Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 072-1 - January 2018 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2017-11-30 16:03:10 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:06:33 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:06:33

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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NCHS Bulletin January 2018 Francisco, remained off the coast of California patrolling for British-flagged merchant and Royal Navy vessels. Wreckage from a British ship that washed up on the shores of San Francisco Bay was seen as evidence of the Leipzig’s stealthy presence off the coast. The Japanese cruiser, [dzumo, which had been taking on coal in San Diego, sailed north intending to intercept and sink the German vessel.° Determined to keep America out of the war, on August 4th President Woodrow Wilson declared the United States to be neutral. But for the majority of Nevada County residents, the news of the war’s expansion was intensely personal. For like much of America, Nevada County was a community of immigrants: 61 percent of the population was either foreign born, or had at least one parent who was foreign born. Male family members who had been left behind in Europe enlisted or were conscripted as massive armies were mobilized. Civilians found themselves at the mercy of the destructive powers of a continent at war. Amy Lita Brockington was a Red Cross nurse in WWI, and her father, mine ownerCharles Brockington, gave the Red Cross use of his Auburn Street house (below) for two years, rent-free. (Searls Historical Library photos) The July Crisis became what contemporaries would call the Great War, a four-year-long global cataclysm that killed or wounded almost 40 million people, upended the balance of power that had prevailed in Europe for a century, introduced a new age of mechanized and chemical warfare, and redrew boundaries around the world, that still affect the geopolitical landscape today. Although the battlefields of Europe were far removed from Nevada County, its citizens were affected by the war in ways large and small. The governments of both the Central and Allied Powers urged foreign-born men living in America to join the military services of their native lands. Many in Nevada County, especially citizens of Great Britain, heeded the call and joined the British and Canadian armies, often in response to recruiters who visited the camps and towns of the county. Residents from all walks of life immediately became engaged in war-related humanitarian efforts. County civic leaders, groups of women and high school clubs raised funds for the Commission for the Relief of Belgium and the Red Cross. Elementary school children collected tapped. in che war KNITTERS ASKED 10 HELP RUSH ORDERS zones, and for refugees fleeing to safer areas. Knitting and Children are wanted aut the, Red Cross headquarters this afternoon and every Saturday afternoon) trom sewing groups met regularly to make pa$:30 to 4:30 for special work. The : services of a large number (not too jamas, socks, hats, young) can be utilized. The purchasing committee is makand gloves to send ing pea effort to ‘obtain wool for abroad. Upon comknitters and hope seon to be suc! cessful. In the meantime . those pleting high school, knitters who have not already help-ed in the other departments can young men joined the military or the state militia. A number of the county’s young women graduates became nurses. In response to Germany’s sinking of American merchant and passenger vessels, President Wilson went to Congress on April 2, 1917, and asked for a declaration of war. His request was granted on April 6th. As America geared up for war over 3,300 of Nevada County’s men registered for the draft. More than 500 served in the armed services, domestically and as far afield as Hawaii, the Philippines, China and Siberia. Others were sent to the Western Front to replace soldiers of the Allied armies that had been decimated by three years of deadly fighting. Our nurses staffed military hospitals in the states, on ships, and near battlefields. join the sewers and render) much valuable assistance in connection with the large rush orders. Request for child volunteers in the October 6, 1917, Grass Valley Morning Union.