California Historical Landmark #273

By David Chesnut (College)

the town is quiet now
there was a time 170 years ago
or so
when Vallecito was populated by thousands of
miners and mexicanos who
dug and scraped and extracted the gold
from ore-rich Coyote Creek
hoping to get a piece of the motherlode before
it all ran out
today all that remains is
the post office established in 1854
continues today to deliver the mail
a few stone ruined reminders of those early days
scattered about
a church still in use since the 1800s
a cave that moans
several hundred current residents
most of which mispronounce their town’s name
the Spanish word for little valley
practically everyone does
including me