The story of an influential family who left their mark on Citrus Heights

By Mike Hazlip—
A weathered, historical plaque can be found today near a playground at Van Maren Park, paying silent tribute to an influential family who once called that land home.

Van Maren Park is nestled quietly between City Hall and Costco, part of a green space that winds its way through the city mostly following Arcade Creek. But more than a century ago, long before Costco, or Greenback Lane or City Hall, there was the homestead of Peter Van Maren.

Historical records shared with The Sentinel by Larry Fritz of the Citrus Heights Historical Society show Van Maren was born in Holland on Feb. 8, 1821. He came to California as a young man during the Gold Rush and records show he was involved in a failed real estate deal in Sacramento.

The details are lost to history, but Van Maren took up residence at the 12 Mile House, a stop along Auburn Boulevard during the Gold Rush Era. It was there he met the proprietress of the 12 Mile House, Constantina Hurtzig, who was working at the inn with her sister, Emily. Hurtzig was a native of Germany, and soon she and Van Maren were married.

The first home for the couple was near what today is Dewey Drive and Woodcreek Drive along Arcade Creek. Their initial parcel totaled 160 acres, but over the years the Van Maren land grew to about 1,000 acres as their family also increased with six children, records show.

Peter Van Maren and his wife both died relatively young at the age of 55. Their six children, Phillip, Johanna, Nicolaus, Willian, Mary, and Adolph, would continue to work the family land and help build what would become Citrus Heights.

One of the Van Maren children, Adolph, would go on to marry Catherine Donahue. Her family owned all of the land south of Greenback Lane, and Adolph became involved in the rural community by donating land for the original Sylvan Schoolhouse and serving for many years as a San Juan Union High School trustee, according to Fritz.

Related: The history of Citrus Heights’ first one-room schoolhouse

As their family grew, Adolph and Catherine Van Maren bought 320 acres south of Auburn Boulevard and west of Sylvan Road. By 1895, the Van Maren’s had remodeled a house near what is now Woodside Drive, which skirts a portion of Van Maren Park, and settled there. The home became the center of family life for the next five decades, until 1953 when Catherine died.

One of Adolph and Catherine Van Maren’s children, Guy Van Maren, later married and was given the 14 Mile House as a wedding present by his parents. The home still stands at 6540 Auburn Blvd., and was most recently sold to a private buyer two years ago.

Guy Van Maren’s son, Jim, grew up in the 14 Mile House and later built a home on Twin Creeks Court in the 1950s that still stands today. He is the last of the more prominent Van Maren family members who have made their mark on Citrus Heights.

Jim Van Maren died in 2012, long enough to see the park that bears his family name become a reality. Prior to his death, he played an influential role in forming the Citrus Heights History and Arts Commission, and also authored a book on local history, “Images of America: Citrus Heights.”

A large marker at Sylvan Cemetery can be seen today marking the family’s burial plot, and the street name “Van Maren Lane” also serves as a reminder to daily passersby of the family’s mark on Citrus Heights.

The Van Maren home at what is now Van Maren Park was lost to a fire in the 1960s, but the plaque remains as a reminder to the families who now call Citrus Heights home.