Kelseyville, California, is a small town on Clear Lake that boasts beautiful nature, wine tastings, and quaint shops that beckon tourists. It was also named for Andrew Kelsey, a brutal landowner who exploited Native labor. Kelsey, along with his partner Charles Stone, was killed in 1849 in an uprising known as the Bloody Island Massacre. Frequent Alta Journal contributor Lydia Lee looked at the challenges of renaming Kelseyville and what it might mean for its residents. How does changing the name of a town help heal its past and prepare it for a better future? Lee sits down with Alta Live to discuss Kelseyville, where residents are deciding whether or not to rename the town Konocti, along with John Parker, an archaeologist and anthropologist based in Kelseyville.
About the guests:
Lydia Lee writes frequently about design and architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area and is the author of the forthcoming book, The Well-Designed Accessory Dwelling Unit: Fitting Great Architecture into Small Spaces.
Dr. John Parker holds a PhD in archaeology, a master’s degree in anthropology, and has been a Registered Professional Archaeologist/Historian since 1985. He began conducting archaeological research in Lake County in 1971 and has conducted hundreds of archaeological surveys and mitigation projects throughout the county.
