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In his final week, Wolf Guindon steeled his legendary reserve and came to the 65th celebration of the founding of Monteverde. Amongst the trees and gardens of the Trostle land, we all enjoyed the usual potluck and multi-generational games, including a rediscovery of Dare-Base and a scavenger hunt to find answers to Monteverde history questions – test yourself below. And look through the photos to find many beloved faces.
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1. Name 4 published books written by Monteverdeans. The Tropical Plants of Costa Rica,
The Mammals of Costa Rica, Walking with Wolf, Monteverde; Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest, El Consejero Guanacasteco, Once Upon an Island,
2. Which Monteverdeans are translating Birds of Costa Rica into Spanish? Luisa Moreno and Marcela Morales
3. Name 6 of the founding members of the Monteverde Conservation League? Bob Law, Richard LaVal, Wolf Guindon, Bill Haber, Guillermo Vargas, Jim Wolfe, Joe Stuckey, John Trostle
4. How are the rules of Monteverde Scrabble different than Official Scrabble? People start with 8 letters instead of 7; players can use the dictionary, cheat sheets, and consult with each other; the blank can be swapped out after it has been played for the same letter it is supposed to be; if one has three of the same letter, one can be exchanged.
5. How did the scrabble tradition in Monteverde start and about how long has it been going for? Since the early 1950’s
6. Who were the first couple to be married under the care of the Monteverde Friends Meeting? Betty and Lawrence Osborn
7. Who was the most recent couple to be married in the meetinghouse? Rick Mera and Jannelle Wilkins
8. Name 4 couples that met in Monteverde and are currently settled here. Elias and Mary Newswanger, Katy VanDusen and Frank Joyce, Siria Ugalde and Alvaro Salazar, Rodrigo Solano and Melody Guindon, Sarah Stuckey and Carlos Araya
9. Name three women who served as midwives in Monteverde? Mary Rockwell, Lucky Guindon and Silvia Smith
10. What was the inspiration for naming the Bosque Eterno de los Niños? Sharon Kinsman talked with Eha Kern’s students in a rural Swedish school about the Monteverde Conservation League’s efforts to raise money to buy forest. The children then worked to raise over $30,000 for land purchase and inspired children all over the world to do the same.
11. What are bread twists and how are they made? Who started making them in Monteverde? Biscuit dough wrapped around ½” or 1” sticks roasted over a fire and filled as you wish. Mary Mendenhall would make them with students after cleanup.
12. How many tico families were bought out from the original piece of land? 6
13. Name three of them. Ruben Ugalde, Clemente Gonzalez, Zamoras, Juan Gonzalez, Avila, Mendez
14. How many manzanas was the original piece of land? 2000 MZ or 3440 acres
15. How big is Bosque Eterno SA? 554 hectares
16. Who were the first Monteverdeans to visit Monteverde? John Campbell, Hubert Mendenhall, Howard Rockwell Sr.
17. On what date did they arrive for the first time? April 19, 1951
18. What was Monteverde named before it was Monteverde? Cerro Plano
19. Who named Cerro Plano? Jose Mendez
20. Who named Monteverde? The original families.
21. When did Quakers first start moving to Monteverde? June 1951
22. How was Monteverde Day celebrated in 1952? By working on the meetinghouse site
23. Where was the road then? It went through where the kinder and the stage of the new meeting house are now and above the graveyard.
24. Who was the first baby born in Monteverde? Rebecca Jane Guindon
25. How was Monteverde Day celebrated in 1954? By working on the graveyard and writing the Monteverde song
26. When did MFS move into the new school house? April 1957
27. When was the last meetingroom that is now classrooms built? April 1964
28. When did Lindora Electric plant begin operation? Sept 7, 1957
29. How long did it operate for the community? 34 years
30. When did community telephones begin to operate? March/April 1961
31. When did John Trostle first visit Monteverde? October 1961
32. When did Edith Peckham and Marian Gooden move into their house? Oct 15, 1959
33. When did the library open? March 26, 1975
34. What Monteverdean discovered the Golden Toad in what year? Jerry James in 1964
35. When was the grand opening of the dairy plant? April 8, 1954
36. Where was the first tennis court in Monteverde and when was it built? David Rockwell’s (Emily House) in October 1958
37. Who was ran the school for the first 20 years? Mary Mendenhall
38. Who was the first teacher’s assistant at the kinder who became the teacher that same year? Melody Guindon
39. Who built the road? Eston Rockwell
40. What games were played at recess in the 1950’s and ‘60s? Dare Base, Annie Over, jump rope, softball (in Howard’s pasture)
