New book mines rich history at Black Diamond

Just along the outskirts of Antioch lies a piece of coal-mining history. From the 1860s to the turn of the 20th century, the Mount Diablo Coal Field was the largest coal-producing region in California and once boasted five thriving communities. The coal mine, the communities and the area's change to ranching are featured in the new book that was released Monday.
The underground mining museum at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch will celebrate the start of its season with an open house from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with free, self-guided tours for visitors ages 7 and older. Copies of the newly released "Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve," a book of historic photos, will be available for purchase.
In 1973, the coal mine and the area around the site was purchased by the East Bay Regional Park District and turned into a historical landmark. Parent, a 30-year veteran of the park district, has been a staff member at Black Diamond Mines Preserve since 1977, and is the supervising naturalist at the park. Until recently, Terhune was a staff member as well, taking entrance fees at the park's front gate entrance. She is presently a volunteer. The authors have heard lots of stories and memories from people who have passed through the gates at the preserve.
"This book was something that I've wanted to do for years," Parent said.
It wasn't until she was approached by Arcadia Publishing that she actually had the opportunity to make her wish come true. "They were looking for someone who could write a history and provide pictures."
Descendants of the former coal and sand miners, as well as many of the thousands of visitors to the preserve, have often expressed an interest in a book chronicling the history of the Mount Diablo Coal Field, Parent said.
"This publication is the first to exclusively focus on the comprehensive history of this specific region, including the transition from active coal mining to ranching and sand mining, and its ultimate acquisition by the East Bay Regional Park District," she said.
The book features more than 200 photographs that have been donated to the park district over the years. The women spent months going through the pictures and sorting out information to add to the book.
Terhune was charged with scanning the photos, which she said took several months to complete.
"It was a real privilege to be able to work on this project with Traci. She really had so much experience and information about the park that she had gathered and achieved over the years," Terhune said.
"It was really an interesting project," Parent said. "There were so many pictures, and we needed to confirm all the dates of the photos and find out who the people were in them. There were some with misinformation that we needed to have corrected, and some images were even printed in reverse.
Parent said Terhune brought many of her own skills to the book. She not only knew how to scan all the photos but was able to do all the typesetting and writing of the story. Parent said the book "offers current and future generations of readers a window into a vital part of Contra Costa County history."
Highlights of "Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve" include not only the images that capture a lost way of life but also show how the Mount Diablo Coal Field served as the major energy source for Northern California until superseded by higher-quality coal from Washington and emerging energy sources. It also includes what went on after the mine closed and how many of the families went on to ranch in the area.
At the park, Parent is responsible for maintaining the historic resources of the preserve, including artifacts, photographs, oral histories and demographic files of former coal field residents and sand mine employees.
After many years of research conducted in her spare time, Parent published an award-winning book called "Rose Hill: A Comprehensive History of A Pioneer Cemetery" that records the grave sites and individuals interred at the historic site.
All author proceeds from the publication of this book will be donated to Rose Hill Cemetery Fund. The fund supports ongoing restoration and repair projects for this pioneer cemetery.
Both authors will be on hand this weekend at the season opening of the Hazel-Atlas mine in the preserve. During the grand opening, visitors can explore the 900 feet of underground mine, including the new additional section opened last year.