Albert, the white peacock of Boulder Creek, a symbol of resilience and peace, memorialized in downtown mural

If they hadn t see him with their own eyes the folks who live in the upper forests of Boulder Creek would have been skeptical he really existed He must have been a myth a folktale Who could imagine an ethereal white peacock in all its glorious glistening plumage would roam freely through the town tucked deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains among the old trailers and cabins of the Redwood Resort RV park and up to the Foster s Freeze on Highway It was almost like he was a ghost revealed Cindy Rech sitting at Joe s Bar downtown And then they would see him and say Oh he is for real ' Albert the White Peacock of Boulder Creek showing off his full plumage in July of Photo by Whitney Bull For more than years the rare white peacock that the townsfolk came to call Albert belonged to no one and everyone He roosted in the redwoods and napped in backyard flowerbeds Neighbors fed him trays of chicken scratch and filled bowls with water Related Articles Why the invasive rodent species nutria are such a problematic pest Man sentenced for illegally trafficking baby spider monkeys across California-Mexico limit The return of an extinct wolf is not the answer to saving endangered species experts warn Why did four whales wash up in San Francisco Bay in a week and a half Surfers chased out of water by sea lion the latest in a string of aggressive behavior at California beaches Over the years he survived all manner of predators and speeding vehicles Vague accounts of a kidnapping a decade ago ending with clipped tail feathers and a wounding by a BB gun added to the lore In when photographs captured him emerging from the smoky haze of the CZU fire that destroyed more than homes with his six feet of tail feathers dragging through the ashes covering Highway his legend only grew Animal Planet dedicated a segment to him People magazine wrote about him A Santa Clara University English professor wrote a children s tale about how Albert saved the town from the inferno But last November he couldn t fend off what appeared to be a mountain lion attack A post on the Boulder Creek Neighbors Facebook page shared the tragic news It s a sad day for our little town Kevin Foster wrote RIP Albert Last Saturday after a fundraising campaign raised in a week the society gathered on a grassy lot on Boulder Creek s main street Highway for the unveiling of a mural dedicated to Albert on the full two-story broad side of Jenna Sue s Cafe Santa Cruz artist Yeshe Jackson mixed into the white paint finely scissored bits of Albert s molted feathers collected by neighbors a reliquary encased in paint He was just an inspirational beacon of light a blessing if you were lucky enough to see him Foster declared I m not sure what they say about white peacocks but I think they bring several type of good karma Just how Albert ended up living in and around the Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground is a little uncertain Frank and Trish Hamer who have lived in a shingled bungalow near the entrance of the resort for years disagree about whether he flew in from across the San Lorenzo River behind them or down from the mountain where different families raised peacocks decades ago Trish and Frank Hamer hold the feathers of Albert the white peacock of Boulder Creek Calif in front of their house Tuesday April Albert was a frequent visitor to their garden for decades but was reportedly killed by a mountain lion late last year Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group Albert was not an albino He had brown eyes not the tell-tale pink He was leucistic bred to carry the genetic mutation of his parents that inhibits the production of melanin that gives vibrant colors to peacock feathers Something about him also tapped into the spirit of Boulder Creek a mountain town of people outside of Silicon Valley where locals pride themselves on their independence and resourcefulness He was just so dear stated Trish Hamer who enjoyed Albert s frequent visits to her garden as she pulled weeds around her irises When we heard the news oh I still cry I miss my garden buddy Near the back of the RV park Albert would show up the greater part mornings for breakfast at Jesse Nolen s trailer Nolen lost his job as a camp host when the CZU fire shut down Big Basin State Park and now cares for his wife full time With Albert s favorite seeded oat bread he d sit in his camp chair with Albert at his feet and feed him by hand Jess Nolen looks at a memorial for Albert the white peacock of Boulder Creek Calif on Tuesday April Nolen says Albert often sat with him while he drank coffee in his garden The town mascot was reportedly killed by a mountain lion late last year Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group We d just sit there and enjoy the sunrise Nolen commented Nobody owned him He was just my friend The giant bird could be aggressive however His high-pitched screech sounded like a woman screaming in the night announced Dean Bull who often encountered him on his -mile walks across town and when Albert unfurled his tremendous fan of feathers it disclosed a cascading rumble He would invariably turn his butt to me and like twerk Bull explained Then he would like peek around his tail to see if I was still there During the fires Foster and his son Steven attempted to wrangle Albert into their work truck but with the tail feathers draped six feet out the window they would have just broken off if we tried to drive off with him Steven Foster wrangled Albert during the CZU fire in Aug in an attempt to rescue him with his dad Kevin Foster but his tail feathers were too long to fit in the cab on the truck and they feared they would snap off hanging out the window So they vowed to return if the fire grew closer to Albert s neighborhood which it didn t Photo courtesy of Kevin Foster Locals made calls to the Boulder Creek fire department to keep a watch out for him It wasn t Chief Mark Bingham s first priority but as he was driving his engine back into town one day his sirens blaring he slammed on the brakes The engine s Code red and white lights reflected off Albert s fully-plumed radiating feathers You could barely see anywhere and he just appeared in the smoke Bingham announced He was trying to hold Highway in patrol The chief hates to imagine if he didn t stop in time We would have gone from a hero to zero pretty quick Bingham disclosed Albert met his end four years later at the back of the RV park Frank Hamer disclosed a resident heard a commotion out the window of his trailer around dusk looked out and he could see this mountain lion going over the fence with Albert The residents of Boulder Creek find chosen solace that Albert lived longer than bulk peacocks in the wild or in captivity He will be remembered in the -square-foot mural on the side of Jenna Sue s downtown and in the -foot peacock sculpture on display at the local library UC Santa Cruz art professor Beth Stephens and her partner Annie Sprinkle who live across from the Hamers are finishing a documentary about him Albert was a unicorn trapped in a peacock body you know I mean just magically magical Stephens announced In this very imperfect life there was Albert Here s this point of peaceful power and hope People pose with a mural of Albert the beloved white peacock of Boulder Creek Calif after it was unveiled Saturday afternoon April Albert lived in town for decades even surviving the CZU Fire but was reportedly killed by a mountain lion late last year Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group Artist Yeshe Jackson signs his mural of Albert the beloved white peacock after it was unveiled Saturday afternoon April in Boulder Creek Calif Albert was a white peacock who lived in town for decades even surviving the CZU Fire but was reportedly killed by a mountain lion late last year Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group People take pictures of a mural of Albert the beloved white peacock of Boulder Creek Calif after it was unveiled on Saturday afternoon April Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group A mural of Albert the beloved white peacock is unveiled Saturday afternoon April in Boulder Creek Calif Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group A statue of Albert the white peacock of Boulder Creek Calif sits in the local library Tuesday April The statue had been passed around businesses in town as funds were raised to paint an Albert mural Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group