It was the summer of 2009. My father decided to enter a screenwriting/filmmaking contest in Sacramento. He wanted it to be about Sacramento, of course - the competition was called "A Place Called Sacramento"... We live in an old Gold Rush town and my dad is fascinated with history so he did some research and found the perfect story to tell - that of Jenny "Cloud" Wimmer, who was the cook for James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma - where gold was first found in California.
     The Golden Tree is a "Gold Rush Movie about a father who piques his daughter’s interest about the discovery of their historic relatives during the Sacramento gold rush, and when she finds a journal written by her great great, great, great uncle William Wimmer, a treasure hunt begins." (From the official website).
     We shot some scenes in my bedroom at home; we had a great picture of one of my relatives that actually looked like my older brother so we pretended like that was "William Wimmer". We also went to Sutter's Fort and the North Star House for some scenes.
     The Sutter of Sutter's Fort is the man who sent aid to the Donner Party. The Fort has been restored to it's former glory and is open daily. Volunteers dress up as characters and perform duties like churning butter and making horseshoes. When I was in fourth grade, my class was invited to play characters and have a sleepover at the Fort. We made our own butter for our food, learned old songs, and even got to patrol with the guards at night. It was awesome going back there for this movie.
     The North Star House was designed by the same woman who designed Hearst Castle - Julia Morgan. The House is located near the North Star Mine - the second largest producer of gold during the California Gold Rush. The superintendent of the Mine - Arthur De Wint Foote - and his wife - author and illustrator of pioneering women in the West - Mary Hallock Foote lived in the House. It has gone through many owners since and many forms of decay and grafitti. My grandfather is helping to restore the house to it's former glory.
     (I am also fascinated with history.)

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