Hanna's Camp-Ditch Camp-South Fork Mill-California Water Company-Water Operated Saw Mill, 1874-1880, South Fork of Rubicon River, Eldorado National Forest, El Dorado County, Ca
The details of the California Water Company and all their activities in this area are covered in great detail by Bowman, 1874; Gildersleeve, 1880 and finally summarized in Sioli's history of El Dorado County in 1883.This company, originated and capitalized in San Francisco, was central to early development of resources in the Georgetown Divide area, building a Loon Lake log dam initially along with a ditch to connect Gerle Creek to Hanna's Camp by 1874. This trial dam was followed by building the granite stone dam to replace the original nine foot high log dam at Loon Lake in 1881-1882 using Chinese labor which stood till removed in 1962 for the current earth filled dam built in 1963. The companies need to support their ditch and flume structures to bring the water from Loon Lake to Georgetown also necessitated their building the South Fork Mill,( between 1874 and 1880) a water powered saw mill at Hanna's Camp, which still stands today.
Here are a series of photos I took of the South Fork Mill/Ditch Camp/Hanna's Camp during the early 1990s before Carolyn and Denton Beam began restoring their mill. there pictures clearly show the original water powered mill, the original blacksmith's shop, as well as the additional outbuildings built over the course of years.
This is a photo of the original blacksmith's shop which was built at the same time as the original mill.
Hanna's Camp1, Hanna's Camp2, Hanna's Camp 3
Hanna's Camp was later known as South Fork Mill or Ditch Camp.....wonderful Lint Brown photo Ditch Camp Early 20th Century
South Fork Rubicon River Bridge Georgetown Wentworth Springs Road South Fork Mill, Ditch Camp, 1932
Bibliography
Anderson M.D., Winslow, "Mineral Springs and Health Resorts of California," The Bancroft Company, San Francisco, Ca, 1890.
Baldwin, Anna Luneman, "Joys and Tears of Yesteryears", Anna Luneman Baldwin, 1975...source material for the Orelli, Jacobsen and Leonardi Families
Bowman, Amos, "Report on the Properties and Domain of the California Water Company, situated on Georgetown Divide: Resources of the Country, Between the South and Middle forks of the American River, In El Dorado County, California," A. L. Bancroft and company, San Francisco, Ca,1874.
Bowman, Amos, "Map of Georgetown Divide, El Dorado County, Showing also Portions of Placerville and Forest Hill Divide, with Ditches, Mines and other Properties of the California Water Company," Amos Bowman, San Francisco, Ca, 1873
Brown, Linton A., Long time South Fork Mill, Old Ditch Camp, Georgetown Divide recreational user, growing up and spending considerable time during his youth living, hiking, fishing and working in these areas, with his late father Linton Brown Sr...huge collection of historic photos covering all areas of the Georgetown divide, including the old ditch Camp, Loon Lake, Rubicon Springs, Wentworth Springs, and the California Water Company holdings...most taken by his father Lint Brown Sr.. Lint is working on written history of this area, which will include many of the historical photos which he has loaned to me to include in the Gerle Creek history. Lint is a retired Engineer for California Department of Water Resources and lives in Redding, California.
Brown, Linton A., "SIXTEEN SUMMERS ON THE DITCH, Memories of South Fork and Gerle Creek Ditches and Old Loon Lake Dam, El Dorado County, California," Linton A. Brown, Red Bluff, Ca, February, 2003 [This new book is a wonderfully written book on the Ditch Camp, California Water Company, Georgetown Divide Water Company, Gerle Creek and Loon Lake Dam. It is absolutely full of wonderful pictures of these areas, not seen before from the author's family collection, as well as much detail on the Ditch Camp, Loon Lake Dam, and its early construction, Uncle Tom's Cabin and Wentworth Bros of Georgetown's mineral springs by the same name....Wentworth Springs. The maps and charts are very good. This book should be part of any ones library who has an interest in the Georgetown Divide, Eldorado National Forest and El Dorado County history....This is self published. The author, Linton A. Brown, 22360 Lariat Lane, Red Bluff, Ca 96080 can be contacted by mail . I am very pleased to have one of the 35 original copies]
Errington, Don; Deal, Krista, "Airport Forest Health Project, Draft Environmental Impact Statement," USDA, US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Eldorado National Forest, Pacific Ranger District, Pollack Pines, Ca., July 2000
Gernes, Phyllis L., "Hidden in the Chaparral," Phyllis L. Gernes, Garden Valley, Ca, 1979
Gudde, Erwin G. "California Place Names, The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names," University of California Press, Berkeley, Ca, 1949,1960,1969.
