Josephine Clifford McCracken
Encyclopedia
Josephine Clifford McCracken (1839–1921) was a California
writer and journalist, a contemporary of Bret Harte
, John Muir
, Ina Coolbrith
, and Joaquin Miller
, and an environmentalist.
, Petershagen
/Weser, during a time of much civil unrest. Her father, a former soldier at Waterloo, Belgium
, foresaw trouble from citizenry calling for revolution
, and so gathered his family in 1846 and fled to St. Louis, Missouri
.
In 1864, Josephine met and married Army
Lieutenant
James A. Clifford in New Mexico
. Clifford's sanity began to unravel and confessed to his wife that he had killed a man in Texas
. He threatened her, saying that if she told anyone, he would kill her too. After appealing to his superiors and making sure he was under guard, she fled to her family in San Francisco.
and for the newspapers Out West and Western Field while traveling though New Mexico and lower California, and once in San Francisco, turned full time to her love for writing
and literary pursuit. McCracken joined the staff of the Overland Monthly
as secretary in 1867. She befriended poet Ina Coolbrith who she called one of the Golden Gate Trinity along with the other two pillars of the Overland Monthly, Bret Harte and Charles Warren Stoddard
. Coolbrith called her "Jo". Her first piece for the journal, "Down Among the Dead Leaves", was published in 1869. In 1871 a collection of her short stories were published in book form in a volume entitled Overland Tales. Continuing to write, she eventually became a respected figure in the San Francisco literary community. In 1880, she bought 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains
and built a home in the community of Summit, California
.
In 1882 in Salinas, California
, she met and married Joseph McCracken, a former Arizona
congressman. The couple settled into Josephine's house, then a literary gathering place, however, in 1899 a large forest fire
destroyed both the house and the surrounding redwood trees.
The disaster prompted Josephine's turn to environmentalism
to save the redwoods. In 1900, Andrew Hill
was commissioned to photograph the area after the fire. As McCracken was both a friend and a member of the Pacific Coast Press Association, Hill wrote a letter of concern to Josephine which she published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
along with an article urging people to rally around the cause. She continued to work with Hill, and together they succeeded in having legislation
passed to protect the redwoods in Big Basin Redwoods State Park
.
On June 29, 1915, McCracken traveled from Santa Cruz
to attend Ina Coolbrith Day at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition
in San Francisco. She watched from the overflowing audience as Coolbrith was named the first California Poet Laureate. After several more speeches were made in her honor, and bouquets brought in abundance to the podium, Coolbrith addressed the crowd: "There is one woman here with whom I want to share these honors: Josephine Clifford McCracken. For we are linked together, the last two living members of Bret Harte's staff of Overland writers." McCracken was then ushered up from her seat in the audience to join Coolbrith on stage.
In 1919 at the age of 80, McCracken wrote to Coolbrith to complain to her dear friend of still having to work for a living: "The world has not used us well, Ina; California has been ungrateful to us. Of all the hundred thousands the state pays out in pensions of one kind and another, don't you think you should be at the head of the pensioners, and I somewhere down below?"
.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
writer and journalist, a contemporary of Bret Harte
Bret Harte
Francis Bret Harte was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California.- Life and career :...
, John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
, Ina Coolbrith
Ina Coolbrith
Ina Donna Coolbrith was an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community...
, and Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller was the pen name of the colorful American poet Cincinnatus Heine Miller , nicknamed the "Poet of the Sierras".-Early years and family:...
, and an environmentalist.
Early history
McCracken was born in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Petershagen
Petershagen
Petershagen is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Petershagen is situated on the river Weser, approx...
/Weser, during a time of much civil unrest. Her father, a former soldier at Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
, foresaw trouble from citizenry calling for revolution
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
, and so gathered his family in 1846 and fled to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
In 1864, Josephine met and married Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
James A. Clifford in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Clifford's sanity began to unravel and confessed to his wife that he had killed a man in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He threatened her, saying that if she told anyone, he would kill her too. After appealing to his superiors and making sure he was under guard, she fled to her family in San Francisco.
