The Shasta County town of Cottonwood, just minutes south of Redding, is located along the Cottonwood Creek approximately four miles west of the Sacramento River.
During the hot summer months the indigenous "digger" pines were sought out by the migratory hunter-gatherer peoples who lived here before the coming of the Europeans. These, in part, were the Wintu California Indians who used its seeds and parts of cones, bark, and buds as food supplements, and its twigs, needles, cones, and resin in basket and drum construction.
Indians and early settlers used the resin of Digger pine for medicinal purposes. During California's gold rush period, from 1848 to 1860, all foothill timber, including Digger pine, was heavily used for fuel and structural materials. Despite these uses, Digger pine was viewed with contempt by many early settlers who placed slight value on a tree that provided little shade and poor lumber. In fact, the term "Digger" stems from a contemptuous name given by early settlers to the many small Indian tribes once occupying central California.
The Poets of the Pine Cone Ridge have been meeting monthly at various locations in the area, and have begun involving themselves in the poetic and arts activities of the greater Chico area.
Meetings are held from 1 pm to 3 pm on the first Sunday of the month at places alternating between Cottonwood and Chico.
For more information, contact PCRhost@ChaparralPoets.org
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