Tag: California

On a Long-Time Boyfriend

Kenneth Sean Carson was born on Mar 11, 1961 in Willows, Wisconsin. Over the years, Ken, as his friends know him, held many jobs but was successful at all of them. And he met his life-long love, Barbara Roberts, only after leaving Willow as an adult. Interestingly, Barbara was from the Willows area of Wisconsin, also, born a couple of years before Ken and thus she was a senior at Willow High when he was only a sophomore. However, it seems that they didn’t date in high school. Both of them were the oldest among their siblings; she was the oldest of three sisters, while Ken had a little brother. But it took a chance meeting in California to bring the two “Badgers” together.

You see, Ken had model good looks, and he did commercial acting work when he was younger. And that’s how he met Barbara because she, too, did modeling and commercials. And after they met on set, the couple were practically inseparable. Those who were there described their meeting as one of those “love at first sight” type of things.

They and their friend group did almost everything together. In fact, one of Barbara’s closest friends, a woman named Margaret “Midge” Hadley, married Ken’s best friend, Allan Sherwood in 1991. That couple started a family. Other couples were part of that coterie of chums surrounding them, and many of them, too, got married and started families. But Ken and Barbara didn’t; their careers were a priority for them both, and, besides, Barbara would go on to have great success as a model (you’ve seen her even if you didn’t know her name). However, Ken’s modeling work was not as profitable. So, he did other jobs. But the couple remained a couple over the years and the center of their friend group.

That is, until 2004. That’s when Barbara decided that they needed a break after so many years together, explaining that, “it’s time to spend quality time apart.” Ken was somewhat taken aback by Barbara’s announcement. For a couple of years, he was in a funk. That made the social gatherings and frequent meetings of their group of friends somewhat awkward, but Ken was gracious enough to stay out of many of the group events often. It was rumored that the pair were still platonic friends, but you couldn’t tell it by Ken’s demeanor. In 2010, he got a dog, a West Highland Terrier named Sugar. But as much as he came to love Sugar, Ken realized that he missed Barbara greatly.

Then, after seven years apart, Ken made a concerted effort to win back Barbara’s affections. He showered her with gifts and attention, and, believe or not, it worked. The couple reunited on Valentine’s Day, 2011. And they’ve been together ever since. And you may wonder why this tale of Ken Carson, the long-time boyfriend of Barbara Roberts is interesting enough to warrant a few minutes of your time, but the answer is really simple.

It’s because Barbie and her long-time boyfriend, Ken, are the hottest couple on the planet at the moment.

On a Chance Discovery

John was among the first settlers in the valley that would eventually become a part of what is now Sacramento, California. He arrived in the valley in 1839, when the territory was part of the nation of Mexico. John was originally from the border area between Germany and Switzerland, and the area of Sacramento he immigrated to had a large population of both German and Swiss settlers. Mexico welcomed immigrants to its lands because they saw how greedily the Americans were eyeing California. Texas had already been absorbed by the US, and Mexico wanted settlers in California to strengthen their hold on the territory.

By 1846, war between Mexico and the westwardly-expanding United States was only then beginning. Despite Mexico’s best efforts, it took only a little time before almost the entirety of California was occupied by American troops even though the war would last almost another two years. The political situation in that period was in flux as no one was sure what political rights were secured and by which government. Most people simply bowed to what the US military decided.

Yet, despite the uncertain political situation, the little settlement in the valley flourished. More settlers came to the area now that the Americans controlled the fertile land. John decided to build a water-powered sawmill a few miles up the valley from the settlement to meet the demand of the burgeoning population. He chose that spot because of the speed and volume of the water in what by then was known as the South Fork American River would easily power the mill’s saw wheel. It made sense that the mill would be constructed in the forest to have easy access to trees, and then also to be build on the river so that the sawed lumber could be floated downstream to the settlements beyond.

To head up the construction project, John hired a carpenter named James Marshall, a man who had experience in building mills and who hailed from New Jersey. Marshall hired his own crew, and they began to work on the project over the winter of 1848. The treaty ending the Mexican War was signed in early February, and California officially became part of the United States.

Within a year, the population of the area exploded from less than 15,000 people to almost 100,000. In fact, the population grew so quickly that, by 1850, California became the 31st state in the Union. You know what it was that caused the territory to see over 300,000 settlers invade California by land and sea over the next decade and become the 12th most populous state by 1870.

You see, it was in January, 1848, that James Marshall happened upon something in the American River while he was supervising the construction of John Sutter’s mill.

Gold.