It’s hard not to escape the legacy early Auburn resident Bernhard Bernhard left on the area.

The German-born farmer’s family name is on a complex of 19th century buildings off Auburn Folsom Road that have been turned into a museum and provided thousands of visitors a glimpse into the past over the last quarter century or so.

But when Auburn history sleuth John Knox and museum docent Carol Cramer teamed to find what they expected to find in the Old Auburn Cemetery, they came up stumped.

Bernhard, whose land-holdings near Old Town Auburn were immense by today’s standards, died in 1902. So did his wife, Rosa. But a search of the cemetery found not a trace of the Bernhards on their family plot.

That lack of a marker is being remedied later this month when a new one will be dedicated by the Placer County Historical Society near the graves of other Bernhard family members also buried there. Rocklin’s Roy Ruhkala and the Ruhkala Monument Company – with roots in Placer County stretching back to 1904 – pitched in with what the historical society is calling a generous donation.

Knox said that earthwork to install a new gravestone also turned up a surprise. While soil tests earlier couldn’t locate any markers in the area they were supposed to be, the simply worded “B Bernhardus” gravestone emerged during the work on a new one.

The new marker will be dedicated to the memory of the Bernhard family at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26 at the cemetery. Bernhard senior bought the 17-year-old Traveler’s Rest building – now the main museum house – in 1868. It had started out as a stage-stop hotel in 1851.

Knox said he’s heard or read plenty of false hyperbole surrounding Bernhard – particularly about the amount of wine he may have produced. What is known is that his 130-acre property stretched from Old Town to the edge of what is now the Skyridge subdivision. Descendents owned the old Traveler’s Rest building and much of the land until 1958.

The real story behind the new marker revolves around Knox’s efforts to locate a descendent to OK the new one. Knox said he wasn’t able to find anyone locally and ended up contacting a great-great-grandson of Bernhard in Texas.

With the suitable OKs, the Auburn Cemetery District and Manager Sue Burkett were able to approve a new monument in an old cemetery that already boasts the markers for 19th century outlaw Richard “Rattlesnake Dick” Barter and Eulalie, California’s first published woman poet.

A BLAST FROM THE GRUNGE ERA

Sept. 18 is the date to remember for any Auburn-area Kai Kln fans. Media Life knows you’re out there.

The Sacramento band was one of those early 1990s grunge upstarts that gave the area’s music scene new life – and a life of its own. Kai Kln was the first rock band to sell out the 975-seat Crest Theater and could always draw a loyal following. Add some amazing gigs opening for bands like Sublime and Nirvana (who were themselves opening for Dinosaur Jr.) and you’ve got some street cred to last a lifetime.

The band members have gone on to other things but every once in awhile will get together to work some magic. The Auburn show will be at Old Town’s California Club. Advance tickets are $10, with the music starting at 9 p.m. Tickets at the door are $15.

NO EMMY THIS YEAR BUT...

Just a footnote on “Deadliest Catch” and the Stanley brothers – Doug and Todd – who were in the running for a share of the TV award for their videography work on the reality series. They didn’t step up to the podium this time. But don’t be surprised if Todd – a Lotus resident who grew up in Rocklin – finds himself the center of attention during awards season next summer for his work on the series telling the story of his friend Captain Phil Harris’s last days.