The El Dorado Chapter was delighted to recently present the national DAR recognition, “Women in American History,” upon chapter member and former chapter regent, Ellen Osborn.

Ellen is well known to many in El Dorado County. She has spent more than 20 years volunteering for the El Dorado County Historical Museum, has conducted extensive research to develop timelines and scripts of historical events for use in community celebrations, and was instrumental in the setting of commemorative plaques in historical locations.

Assisting archaeologists working in the Eldorado National Forest, Ellen has explored the terrain to help identify and mark traces of the California Emigrant Trail. And through the appointment by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ellen served two terms on the Eldorado National Forest Resource Advisory Committee, representing the current and historical needs of the community.

As a descendant of John Calhoun Johnson, an early county settler who arrived during the summer of 1849, she and her husband Ford organized and worked with volunteers to identify and mark Johnson’s Cutoff, established by her great-great grandfather in 1852, a shorter emigrant route that eventually led to the evolution of what is now known as CA Highway 50.

Fortunately, Ellen has compiled some of her research in over twenty non-fiction articles about Western history that have been published in a variety of magazines, and the 30 years of researching her great-great grandfather’s experiences has resulted in a nonfiction book, “A Lovely & Comfortable Heritage Lost.”

Congratulations Ellen Osborn!!!

Photo L to R: Lisbeth Powell and Ellen Osborn with her recognition pin and certificate.