Gildersleeve, David H., "California Water and Mining Company Report to the Stockholders," New York, 1880.
Hill, Jonni Artist, Early Eldorado National Forest and County historic ranches and pioneers, Several of her photographs used with her permission High Country Sketches
James, George Wharton, "The Lake of the Sky-Lake Tahoe," George Wharton James, Pasadena, Ca 1915.
Jerrett, Herman Daniel, "California's El Dorado---Yesterday and Today," Press of Jo Anderson, Sacramento, Ca, 1915.
Jerrett, Herman Daniel, "Hills of Gold," Cal-Central Press, Sacramento, Ca, 1963
Johnson, Wilbur S., Superior Court Judge Retired, Redwood City, Ca.... Unpublished early historical information, e-mail, including early photographs, maps, etc., on Wentworth Springs and its surroundings, Robert S. Jerrett and family for Georgetown and Wentworth Springs, Ca, the Wikanders of Buck Island Lake from 1932, May/June 2003
Mathis, Geroge; Moser, Halmar Forrest, "El Dorado Sketches," Friday House, Columa, Ca, 1973
Nicosia, Francesco M., "Italian Pioneers Of California," Italian-American Chamber of Commerce of the pacific Coast, San Francisco, Ca, 1960.
Parker, Marilyn, "The Pollock Pines Epic," Placerville press, Placerville, Ca, 1988
Polkinghorn, R.S., "Pino Grande, Logging Railroads of the Michigan-California Lumber Company," Howell-North Books, Berkeley, Ca, 1966
Polkinghorn, R.S., "Pino Grander, Logging Railroads of the Michigan-California Lumber Company," Howell-North Books, Berkeley, Ca,1984 (Revised&Enlarged Edition)
Presba, Peg, "Jeepers Jamboree, Book II, The First 40 Years," Jeepers Jamboree and Jeep Jamboree, Inc., Georgetown, Ca, 1992
Rambeau, Sheryl; Moser-Flynn, Halmar, "Georgetown and The Divide, Volume II of El Dorado County Historic Places of Interest Myths & Legends," The Heritage Association of El Dorado County, Georgetown, Ca, 1998
Scott, Edward B., "The Saga of Lake Tahoe, Volumes I&II," Sierra-Tahoe Publishing Company, Lake Tahoe, Ca 1955/1973.
Sioli, Paolo, "History of El Dorado County, California," Oakland, California, 1883.
Supernowicz, Dana Edward, "Historical Overview of the Eldorado National Forest," Masters Thesis, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, California, Spring 1983.
Upton, Charles Elmer, "Pioneers Of El Dorado," Charles Elmer Upton Publisher, Placerville, Ca, 1906.
Upton, Will O., "Churches of El Dorado County California, Their History Covering a Period of Ninety Years From 1850 to 1940," Old Hangtown Press, Placerville, Ca, 1940
Wilson, Norman L., Dyson, Jack R., "Archeological Survey in Gerle Creek Diversion Dam Area, El Dorado County, California," State of California, The Resources Agency, Dept of Parks and Recreation, division of Beaches and Parks, Sacramento, Ca, 1962.
Wrights Lake Summer Home Association, "The Wrights Lake Story," Cal Central Press, Sacramento, Ca, 1962/1994(Revised Edition)
Yohaler, Betty, "I Remember"....Stories and Pictures of El Dorado County Pioneer Families," El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, Placerville, Ca 1977
HISTORICAL LINKS FOR GERLE CREEK
www.visit-eldorado.com/stories.html
www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/museum/other_museums.html
http://www.visit-eldorado.com/historical.asp
Last updated on 11/19/05
