Original Russell - from January 1961

This was the story written by Russell that Carol Towle read in the meadow a couple of weeks ago.

Story courtesy of Carol Towle
Scan courtesy of Carol Towle and Brian Heck (nephew).


"My Adventures.............. and Romances???"

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Some photos of Greg with his dad...

1977 Russ (with RED beard) & Shellie in Cabin

I love this picture! This was definitely the fall of 1977... not 1975 as I first thought.

Little artifacts from Russ's rambles

Russ had an uncanny way of spotting artifacts. Out in some remote place, he would suddenly pause, look about, and say something like, "Hmm, this may have been a Maidu hunting blind... oh look, here's an arrowhead." And sure enough, he'd stoop and pick up a barely discernible tiny flaked piece of stone, an artifact of a life lived long ago, of people Russell somehow resonated with through the intervening centuries.

He collected some of these finds, keeping the small ones in a Sierra cup on a shelf by the mandala window in his cabin, and larger ones on his "treasure rock", an outcrop of volcanic mudflow between his original "little cabin", and the "big cabin" which he built to accommodate his family when we were expecting Janet in 1989.

Janet spread out all the little artifacts last night and we took this photograph. Arrowheads, Chinese coins and "Go" game pieces, bits of trinkets from miners, crystals, fossilized whale bone, etc. In recent years, he left such things lying where he spotted them, and hoped other would do the same.

Recently, photographing flowers

Russell reads to Greg, 1993

Russell and Karen around 1955

An early picture of Russell and Karen in Woodland Hills, CA

Date: coming soon

Picture courtesy of Carol Towle
Scan courtesy of Carol Towle and Brian Heck (nephew).

A letter from Russell at Año Nuevo on January 25 1972

Letter courtesy of Carol Towle
Scans courtesy of Carol Towle and Brian Heck (nephew).

Note: Karen was excluded from the salutation of this letter because she was at school in Greenville, SC at the time.

Envelope - front


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Envelope - back

A window into an extraordinary mind...

These were the books on Russ's reading table when he left the cabin on Thursday morning, Aug 7, 2008:

• Conversational Portuguese
• Common Usage Dictionary, Portuguese/English
• French Phrase Book
• The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
• Loeb Classical Library Latin/English side-by-side editions of:
  
  • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura
  • Seneca, Naturales Quaestiones, vol 2 of 10
  • Virgil: Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid I-VI
  • Cicero, Philippics
• Cassell's New Latin Dictionary
• Sierra Nevada Natural History, by Storer and Usinger
• Falcon Guide to Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, by Karen Wiese
• Binder, hand labeled "Penrose Tilings", contatining reprints of academic articles on the topic
• Regular Polytopes, H. S. M. Coxeter (This was Russell's "bible", always to hand)
• Mathematical Recreations and Essays, by Ball and Coxeter
• Introduction to Geometry, 2nd Edition, by H. S. M. Coxeter
• The Works of Archimedes
• Carpe Jugulum (a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett)

One of Russell's glass creations...

This is from the Wolfram Website you can find at

http://library.wolfram.com/infocenter/MathSource/1197/ There is another one there... isn't it amazing how incredibly smart Russell was... and how "all over" the web he is for a guy living in the mountains in a beautiful little cabin...

I received a letter from Greg, Russell Towle's son last week with the shocking news that Russell had died in a car accident on I80. Since then, I, and many others have been struggling to make sense of the loss. Others who knew Russell better than I have described his many talents and contributions to the Dutch Flat area. I won't attempt to improve on these except to say that he was indeed a gifted Hiker, Geologist, Environmentalist, Mathematician, and Craftsman. These descriptions seem inadequate to me somehow though: they imply fragmentation where there was gestalt.

So how did I know Russell? My parents bought a small plot of land in Alta in the early eighties, upon which we built a small cabin. Although the cabin was small, the lack of power tools made building it a laborious task, and I welcomed any visitors who could distract my parents from the task at hand. Russell visited us several times, having been introduced to us by our long time family friends the Woodhouses, and I always came away with some new knowledge about the area.

The first time he visited, he recoiled at the fact that we were in the process of dispatching a shrubby looking evergreen which had been blocking our trail. It turned out to be a Pacific Yew, which was becoming scarce in the region. Of course, the Yew, beyond its utility in bow making has also turned out to yield a powerful chemotherapeutic called Taxol.

