S. Dennis Holland was born and raised in St. George, Utah. His great great grandparents were among the first wagons into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake with Brigham Young and were called by Brigham Young to settle St. George and what is now Carson City, Nevada. Growing up in St George and having this ancestral heritage has given him his love of Western U.S. History.

He graduated from Dixie College in St George where he excelled in sports, drama, art, and student government. He received his Pharmacy Degree from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1960.

Mr. Holland has lived in the Northern California area since 1961 where he owned and operated a small chain for retail pharmacies in the Sacramento/Sierra Nevada foothills area until 1990, when he semi-retired. He currently works consulting pharmacies and small businesses. He is a member of a number of national, state, and local pharmacy organizations and has served as President of numerous civic, service and retail organizations.

He is author of the book, “Sierra Saints” A Brief history of the Mormons in Western El Dorado County from 1847 to 1997, and is responsible for getting the LDS Church to produce the video, ” More Precious Than Gold, Contributions of the Mormon Battalion,” which was a gift from the LDS Church to the State of California for the Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Discovery of Gold in California. He was part of the delegation that presented it to then Governor Pete Wilson.

Bruce F. Anderson was born in Glendale, California, and was raised in San Gabriel, California. Bruce is a third generation Californian and a graduate of Brigham Young University in 1976 with a B.A degree in Political Science and a minor in International Relations. Married to Nancy Ashby, in 1974, they are the parents of four children and 8 grandchildren.

He is currently Sales Manager of A4 Promotions & Incentives in Sacramento, California. A4 Promotions is a nationally ranked promotional products, premium and advertising specialty firm. Bruce has served on various community boards and has been involved in various, public affairs and political activities over the last thirty years. Bruce has a passion for California History and enjoys working on Family History in his spare time.

Dennis Amaral grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and is a third generation native Californian. He graduated from Washington High School in Fremont then attended Merritt College in Oakland, California and the University of California in Berkeley, California.

Dennis has always been an avid reader and researcher of local history his specialty being the pre and post Gold Rush era in California and Nevada. During his research he has collected and read numerous historical books, journals, records and documents pertaining to this era of time.

Utilizing this research he is currently finishing a driving guide and historical book on the Mormon Emigrant Trail in El Dorado County, which will be finished this year.

He and his wife, Antonia, devote time as volunteer docents in Coloma, Old Town Sacramento, Sutter’s Fort, Clarksville, Colombia, Genoa Nevada and Virginia City Nevada. In addition to these duties they also participate in presentations given for local historical groups, churches and schools. Often times they use a team of horses and historic wagons as aids in their presentations as well as bringing artifacts and being attired in period correct clothing.

He currently resides in Pilot Hill, California with his lovely wife, children and some grandchildren. Some of the organizations and recognitions that he has received are listed here.

• Served as a Shingle Springs / Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce Ambassador for 5 years.
• Served as the chairperson on the board of directors and created the ad campaign for the ‘Live In El Dorado County’ foundation.
• Recipient of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Outstanding Business Award” in 2001.
• Recipient of the “James N. Wilson Outstanding Business” award in 2002.
• Recipient of the “Outstanding Businessman’s” award from the United States Republican Committee in 2003.
• Recipient of “The Larry Cameron Outstanding Public Service Award” in 2003.
• Recipient of the “Realtor / Affiliate Citizen Of The Year” award in 2005 from the El Dorado County Association Of Realtors.
• Recipient of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Outstanding Business Award” in 2006.
• Recipient of the “American Spirit Award” from U.S. Sen. John Ensign in 2006.
• Served on the Gold Discovery Park Association Board of Directors from 2005 until 2008.as a board member and Vice President.
• Became a Docent in Coloma in 2003 and is still active in presenting and preserving living history in Coloma, Columbia, Sutter’s Fort, Old Town Sacramento, Genoa, Nevada, and Virginia City Nevada.
• Served as the assistant to the director for the Northern California region of the Sierra Nevada Mormon Pioneers Living History organization from 2003 until present.
• Is a member of the Clarksville Historical Society
• Served as chairman of the board of directors for the ‘Debbie Amaral Memorial Scholarship Foundation’ from 2005 until present.

Sandra Lunceford spent her childhood traveling between Air Force base locations in America and abroad. Following an early graduation from West Linn High School, she found herself at Brigham Young University smitten by David Lunceford, a gentlemen who became her husband in 1975. In 1987 David’s occupation necessitated a move with their four children from Utah to the great State of California.

Taking advantage of the relatively low cost of education, she graduated cum laude from California State University Sacramento in 1994 and began work at Mather Air Force Base in environmental community relations. She later earned her Master’s in Public Policy and Administration in 2002 and works part-time as an environmental consultant. Sandra’s Master’s thesis walks hand in hand with California Gold Rush history, as it focuses on cleaning up millions of pounds of mercury –California’s Gold Rush legacy.

Sandra’s interest in California history flourished as a member of the LDS State Living History Committee and as a volunteer with the Folsom History Museum . Fascinating intersections between California and LDS history became apparent, fun to share, and elicited a desire for further research. Her research lead to her introduction to Ellen Rosa, a member of the Thomas Rhoads family. Mrs. Rosa helped identify yet another invaluable piece of California’s missing history – the location of Rhoads Diggings – right in Sandra’s home town – Folsom! Together, along with Folsom City, California Pioneer Heritage Foundation, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Folsom Historical Society, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Friends of Folsom Parkway, we are working at memorializing this new found location.

Currently Sandra coordinates bus tours for the Foundation and invites anyone interested in putting together or joining an existing tour to notify her at the Foundation. Folks are also invited to identify their area of interest and/or coordinate tours within and out of state historical locations. She also handles all of the donation communications and records for the foundation.