/~minesroad/Tesla.html
I first visited the townsite back in the summer of 1997. I did not know that it had once been a town, but I remember sitting at the gate which barred my way back into the canyon where it once had been. I looked back into the canyon and felt as though something was calling to my spirit. I had spent the morning picking up trash along the road there and though I wanted to, I refrained from jumping the fence due to my uncertainty on whether or not it was private property.
Just as I was putting the bag of trash into my pickup to leave a ranger pulled up. His name was Owen and we talked a bit about the area. He asked me if I had been back into the canyon to which I honestly replied no, as I did not want to trespass. He informed me that the state had recently purchased the property and said "unofficially" that I should go back and check it out. He told me of some of the features back there and I must admit that I was eager to explore that which had called to my spirit.
That first visit was a short one. I was not disappointed however. I discovered a truly intriguing area and witnessed many wonderful things. I found a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Beautiful Manzanitas, buckeyes, oak, pine and some wildflowers. I saw roadrunners, deer, golden eagles, hawks, rabbits, coyotes and much more. I explored an old mine back in one canyon but could not go too far as I had no light source. I found myself fascinated with the place and marvelled at many of the geological features as well. What I discovered was an area rich in natural resources. I knew and could "feel" that this was a very special place. I saw some evidence of past human habitation such as old building frames, the mine, ceramic piping and plant species which didn't seem indiginous, but nature seemed to have done a good job of reverting to it's own form. Though I didn't stay too long I knew that I would come back to this place often.
In subsequent visits, both alone and with friends, I discovered new wonders and more beauty as the seasons changed. One incident which I experienced involved a seeming flashback of an event which may have taken place there. (I have a reputation of being psychic you see.) A few years later I met a fellow who knew something of the area and loaned me a book about the old town's history. I devoured the text and it served only to deepen my intrigue with the site. As I learned more of the place and it's history, my connection with it seemed to deepen and I came to view the place as "an old friend".
Even though I live far from Tesla now in the little town of Farichance Pennsylvania I still consider it my "old friend" and know that I will visit it every time I return so long as it is possible to do so. It is my understanding that there is controversy now pending on the future of the site. There is talk of expanding the Off road vehicular park in nearby Carnegie to include the townsite. This, I feel, would be a great crime. Such use of the land would drastically alter the natural beauty of Tesla and destroy much of what I hold dear there. If these plans go through then I would be deeply saddened. There is a group however dubbed "The friends of Tesla" which are working to prevent this.
Please continue on to the following pages where I will share some of the photographs I have taken on my many visits to "my old friend". |