On a subsequent visit, Russell took me gold panning in our little creek and explained what kinds of features in the river bed might catch suspended gold. To this day, I remember the exact part of the bedrock where we moved a large river stone, filled the pan with sand, and a few minutes later were left with a few fluttering flakes of gold.

Russell also led us all on wonderful hikes, some of which have become family favorites that I have walked countless times in the years that followed. The trails to Salmon lake and Smart's Crossing are perfect examples of this, and we will hopefully be doing some of Russell's more ambitious hikes (from his wonderful blog) in the coming years.

I only realize it now that he is gone, but just knowing that a person of Russell's erudition, integrity, sense of stewardship and generosity was up there on Moody Ridge was a very comforting thought. It is heartbreaking to know that he is no longer with us.

Max Nanao
Oakland
August 19, 2008

Russell Towle -- Master Builder

Not everyone will appreciate the rarity of the top photo. That is Russell on the right, of course, taking a break from his work on my log home in Dutch Flat in 1985. The slim, pensive lad on the left is none other than Hank Lee, who posted the photos below of Russ getting into his tuxedo in preparation for my 50th birthday dinner. Hank has subsequently changed his presentation somewhat.

One of Russell's specialities that most awed me was his incredible talent as a carpenter, cabinet maker, woodworker and builder. My Dutch Flat house is imbued with his work and his special touches. He was capable of doing precise and fine work, and the marvel was that he did it all with a Skilsaw. The lower photo shows an example. Tony Taylor, who built my house, and his crew were stumped by the problem of how to hang my special ceiling lights from the slanted ceiling. They milled around, scratched their heads and found no solution, so we decided to go to lunch at the Monte Vista and talk it over. Russell excused himself and stayed behind. When we returned from lunch we discovered that Russ had solved the problem by designing and constructing with his Skilsaw a perfect mounting box for the hanging light and then mounting it to the ceiling. You see it in the photo. Tony Taylor and his crew were dumbfounded and came away with a new respect for Russell.

Russ' masterpiece at my house was the stunning flagstone terrace he built using a diamond-bladed concrete saw. (Russ was good at sawing.) This is a creation that defies belief. It consists of 2.5 inch thick flagstone slabs cut into intricate geometric patterns, then fitted tightly together on a bed of sand without benefit of any kind of mortar. Future archeologists, when they unearth Squire Canyon, will look upon this terrace and think this must have been a very advanced civilization indeed that could create such a work. I will post photos of it later on.

Ed Stadum

2008 Ano Nuevo Pictures

Here is a link to the pictures Jeff and I took out at Ano Nuevo. I did NOT take a picture of Merrill's house, because I told the ranger I wouldn't. Hope you enjoy these shots. The last time I was out there was probably in 1969 or 1970, when my dad took me scuba diving. I was worried about what to do if we saw an octopus. Both Russell and Dad assured me there would be NONE... and they were both WRONG! There was a dead octopus tangled in the seaweed about 20 feet down... so exciting for a kid! The trees and brush has grown amazingly over the years... it was quite a hike (for me) to get out to the water.

http://picasaweb.google.com/1331shellie/AnoNuevoReserveAndBeach2008

More Ano Nuevo Pictures

This was Merrill Bickford's house when it was being built. The Ranger who lives there graciously permitted us to hike out to the dunes where Russell lived in his driftwood cabin, below.

The kitchen in the cabin.

A favorite memory of Russ

Here are a couple of our favorite photos of Russ, taken at Ed Stadum's 50th birthday party in 1988. Russ looking out of character and very uncomfortable as he was being dressed for the celebration. We miss you Russ and will always carry innumerable fond memories. Hank and Irene

Russell Doing What He Does Best

Photographing his beloved North Fork Country on our New York Canyon waterfalls adventure, and carrying his indispensable loppers. Once, on the trail, he was exasperated with me for my non-stop yammering, and said, "Tom, less lip and more lop!"

Twelve pictures of Russell (most include family members and friends)

Top row: Russell. Middle row: Dick, Carol and Karen. Bottom row: Richard and Shellie



Russell, Grandma Irene Towle, Dick



Shellie, Janet and Russell. July 2 2006



Gay and Russell. September 9 2006



Janet (the one with the crazy socks) and Russell. September 9 2006



Russell, Karen, Dick, Richard (stooping), Sally and Shellie. September 9 2006



Greg, Janet, Sally, Dick, Gay and Russell. September 9 2006



Russell at Janet's graduation from Colfax High School. June 2 2007



Russell and Greg at Janet's graduation from Colfax High School. June 2 2007



Gay, Russell and Janet in the big cabin after Janet's graduation from Colfax High School. June 2 2007



Alex and Russell in the big cabin after Janet's graduation from Colfax High School. June 2 2007



Russell at the Dutch Flat Independance Day parade. June 30 2007

Russell with a beard

From Cassandra Wahlstrom "This how Russell looked when first we met; it was a while ago..."

