GRASS VALLEY, Calif. October 30, 2018 – In honor of Veterans’ Day, The North Star Historic Conservancy presents author Gage McKinney to tell the story of William Hague, the young manager of the North Star gold mine who took American know-how to Europe and died in a field hospital in France.
When war began in August 1914, William Hague represented interventionist sentiment at a time when many Americans wanted to stay clear of European conflicts. He was the product of an international mining culture which urged America to join the fight and exercise global influence.
After the U. S. entered the war in 1916, and men like Hague shipped to France, American engineers changed the course of the brutal conflict. You will learn how mining men served, and why the exploits of one North Star miner were so … that they were recounted in a Hollywood movie.
McKinney’s books include The 1930s: No Depression Here and MacBoyle’s Gold. He descends from Cornish miners and lives in Grass Valley.
Built by Julia Morgan in the Arts and Crafts style in 1905, the North Star House is listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, and is located on a 14-acre portion of the former North Star Mine. The North Star Historic Conservancy, a nonprofit 501(c3), is working to re-establish this unique, historic house and grounds into a premier cultural event center. It is committed to maintaining the property for the public by promoting tours, events, educational activities and the arts.
When: Sunday, November 4, 2018
2 – 4 pm
Refreshments and book signing to follow
Where: The North Star House
12075 Auburn Road, Grass Valley