Lucia Barrett used to live in the Town of Cowell. Just before the town was destroyed, she was able to salvage some old documents and some glass negatives. Her son, Duke Barrett, offered me the opportunity to use the negatives and documents as a memory to his mother.
Here is an example of one of the negatives:
 Glass negative And here is how the picture turned out:
 Construction Photograph The Cowell Historical Society is very pleased to present the Lucia Barrett Collection of documents and photographs. The documents are dated between 1911 and 1930, and the photographs are of the construction of the Cowell Portland Cement plant. I also have the negatives posted for those who are interested.
I found a great picture on Claycord, taken from Concord’s Bicentennial Calendar.
Fellow Claycordian, Livesteam scanned all of the pictues, and sent them to me, so I posted them here: http://cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/calendar.html.
Today, I got this email from the CHA:
Cowell HOA Community Meeting – We Need YOU!!
Please join us for our second URGENT community meeting in the CHOA Clubhouse on Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 p.m. We will be discussing the recent vandalism and security of our community and what your Board of Directors is doing. This second meeting in April will review crime statistics, legal questions and include the Concord Police officers.
All of our association and community have read of recent acts of vandalism and other crimes that are coming ever closer to home. In the past days and weeks, the CHOA community has been victim. Several cars have had windows broken and tires slashed. The association has power enclosures on the greenbelt damaged or destroyed causing dangerous electrical and lighting problems. These incidents have greatly concerned your Board of Directors and the community as a whole.
What are we doing? The BOD has had emergency discussions and has added more security patrols and rebuilt the power enclosures to make them more secure and less susceptible to damage. We are also working with the Concord Police to establish a stronger Neighborhood Watch
What Is Neighborhood Watch?
Neighborhood Watch is a shared responsibility and connection between the police and community. The goal is to make the Crossings a safer, more secure community through crime prevention and problem solving strategies. It is part of the overall philosophy of Concord’s Community Policing that we will be taking the opportunity to be involved in. Neighborhood Watch involves:
- Neighbors getting to know each other and working together.
- Implementing crime prevention techniques and strategies in homes and neighborhoods.
- Helping to solve neighborhood problems through a partnership between you and your police department.
How Do I Get Involved? – Come to the second meeting on April 22nd. This is an information and organizational meeting.
OK, when I think of Community Watch, I have memories of my Navy days, patrolling an area on the midwatch. I’m going to attend the meeting, just to learn a little more about the program.
Everyone knows this area as “The Crossings”, but you would never know it from the signs.
 Walnut Country Sign - Taken from the Cowell HOA website
The “Walnut Country” name dates back many years, but has no relevance to anything currently in this area. It’s not like there was a famous walnut orchard before this community was built. And nothing edible ever fell off of the smokestack. Even the HOA is known as the Cowell Homeowners Association. So, how did we get stuck with Walnut Country?
The bad news is that our entrance signs need to be repaired or replaced. The good news is that we have an opportunity to revisit the way we are portrayed to people entering or passing our neighborhood. At last month’s community meeting, there seemed to be overwhelming support for a new sign that featured a bold “The Crossings” with a smaller “Walnut Country” underneath. I like that idea, a lot, and told the Board of Directors so.
If you have an idea about what you’d like to see in an entrance sign, let the board know before they have to commit to a design.
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 7:00 PM at the CLUBHOUSE.
Recent vandalism and security issues to be discussed by the Board of Directors including information on neighborhood watch.
My friend, the Mayor of Claycord, is reporting that the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors is is once again considering a request to change the name of Mt. Diablo: PROPOSAL TO CHANGE NAME OF MOUNT DIABLO TO “MOUNT REAGAN” IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT
Just leave the name alone!
On Saturday, August 29, 2009, The Cowell Homeowners Association Board of Directors hosted a ceremony to dedicate the Smokestack Memorial. In spite of the extreme heat, it was a great event, and many Crossings residents turned out, as well as several people who had lived in the Town of Cowell.
Mark Weinmann was the Master of Ceremonies. Mayor Hoffmeister cut the ceremonial ribbon, and councilmen Bjerke and Shinn were also on hand to represent Concord.
Texas Back 40 did the catering, and everyone ate very well. For the kids, they had bounce-houses, sno-cones, and face painting. The Walnut Country Swim Team and our Pre-school had booths set up. CCWD was on hand to share tips on saving water without violating the CCRs regarding lawn care. Concord police had information on neighborhood watches and preventing crime. The Crossing’s own Cub Scout Pack, Pack 445, brought some of their pinewood derby cars and did a little recruiting.
