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The Stockton Record published this article on February 6, 2000.
A Jurassic Lark
Record photos by Craig Sanders
IN LOCKEFORD: Don and Karyn Litchfield are framed by the mouth
of a cast replica of "Stan," a T-Rex
excavated in South Dakota, at the abandoned Lockeford Winery.
The Litchfields plan to create a natural-
history museum as part of the renovated winery, as well as a medieval
Italian villa complete with a castle.
Dino-mite plans for old winery
By Neil Gonzales
Record Staff Writer
LOCKEFORD -- Part archaeologists, part paleontologists, part
environmental cleaners, Don and Karyn Litchfield enjoy putting
things together, restoring them and bringing what's old back to
life.
And in the abandoned Lockeford Winery, the imaginative, energetic
couple have found a place where all their interests can converge.
"We're going to create something unique," Don Litchfield
said. "This is the dream we have."
He and his wife envision the sprawling site's resurrection into
a winery and much more -- including, of all things, a dinosaur
museum.
It seems outlandish, particularly while walking through the 50-acre
property that resembles bombed-out city blocks in a scene from
"Saving Private Ryan," but the realization is not too
far off.
This fall, the Litchfields hope to open some of their attractions,
such as a wine-making school and a partial museum, giving the
public a preview of a project expected to take five years and
cost nearly $1.5 million.
Karyn Litchfield, 30, said the venture would fill a void in a
community where there's not much to do, and "hopefully, it
will extend beyond the locals."
The dream began almost two years ago when Don Litchfield and a
former partner bought the winery on Locke Road off Highway 88
for $215,000 from San Joaquin County.
Built in the mid-1940s, the winery produced sherry and brandy
and had a tasting room. Later, the operation was sold. It became
a gasohol plant that eventually failed.
In recent years, the complex deteriorated into forlorn structures
frequented by vandals and transients. Several fires have scorched
the area.
"This place reminded me of one of the military bases in Hungary
I cleaned up," said Don Litchfield, 40, who with his wife
runs Copper Enterprises Inc., a development and environmental-remediation
business.
For about a year, Don Litchfield said, his company removed oil,
asbestos and other junk from the once-proud winery.
The Litchfields then focused on rebuilding a winery that they
hope will become much more.
Among the plans:
* Allowing people to pick and crush grapes and make their own
wine.
* Providing spaces for individuals to store bottles and barrels.
* Creating a medieval Italian villa complete with a castle. The
concept stems from the time the Litchfields spent in Europe.
* The masterstroke would be a natural-history museum exhibiting
fossils and minerals dating back at least 65 million years, to
the Cretaceous era.
"We intend to have the best dinosaur exhibit on the West
Coast," Don Litchfield said. The Litchfields dig for fossils
in South Dakota and buy and sell ancient artifacts.
They already have a small museum in their Lockeford office, displaying
a set of razor-sharp teeth from an eons-old shark, the rib of
a duck-billed dinosaur called edmontosaurus, a meteorite that
struck Earth 40,000 years ago and numerous other specimens.
Jerry Herzick, deputy director of the San Joaquin County Community
Development Department, said the Litchfields' plan for a museum
may require a zoning change and a permit.
Overall, he said, the couple's efforts benefit the area and should
prove to be an attractive draw.
"It sounds good," he said. "It's great what they've
done to clean that up."
* To reach reporter Neil Gonzales, phone 367-7428 or e-mail ngonzale@recordnet.com
This article is re-printed here with the permission
of Jim Gold, editor of The Record. Check out other breaking stories
at
www.recordnet.com
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