Rocklin pioneers honored

Eight new parks will bear the names of pioneer families who helped settle Rocklin.The City Council voted to approve the memorial titles during its April 12 meeting.Mayor Peter Hill said the public is invited to hear how the family names were selected during a presentation at the Ruhkala Community Service Awards ceremony, 7 p.m., on April 27 in Finn Hall, 4090 Rocklin Road.Hill and Councilman Ken Yorde made up the committee that reviewed Rocklin's history then recommended the Bolton, Willard, Pernu, Brigham-Hawes, Wickman, Whitney, Corral-Alva and Gayaldo family names for neighborhood parks. They were adopted by resolution.According to Hill, the parks were named because the council wanted new residents to know about people who helped build Rocklin. "We also wanted to honor those people and families for their hard work," he added.The Whitney Ranch development between Stanford Ranch and Lincoln city limits will contain six of the new facilities. The other two will be in the Quarry Ridge subdivision at Rocklin Road and Sierra College, as well as in the Yankee Hills development north of Pacific Street and Sierra Meadows Drive. Each neighborhood park will display a bronze plaque that will include a brief history of the family for which it was named. n Bolton: James Bolton, a Rocklin pioneer, designed and laid out the original site for the city.n Willard: A family that has resided in Rocklin since 1886. Members have been Rocklin's constable, a Placer County game warden and the first city employee.n Pernu: Adolph Pernu, a quarry operator during Rocklin's busy granite era. He was key spokesperson and salesman for granite in California and at Pearl Harbor. He and his wife Helma raised six children and in 1910, he built the present day Rocklin City Hall. n Brigham-Hawes: Levi Hawes and wife Abbie, in 1859, had the first baby born in Rocklin. Charles Brigham and Elisha Hawes opened the city's first granite quarry in 1864. n Wickman: Anders O. and Victor Wickman, from Finland, worked in the granite business. Anders was a City Council member for 22 years and mayor for six. His daughter Florence became the wife of Ray Johnson and mother to Gene Johnson. Victor, partner to Nick Alexson, owned and worked a 100-foot deep quarry near what is now Ruhkala Road. Their sister Huldah married Rocklin merchant O. W. Perkuri. n Whitney Community Park: Joel Parker Whitney, pioneer landowner, amassed nearly 27,000 acres between Lincoln, Rocklin, Penryn and Roseville. He pioneered agriculture and fruit growing methods. Acres of his Spring Valley Ranch are now Stanford Ranch, Whitney Ranch and Whitney Oaks developments. n Corral-Alva: The Corral and Alva families came to Rocklin from Spain (by way of Hawaii) in 1920. Their farmland was where Sierra College is located, and beyond. They cleared and farmed the land for decades. The proposed Quarry Ridge development is on Corral and Alva family ranches. The park site is where the original 1922 Corral ranch house stood. n Gayaldo: Hank and Connie Gayaldo, members of Spanish families that came to Rocklin early in the 1900s, were active in the early development of Rocklin. Buildings they constructed on Pacific Street are still housing businesses. He served 17 years on the City Council and two years as mayor. She was active in Rocklin schools and the Chamber of Commerce. Candy Pernu Donnell works at Sierra Elementary School and is one of six of the honored families with members still living in Rocklin. She said her family is "thrilled" about the honor. The only surviving child born to Adolph and Helma, Gertrude Pernu Messer, will be among the dozen or so Pernu family members who plan to attend the presentation at Finn Hall. She is in her 80s and lives in a skilled nursing facility in Davis."She's the youngest of six, born and raised here. She is so excited," Donnell said. "My dad died when he was 88. He loved this town and he would be so thrilled if he were here."When members of the Alva and Corral families learned that a Rocklin city park would be constructed near their former ranches, they were touched.Alfred Corral, whose mother, Barbara Alva, married Frank Corral, is pleased that members of the Spanish community will be remembered for their contributions to the development of Rocklin and Placer County."Personally I feel very honored and moved that there will be a Corral-Alva Park representing my grandparents," he said. "With the total picture in mind, I am so pleased that this park, along with the Gayaldo and Joe Hernandez parks and Aguilar Road, will mean that Spanish involvement in Rocklin will be remembered." Yorde said through research and interviews, he has learned a great deal about the people who settled the city where he serves. - Brenda Meadows can be reached at brendam@goldcountrymedia.com.