Russell with a beard:

Big Granite Creek & New York Canyon Treks Exemplify Russell's Adventurous Spirit

Hi All,

I hope you have a chance to read about the Big Granite Creek Basin and New York Canyon adventure undertaken by Russell and me two years ago. These were two very memorable, tough outings to the back country of the North Fork wilderness he loved so dearly. I will always cherish these adventures and treasure the memories of my time with him, not only on these rugged overnighters, but on several other occasions we had time together - his love affair with Canyon Creek; camping at Big Granite on the North Fork; harrowing episodes hiking the (named by him) HOUT (High Old Upper Trail) and the inimitable and difficult Green Valley loops. I will always be - as everyone who knew him will be - in touch with his spirit when we're out and about exploring the North Fork American River country where he now eternally resides. Tom McGuire

http://gambolinman.blogspot.com/2006/06/tahoe-national-forest-braving.html

http://gambolinman.blogspot.com/2005/06/north-fork-american-river-intrepid.html

Books by Russell Towle

Incomplete - please leave a comment with any additions or corrections.


Artifacts From the Dutch Flat Forum, 1875-1878: Being a Compendium of Articles, Editorials, Letters, News Items, Etc.

First edition, 1992, 76 pages:


Third edition:


Fifth edition, 1993, 138 pages:




The Seven Ages of Dutch Flat, 1849-1924: A select portrait derived from many sources, including Alonzo Delano
The Seven Ages of Dutch Flat

Giant Gap Press
1993
375 pages



The Dutch Flat Chronicles, 1849-1906

Giant Gap Press
1994
553 pages
Includes texts by Alonzo Delano, Bret Harte, Mark Twain and Richard Henry Savage, as well as extensive selections from the Dutch Flat enquirer, Dutch Flat forum, Placer times, and other area newspapers.



The Dutch Flat Diary of Isaac Tibbetts Coffin, 1870-1903: With His 1863 Texas Hill Diary, and Many Original Photographs

Giant Gap Press
1996
306 pages

A tribute to Russell Towle by Ed Stadum from the summit of the Campo Tencia in Switzerland

If the embedded video above doesn't work then please try this link

A collection of links ...

to a small fraction of the Internet presence of my brother Russell Towle

Posts by Russell

North Fork of the American River: Accounts of explorations in the Great American Canyon, Placer County's Yosemite.
link

Zonotopes: My geometrical diary ...
link

Pescadero Memories
link

Of Winds and Whales
link

Half Moon Bay Memories
link

De Rerum Natura aka "My YouTube Movies"
link

Deprecated home page on InReach
link

The Internet Archive WayBack machine archive of "http://home.inreach.com/rtowle/Towle.html"
link

The Internet Archive WayBack machine archive of "http://personal.neworld.net/~rtowle/Towle.html"
link

The History of Dutch Flat: A Sketch
link

CalPhotos
link

The Wolfram Demonstrations Project
link

Why the Rhombic Dodecahedron is a Shadow of the 4-Dimensional Hypercube
link

Wolfram Library Archive: search results for Russell Towle
link

The Mathematica Journal: search results for Towle
link

The Adventures of Tintin, by Russell Towle
link

Pacific High School 1997 Reunion: The Reunion Revisited
link

The Seances of Dutch Flat or, How Lovers Leap Got its Name
link

New Orleans to San Francisco in '49
link

"Keep trail open" a letter to the Editor of "The Union"
link



Posts by others about Russell

Remembering Russell Towle (this blog)
link

A blog of remembrance by my sister Karen Mingst
link

Auburn Journal article: "Dutch Flat environmentalist, author Towle dies in auto accident"
link or link or link

Russell Towle: We hardly knew you
link

Russell... a link to old photos...

1969: Russ with motorcycle in Los Altos Hills front yard.

1973: Russ looking at double rainbow in Grass Valley backyard.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the "old family slides" that I have been copying. To see the whole album just click on the link. Sure do appreciate Mary Jo starting this blog... and can't wait to see more pictures. Thanks to all who are sharing... love to all of the family, Shellie

http://picasaweb.google.com/1331shellie/FamilySlidesFeaturingRussell