by Brian Martinez
•
1 February 2025
He was a frequent visitor at the Mohawk Community Resource Center (MCRC) in Blairsden. He enjoyed the library and some of the other conveniences. As it is for so many residents of Eastern Plumas County, the resource center is a familiar and important community meeting place. In the course of his many visits, he got to know the MCRC coordinator, Holly Johnson. After a while and many conversations later, Holly realized that this guy had an important story to tell. He was a senior citizen, a longtime resident of Graeagle, and a part of the history of Plumas County.
Paul Bianco’s grandfather came to Ellis Island from Italy in 1917, probably to escape the world war that was destroying Europe. Paul’s father was a World War II naval veteran and Paul was born in San Francisco in 1946. He was in his late 30’s, on a long horseback ride on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1985 when he stopped for a while in Graeagle. In his words he was “overwhelmed” by the appearance and ambiance of the community. He saw an impressive loo