Grand Trustee Ethan Phillips, John C. Bidwell No. 21.
In a three-part ceremony on the grounds of the Catholic church in Smartsville on June 14, a team of Native Sons reinstituted Yuba Parlor #55, installed its officers and initiated its first class of members.
PGP David Allen led the reinstitution and officer initiation teams, while Grand Second VP Ron Brocco led the initiatory team.
After all the work was completed there was a social and barbe-cue to welcome the brothers of Yuba Parlor #55, and at this time they opened the Catholic church to showcase their progress on the restoration of the church interior. I applaud their ambitious efforts on saving this piece of early California history. A special thanks to the following brothers who came up to prepared the barbecue: Brothers Vern Purcell of Piedmont #120 and Brother Dan Foppe of Nicasio #183.
The late Huell Howser of NPR’s California’s Gold produced a program on Smartsville which you can watch on the internet at https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2009/01/14/smartsville-californias-gold-11001/

Where’s Smartsville?

Smartsville, home of Yuba Parlor #55, is a California Histori-cal Landmark town located at an altitude of 660 feet about 15 miles northweast of Marysville along State Route 20.
With an area of just .7 square miles, Smartsville boasted a population of 177 in the 2010 census.
The town was named for James Smart, a local hotel propri-etor during the days of the Gold Rush. In the spring of 1856, Smart built a hotel. The town gained a post office in 1865 when mining was at a peak; extensive placer mining tailings remain throughout the area.