ecological art
theatrical design
installation & studio art
slithering brush, hissing creek
nature’s play
about
Welcome to the Chinese Tribute Bridge! Can you find the tail, belly, and head of the snake as she slithers across the ravine?
The Deer Creek Tribute Trail illuminates the challenging histories of the Nisenan and Chinese who lived in this region. A symbol of rebirth and wisdom, this Chinese zodiac year (2025) celebrates the Snake. Kingsnakes and Rattlesnakes are key species within this extraordinary ecotonal site. The snake sculpture slithers through arid south-facing shrubs, mossy north-facing conifer forest, and a deep pool opening to the mouth of a wide floodplain. All is healing from the massive disruption of gold mining and logging along Deer Creek.
What people and plants are out of place here? The serpent installation is made of native Manzanita removed from a new trail on Sugarloaf Mountain, and invasive Scotch Broom and Tree of Heaven harvested onsite. It plunges through a patch of Himalayan Blackberries that will be a delicious treat later this summer. How can we adapt to appreciate the plants that have made this land home?
This installation is on Nisenan land. Please be sure to visit the Angkula Seo Nisenan Tribute Bridge on your way back to Nevada City, and support the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP).
This project was funded by the Arts in California Parks Local Parks Grant Program, administered by Parks California. For more information on the Art in Nature Installations commissioned by the Bear Yuba Land Trust, see: https://www.bylt.org/events/event/art-in-nature-installations/
Join us at the installation for a potluck picnic with celebratory stories, featuring members of the Community Asian Theater of the Sierras (CATS), on the solstice: Saturday, June 21st at 10 AM!
DIRECTIONS:
Click for navigation to the Chinese Tribute Bridge.
Public parking along Champion Mine Road.
2.2 Miles from Nevada City.
1.4 Miles from the Tribute Trailhead on Old Downieville Hwy. (30 - 40 mins).
0.7 Miles from the closest parking on Champion Mine Road (15 mins)
THANKS TO:
Theo Black and Annette Muller for guiding this project
Hank Meals for his archaeological expertise along Deer Creek
Emma and the volunteers at the Bear Yuba Land Trust
Iona at ‘Uba Seo and Saxon at CHIRP (California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project)
Pat at the Nevada County Historical Society Searls Library, and Cathy and Mick at the Firehouse No. 1 Museum
The Hunt, Stanger, Jacobson, and Soderstrom families for your hospitality
Bill, Bob, Richard, and all other hikers with whom I spoke at the project site
Jeannie and the Community Asian Theatre of the Sierras
MANZANITA ANECDOTES:
(paraphrased, from conversations with visitors on site)
I was carving wood at a bench right here at the creek with my legs wide apart and my back to the hill. I looked down and there was a huge black and white striped kingsnake slithered between my legs! I froze and waited until it slithered right over the embankment and disappeared into the manzanita bush. (Bob, an artist who hikes down to the Chinese Bridge weekly)
Manzanita is one of the earliest plants in the region to flower, erupting in a huge volume of delightful pink flowers. Because they’re one of the only flowers to bloom in winter, hummingbirds rely on them to survive. (Bill, who swims in the creek under the Chinese Bridge)
There’s a drop of honey in each flower bell! Try tasting them next winter. (Hank, local archaeologist)
Manzanita is a type of blueberry! I like how people relate to it when they understand that. One time I tried to make a large play tree for my friend’s cats out of a big one that was removed by road workers. But it dried out and completely cracked! (A biologist who came down to the Chinese Bridge on her mountain bike)
I’ve noticed manzanita receding from some hillsides over the last decade. (Richard, local landscaper)
The bark peels and twists like a snake. I remember eating the sugar berries off the ground. (Theo, grew up in Nevada City)
I love those berries! My mom told me not to eat too many or I’d get a stomach ache. I never got a stomach ache but maybe it’s because it’s too hard to find that many. (Hiker on Sugarloaf Mountain)
I bought a gorgeous piece from Arizona decades ago, and brought it to Hawaii as my wall sculpture. Then I brought it here, imagine my surprise when I discovered it was native to the region! (Hiker at Chinese Bridge)
HISTORICAL RESOURCES: IN PROGRESS - PLEASE CHECK IN SOON
PHOTO DOCUMENTATION: IN PROGRESS - PLEASE CHECK IN SOON
murky pool in the little gorge behind my apartment