HISTORY IS BORING? NAH !, by guest author John Heinen

Arden Arcade has many sub-headings; Arden Manor, Bohemian Heights, Arcade Village, Bell View, Woodside, Sierra Oaks, etc. Thirty-six in all. Over a span of 45 years, I've lived in seven of them. (Why do we move so much?) When I was younger, my family hit a poor period. Today it's called 'financially dis-advantaged'. As a result, we moved to the wrong side of the tracks: Del Paso Heights, where I attended grades 4 through 12. I was taught California history, but nothing about the very community I lived in. It was only a couple of years ago I learned that long before the title Arden Arcade was created, the entire area this side and that side of the 'tracks' was Rancho Del Paso. It was acquired by John Sutter, circa 1840, then passed on to others including James Ben Ali Haggin. Horses were raised here; apparently lots of horses. In 1886 one of them, 'Ben Ali' (James had a large ego), won the Kentucky Derby. I used to think of Arden Arcade as the suburbs. Now I know it's a place with a significant, and sadly much unknown, history. I've always loved living here. Now I love it a little more deeply. The 2010 census showed Arden Arcade's population as 92,186. I'd be curious to know how many of them have an awareness of our very cool history.