The Oakdale Cowboy Museum is proud to announce the honorees for our 2009 Dinner & Auction Fundraiser, which will take place on Saturday, September 19, at Rocha’s Valley Enterprises. Our memorial recognition will be Colin Harvey, a long time Oakdale resident and local rancher. Our special tribute for the evening will be the Rosasco Ranch and Family of Jamestown. In the next two issues of our monthly newsletter, you’ll learn more about our honorees.
Colin Harvey was born on Sept 15, 1909 in Sonora, California. He lived off of Wards Ferry Road on his father’s 150 acre ranch. He worked for his father in the Sonora area until age 13, when shortly after that he left home to work in the mountains tending sheep and cattle. He worked for many local ranchers such as Ellenwood, Woods and Sanguinetti. When he turned 15, he and Curly Sardella quit working for Joe Sanguinetti and hired on with the government, shooting deer during an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease. There are stories told of shoot outs between Curly and Colin. The two also roped a bear. Colin had the bear snubbed up to his horse, when Curly poked the bear with a stick. The bear jumped and Colin’s horse bucked him off. At which point she kept bucking until she bucked off the cliff.
In the 1930’ and early 40’s Colin had a pack station and riding stable in Pinecrest. He would pack fishermen and deer hunters into the Emigrant Basin country. He was also one of the first to pack trout, and stock some of the lakes in the back country.
On July 2, 1941, Colin married Jean Sundborg of Sonora. Miss Sundborg was a graduate of Sonora High and San Francisco State, where she earned her teaching degree in 1937. She later became a teacher at Sonora Grammar schools. Colin and Jean had three children. Bill was born on April 22, 1943 in a military hospital in Monterey, CA. John was born December 22, 1944 in Sonora, and daughter, Judy was born January 17, 1951 in Oakdale.
When WWII broke, Colin was called up and had six months to sell his pack outfit. He served as a sergeant in the signal corps. During the invasion of Attu in the Aleutian Islands, he was shot in the belly by a Japanese Sniper. After he recuperated the Army made him a teacher in the Signal Corps.
Colin returned from the war in 1945, and he and Jean bought a small ranch in the Oakdale area where he worked for the H. Moffat Company.
In the 1950’s he leased the Barnett ranch and started running cattle. He partnered with Phil Stadtler and ran yearlings and also partnered with Bill Rodden and Bill Cook.
In 1968, at the ripe age of 60, he returned to his beloved mountains where he started another pack station and riding stable in the Bear Valley area, eventually turning over his leases and pack station to his sons in the early 70’s.
As a young man Colin entered many local rodeos entering the saddle bronc riding or anything that bucked. He also entered the wild cow milking and team roping. He roped with local cowboys such as Tony Amaral, Johnnie Bonavia, and George Lake. He was also a member of the Sonoma County Trail Blazers.
Colin’s favorite hang out was at the H-B with good friend and owner, “grandpa” Dave Bachi. “They were pretty good friends said, Mike Bacigalupi and they had some pretty good times. There were a lot of cattle deals that were made in here.”
Colin passed away July 1982. His wife Jean passed away October 31, 2005.