In California
McCracken wrote articles for Harper BrothersHarper (publisher)
Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins.-History:James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishing business J. & J. Harper in 1817. Their two brothers, Joseph Wesley Harper and Fletcher Harper, joined them...
and for the newspapers Out West and Western Field while traveling though New Mexico and lower California, and once in San Francisco, turned full time to her love for writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
and literary pursuit. McCracken joined the staff of the Overland Monthly
Overland Monthly
Overland Monthly was a monthly magazine based in California, United States, and published in the 19th and 20th century.The magazine's first issue was in July 1868, and continued until the late 1875. The original publishers, in 1880, started The Californian, which became The Californian and Overland...
as secretary in 1867. She befriended poet Ina Coolbrith who she called one of the Golden Gate Trinity along with the other two pillars of the Overland Monthly, Bret Harte and Charles Warren Stoddard
Charles Warren Stoddard
Charles Warren Stoddard was an American author and editor.-Life and works:Charles Warren Stoddard was born in Rochester, New York on August 7, 1843. He was descended in a direct line from Anthony Stoddard of England, who settled at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1639...
. Coolbrith called her "Jo". Her first piece for the journal, "Down Among the Dead Leaves", was published in 1869. In 1871 a collection of her short stories were published in book form in a volume entitled Overland Tales. Continuing to write, she eventually became a respected figure in the San Francisco literary community. In 1880, she bought 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
and built a home in the community of Summit, California
Summit, California
Summit is a small unincorporated community more frequently referred to by locals as the Loma Prieta Community located predominantly in Santa Cruz County, California, in the mountain ranges of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It lies at the summit along Highway 17 from which is gets its name...
.
In 1882 in Salinas, California
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
, she met and married Joseph McCracken, a former Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
congressman. The couple settled into Josephine's house, then a literary gathering place, however, in 1899 a large forest fire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
destroyed both the house and the surrounding redwood trees.
The disaster prompted Josephine's turn to environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
to save the redwoods. In 1900, Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill was an American jazz pianist and composer.Hill is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s...
was commissioned to photograph the area after the fire. As McCracken was both a friend and a member of the Pacific Coast Press Association, Hill wrote a letter of concern to Josephine which she published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
Santa Cruz Sentinel
The Santa Cruz Sentinel is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by MediaNews Group Inc....
along with an article urging people to rally around the cause. She continued to work with Hill, and together they succeeded in having legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
passed to protect the redwoods in Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift of its rim, and the erosion of its center by the many...
.
On June 29, 1915, McCracken traveled from Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
to attend Ina Coolbrith Day at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
in San Francisco. She watched from the overflowing audience as Coolbrith was named the first California Poet Laureate. After several more speeches were made in her honor, and bouquets brought in abundance to the podium, Coolbrith addressed the crowd: "There is one woman here with whom I want to share these honors: Josephine Clifford McCracken. For we are linked together, the last two living members of Bret Harte's staff of Overland writers." McCracken was then ushered up from her seat in the audience to join Coolbrith on stage.
In 1919 at the age of 80, McCracken wrote to Coolbrith to complain to her dear friend of still having to work for a living: "The world has not used us well, Ina; California has been ungrateful to us. Of all the hundred thousands the state pays out in pensions of one kind and another, don't you think you should be at the head of the pensioners, and I somewhere down below?"
External links
Short radio episode The Valley Still Verdant from the short story "La Graciosa," by Josephine Clifford McCracken, 1877, from the California Legacy ProjectCalifornia Legacy Project
The California Legacy Project began in 2000 as a project at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA and later partnered with Heyday Books in Berkeley, CA. The project uses a research team of SCU interns to create radio scripts for the radio anthology "Your California Legacy" on KAZU 90.3 FM,...
.