41. What toys did children make in the early years? Stick horses, wheels (lids) on sticks, rag dolls, tops, etc.
42. Who initiated coffeehouses at the school? Ann Kriebel
43. Name 3 artists who taught sometime between the mid-50’s to the mid-70s? Jo Rockwell, Graciela Rockwell, Bill Kucha, Ron Tomlinson
44. Where was the first public telephone in Monteverde? Flor Mar Café
45. Where was the first pension in Monteverde and who ran it? At what is Justin and Sofia’s house now, Irma and Abner Rockwell
46. Who had the first pulperia in Monteverde? Cecil Rockwell
47. Where was the first pulperia? Where the dairy plant is now in a room of Reuben Ugalde’s house along with school, Meeting, and community center
48. How many hours did it take to get to San Jose in the 1950s? 8 at best
49. How did people get there? In the cheese truck with Hubert Mendenall or Eston Rockwell or with Cecil Rockwell. The cheese truck left at 1 am so that the cheese would not overheat on the way. Some took the train from Puntarenas. Some spent the night on the floor of a house at La Pita on the way back.
50. Who were the original families that bought land? Hubert and Mildred Mendenhall, Cecil and Elva Rockwell, Reuben and Helenbelle Rockwell, John and Doris Campbell, Elwood and Ruth Mendenhall, Arthur and Clara Rockwell, Wolf and Lucky Guindon, Eston and Mary Rockwell, Ted and Janice (sister of Doris C.) Harkey, Abner and Irma Rockwell, Dorothy and Howard Rockwell Sr., Lawrence and Betty Osborn,
51. Who is still here of the original families? Wolf and Lucky Guindon, Mary Rockwell, Marvin Rockwell, Howard Rockwell
52. How big were the tents that people originally lived in? 14’ x 16’
53. How were decisions made about the road, communications, visitors, and the like? At Town Meeting
54. What Monteverdean brought the Alternatives to Violence Program to Costa Rica? Martha Moss
55. Name 5 ways people in Monteverde made money aside from producing milk in the 1950’s. Sewing, selling plants, botiquin (pharmacy), pulperia, electricity, radio repair, meat operation,
56. Name 8 foods that people produced here in the 1950s. Chamol, arracache, black berries, chayotes, guayabas, oranges, bananas, plantains, squash, eggs, chicken, lard, milk, butter, pork, cabbage, carrots, .
57. What two adjacent farms that we now consider part of Monteverde were not part of the original tract? Stella’s, Stuckey’s, McBurney (Miriam and Jorge’s)/Sather (Crandell’s)
58. Why is Bajo Tigre called Bajo Tigre? Because a jaguar used to live there until it was killed on Marvin Rockwell’s farm (where Judy Poe’s place is) by Rafael Arguedas and Iginio Santamaria because it was killing pigs and dogs.
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How is MFS different from other schools? I like MFS more than the big schools in New York City where I taught. New York schools are very contained. Here children can play and be free. I also appreciate the strong sense of community here. Being around people of different ages taught me to interact with a wide range of people. And this school is based in strong values – for example, how we address conflict and talk about feelings.
with Mark, listening to Machillo’s big brother advice, a smiling baby rocking in his mother Patri’s arms. My love to each of them and to his buddies who I imagine don’t know what to do with their grief. And to the community that is still bathed in his light. Life just doesn’t get harder than this. RIP Kylito you are forever young.
You were so sweet, so kind, so loving. You had so much life left to live, so much joy left to spread. You and my brother had the same passion for biking and that made you guys inseparable. You had a spot in me and my family’s house and hearts. I will never forget you and all the memories we have created over the many years of friendship. Our lives will never be the same again. You will be missed deeply and fiercely for the rest of our lives.