I was lucky enough to share a booth with the Concord Historical Society and several former residents of the Town of Cowell.
For more pictures, go to http://cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/dedication.html.
 Sally Morgan A couple of weeks ago, I got an E-Mail from Sally Morgan asking if I knew about the Cowell Lime Works Historic District at UC Santa Cruz. When I admitted that I hadn’t heard of it, she invited Mrs. Cowellian and me to come and take a tour. Yesterday, she graciously gave us the grand tour, allowing us to take pictures and ask questions. I’d like to thank my wife for taking all of the pictures. I’ve posted the pictures and information on the Cowell Historical Society site: cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/lime.html
The Cowell Ranch, along with the Cowell Lime Works, is a fascinating place, since working with limestone sets the stage for the creation of the Cowell Portland Cement Plant, and the Town of Cowell. Henry Cowell made his fortune at the Lime Works, and his heirs increased it with the Cowell Portland Cement Factory.
I know a lot of people are unhappy that we were not able to save the smokestack, but here is an outstanding opportunity to actually save some history. Sally and the Cowell Lime Works Historic District are making a difference in preserving some real California history. If you want to visit, the only cost is $6.00 to park on campus. If you’d like to help, drop them a line at limeworks@ucsc.edu.
The Smokestack demolition occurred very quickly, but the work on the memorial has been progressing at a much slower speed. Mr. Larkins has been sending me memorial pictures all summer, and I finally published them on Cowell Historical Society site: http://cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/memorial.html
Here is a picture of Jim Kikker and Tillie Larkins getting their souvenir bricks from Mark Weinmann.
I’ve made a few changes to the layout of the Blog which SHOULD make it easier to read on a mobile device. Please let me know if you have any problems accessing the site.
Last weekend’s distribution of Smokestack bricks was only for Crossings residents. There are still a few bricks left over, and they will be available to anyone who wants them, on a first-come, first-served basis, this weekend. If you want a brick, show up at the Crossings Business Office on Saturday, August 15th, between 9:00 and 11:00 am.
Read all about it at The Cowell Smokestack Project – Official Home.
Crossings Residents can pick up a brick at the Business Office on Saturday, August 8, between 9 and noon.
 If there are still bricks available, non-residents can pick up bricks next weekend. Read all about it at The Cowell Smokestack Project – Official Home
 Brick from Cowell Smokestack The Cowell Homeowners Association is ready to distribute bricks from the Smokestack. Get all the details at The Cowell Smokestack Project – Official Home
Before the Cowell Smokestack was demolished, the Cowell Homeowners Association Board of Directors commissioned Gary Augistino of In-Flight Camera to take aerial photographs of the Smokestack, as well as the entire Crossings. Here is one of the close-ups of the smokestack:
Photo courtesy of Mark Weinmann.
Click on the picture to see it full size, but be aware that it is a huge file to download.
To see more of these amazing photos, go to http://cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/aerial.html.
Bill Larkins has provided a picture of the new monument being built:
The rebar on the bottom is for the new concrete floor, and the wooden forms around the top are for the top surface of the memorial. The next big task will be landscaping.
The Official Cowell Smokestack Project blog is posting smokestack stories this week. Check them out here: http://cowellsmokestack.blogspot.com/2009/07/smokestack-stories-volume-1.html.
The demolition is complete for all intents and purposes. What remains will become the monument.
You can see that the floor has been filled in and tamped down. A floor of bricks will be laid and a pedestal with a plaque will be included.
The gravel roadbed will be removed and the landscaping will be upgraded.
Thank you to Mr. Bill Larkins, who took all of today’s pictures.
 The smokestack is down to just a few feet, the bricks are gone, and according to Mr. Larkins, rumor has it that the demolition crew will be gone after tomorrow, leaving only enough of the stack to craft the memorial.
No official decision has been made regarding distribution of the bricks, so I’d advise keeping an eye on the official smokestack site, Cowell Smokestack Project – Official Home if you’re interested in getting yourself a piece of history.
 Today was a clean-up day. The Smokestack doesn’t seem much shorter, but the site is much cleaner. Much of the rebar has been cut away, and trucks have hauled off a lot of the debris and rubble.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Bill Larkins
From today’s Contra Costa Times:
Slide Show: Cowell smokestack comes down
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_12688570
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