Miners were digging their way by the shovelful through a rocky mountain, hoping to make their big strike along “The Great Silver Belt,” but that big strike never happened. As I hiked in their footsteps, it almost felt like they could be returning any day now. Mining equipment is strewn near the tunnel opening and firewood is stacked, ready to ...
Read More »History
History Mystery #114: The Fine Gold Saloon
Submitted by Connie Popelish, North Fork History Group. In a 2013 interview, Bill Vanderburg told the North Fork History Group about a saloon on the east side of Road 200 that was built to straddle Fine Gold Creek. He said it was a bar and dance hall with Fine Gold Creek flowing underneath it. Then some years later, the building ...
Read More »History Mystery #113: Carved Wooden Tools
Submitted by Karen Morris, CHS President. These are carved tools made out of wood. They were recently donated to the Coarsegold Historic Museum. Do you know what they were used for or how old they might be? The one standing upright has holes in the bottom but the bottom is covered in felt. You can comment here or at chs@sti.net ...
Read More »Daily Update Reports from Visit Yosemite – Madera County
MADERA COUNTY — Please see the attached PDFs from Visit Yosemite – Madera County for the Daily Conditions Report and for current weather conditions. Daily Conditions Report (PDF) Current Weather Conditions (PDF) Upcoming Events From the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series 2022 Saturday, July 23, 2 – 3:30 p.m. Gifts of Granite, Wisdom from Rivers: Natural History and Poetry of the Sierra Nevada. ...
Read More »History Mystery #112: The Traveling Mystery Cabin
Submitted by Debby Carter, SHSA Librarian. According to articles in the Sierra Star, the cabin that is now located at Fresno Flats Historic Park & Village (see map below) was originally located west of Highway 41 and south of Sugar Pine, and east of Silver Knob. In 1969, a year after the Sierra Historic Sites Association (SHSA) was formed, the ...
Read More »Summer’s Here at the Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park
The Fresno Flats Gazette – Summer 2022 It’s going to be a great summer! We are gearing up for another incredible summer at Fresno Flats. Check out all that is happening and how you can get involved. Events Pioneer Camp: June 21 – 23 Pioneer Camp is on and it’s going to be better than ever. We’re teaming up again with ...
Read More »History Mystery #111: North Fork Trading Post
From the Madera Tribune, Volume 67, Number 83, 8 Sept. 1958 North Fork Store Burns As Community Threatened North Fork, CA. — A North Fork landmark for nearly 60 years burned to the ground Sunday afternoon. The Trading Post, a general mercantile store, caused this community’s most spectacular fire in years. The County Assessor’s Office valued the building alone at ...
Read More »Hiking Through Mariposa Grove Up To Wawona Point
Hiking beside really old, tall trees that have tiny cones is always special and a bit of Galen Clark’s cabin history along the way made it even better. It had been a while since I had hiked in Mariposa Grove and I got an early start to beat the crowd. And you probably should be careful when you tell me ...
Read More »Walking Up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill to O’Neals Meadow and Around Silver Knob
Every family who homesteaded the Miami Mills area in the 1880’s has a story to be discovered. This one is about three of them helping their neighbors through some very tough times. I armed myself with a map of early homesteads to better understand where these neighbors were living as I walked through history. This week’s adventure is about Shake ...
Read More »Looped Hike Up to Vernal and Nevada Falls
They say that the Mist Trail’s steep granite stairway has over 600 steps but I wasn’t counting because Vernal Fall’s beauty fully captured my attention as I climbed them. Up the Mist Trail and down the John Muir Trail. In between, I could feel the power of 2 huge waterfalls, their spray on my face and the roar of a ...
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