Santa Rosa scavenger hunt leads to historical clues

When Stephan and Staci Pastis told son Thomas it was time he found a part-time job the Santa Rosa High student came back with what he thought was a better proposal.

Why not create a history scavenger hunt through downtown Santa Rosa? It would be a better way than leaden textbooks to engage his peers in a subject many found dull, he argued.

His parents agreed.

“Both my husband and I said it’s a great idea. You don’t need to get a job. Do that (hunt) instead,” said Staci Pastis, who admitted they were only trying to encourage their bright son to get engaged. Dad Stephan is creator of the popular syndicated comic strip “Pearls Before Swine.”

Last fall Thomas Pastis pulled together The Santa Rosa History Hunt, a downtown scavenger hunt that drew about 30 contestants. It was won by 5-year-old boy - with the help of his parents - who promptly declared that he would spend his $50 prize on LEGOSs.

“He got the idea from seeing an episode of some TV show. It was more of an adult scavenger hunt. But turned it into something that was interesting to him,” said Staci Pastis..

Thomas just started his first year at U.C. Berkeley - his parents’ alma mater - where he is majoring in history, just like his mom. But his 13-year-old sister Julia decided to pick up the flag. She is organizing the second annual “Great Santa Rosa History Hunt” on Sept. 12.

“My brother thought it was such a good idea,” said Julia, a freshman at Santa Rosa high. “And I always noticed how kids at my school found history kind of boring. Me and my brother both wanted to show it could be something more than what they got in a boring history class.”

Following her brother’s lead Julia, with the help of the Historical Society of Santa Rosa, identified 10 spots in downtown Santa Rosa with an intriguing story to tell.

Hunters will start at 10 a.m. from Santa Rosa Middle School, 500 E. St., where they will receive their clue cards. At each location there will be high school student volunteers dressed in old-fashioned garb, who will hand them a location card that includes a history of the building or site. The first person who returns to the finish line with all 10 cards wins $50, donated by Pedersen’s Furniture.

The cards, said Staci, are not just a regurgitation of dates but a story filled with intriguing, “Who Knew?” kind of facts.

For instance, she said, who knew that College Avenue is named not for nearby Santa Rosa Junior College, but for the long-gone Pacific Methodist College, which moved from Vacaville to Santa Rosa in 1871 because of Santa Rosa’s Southern Confederate sympathies during The Civil War?

“The most important thing about this event is that we learn about where we came from and how we can do better and learn from history,” said Staci Pastis, a fourth generation Santa Rosan who was inspired after last year’s hunt, to join the board of the Historical Society of Santa Rosa.

So far about 25 people have signed up for this year’s hunt. It begins officially at 10 a.m. and runs until noon. But contestants are urged to arrive early to get their clue cards, which will direct them to 10 different landmarks. That way, said Pastis, they won’t have to wait in line and can get going right at 10.

All of the sites are within walking distance of Santa Rosa Middle School. It’s possible to do the whole course within two hours on foot.

Registration is $10 with proceeds going to the Historical Society of Santa Rosa. People can register at historicalsocietysantarosa.org or by contacting Staci Pastis at 332-1347 or Stacipastis@aol.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.?