Welcome to Washington, California
95986
THE TOWN
Page 2
04/14/2007
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IN MEMORY
OF
DYER A. WILLIAMS
1911 -
1981
FIRE CHIEF AND BELOVED
LONG TIME RESIDENT OF WASHINGTON
This
is a plaque, that is mounted on the fire house wall, it's dedicated to Mr.
Dyer Williams. He was the Fire Chief that organized the building of the station.
He served as fire chief for 10 years. Mr. Williams also drove a school
bus. His route was East of the Washington Road turn off at Highway
20 , he would go East up 20 as far out as Lake Spaulding and drive back to
Nevada City with his students, and at the end of the school day, he ran the
route back every school day!. If the snow plow could make it so would Mr.
Williams.
THE PLAQUE WAS
REMOVED TO ALLOW FOR THE ADDITION OF THE SECOND FLOOR TO THE FIREHOUSE
I DO EXPECT TO SEE IT GO BACK UP!
Please clean off the plaque,
should it be dirty, when you get
there!
Key on the plaque
for a tribute written by his daughter Mae Williams -
Branagh
Fire Truck Used in Washington
This was the Town of Washington's fire engine from the early 1990's
till 2003 or 2004. I purchased it from The Washington Water Dist. in April
of 2006. It is a 1955 IH built by Van Pelt Fire Apparatus for the Town of
Truckee. We're not sure exactly when it went to the Town of Washington, but
I'm told by the current Fire Chief Mike Stewart, that it was Washington's
first run Engine for many years.
Jennifer Abrahamson, Rough and Ready
Mr.
and Mrs. Williams let my sister and I come out to California from New Orleans,
we lived there in 67, for a few weeks and stay with them in Washington in
1967. We came for a couple of weeks and stayed for 6 or 7. Wonderful (BEST
EVER) Summer! Picked us up at the Airport in Sacramento and didn't even say
a word when on the return trip we arrived at the airport without our tickets,
just drove back to Washington, got the tickets, and back to the Airport in
Sacramento, in time to make the flight. These are the kind of people guys
like me look up to.
Mr. & Mrs. Dyer A.
William
Mr. Dyer A. Williams on the right and Uncle Cleatis R. Ulrich on left
Clara, I believe the girl (oldest one) to be one of Bev's friends, perhaps
Mary Lou ??????? kids are too small, I cannot see faces. I remember that
photo, but am not sure that those kids are any of us.
"One of his most impressive, and intricately designed inventions was a lath
mill that he set along side a burner of an existing saw mill in a small
California settlement. There he utilized the edgings of logs that were once
destined for destruction, and made the waste products into boxes for the
State of Calif., pruning trays for the California valley, and molding for
homes, all at a time when American had not touched on the idea of recycling.
As a child, I remember vividly the mills quaintness, and the way it seemed
to boggle the minds of those who came to see the little operation in production.
Never was I as impressed as those who observed for the first time to gain
awareness and appreciation, mainly because my Father's craftiness ha d always
been a part of my life."
~From Mae's piece on her father, click on the plaque for the complete story,
it's really good!
They are making strawberry fruit trays to be sent down to Southern California
Grandfather, Mr Sam Ulrich from Indiana & Miss Mae Williams Grandmother
Mrs. Flara Ulrich Helping out too!
Picture of
Mrs. Williams's Bus at the OLD bridge.
Yeah, it had one lane. You would approach
the bridge, slowly see if anyone else was on, or approaching from the other
side, if so you simply waited your turn to cross. It worked for
us!
Clara must have taken the picture as I do
not see her behind the wheel, do you?
Picture Provided by: Kathy
Mrs.
Clara Williams: ( September 4, 1917 - July 1, 2000
)
This link above will take you to Clara's
Obituary as it was written up in The Union newspaper
My friend Clara passed away on
July 1, 2000 after another tough fight with cancer. I will miss her
deeply.
Clara, had
become one of my closest friends, she had allowed me, in her special way,
to become a part of her family, as she had done for many others during her
life. She had provided me with many hours of laughter when I needed it and
often when I least expected it. Even though most of our conversations
had been over the telephone, She, I think, may have known me better than
anyone else I know, if that is possible, as I doubt if I even know myself
sometimes. I thank her ever so much for taking me in and keeping me straight
and getting me
through.
"
Ma, It would have been impossible for me to have survived
the past few years without you being there for me. Having saved a life,
I know, only now, what it means to be saved by
someone.
Our chance meeting may have
not been by chance at all just fate heading in the right direction. Know
that I will love you for being there for me and understanding ME when I needed
understanding. I take nothing for granted, I accept your friendship as a
gift to me and will keep it always. I will also carry these words of our
first and last meeting, "Hi! I'm Pat your new son -in-law. " the rest
of my days.
See ya LAter
Clara..
In a local tribute submitted
by: Deby
Williams-Snell
Here is an article my sister, Mae Branagh,
wrote about my Mother, whose picture will be featured on Nevada County Currency,
(a promotion to keep $$ local) The first paragraph was written by a member
of the committee, the rest is Mae's. Thought you may enjoy. Keep in mind,
all five Williams' girls are grammatically challenged, and I edited the piece.
<g> The first paragraph was written by committee member Janine Wilson
of Washington, Ca.
Deby
Gold Country Currents is doing a series
of notes entitled Living Legends. The commemorative note representing the
town of Washington and honoring Clara Williams is our first. Local currency
is a perfect representative of inspiration, heart, and strength in community.
We honor and thank her.
At the age of 81, Clara Williams would not dispute that her life would have
been easier had she been made of money, however that was not her position.
Most recently when she became mindfully aware that she had been selected
to have her picture on a piece of Nevada County currency (having money made
of her, so to speak), she would agree that with this honorary distinction,
she could lay claim to a different kind of wealth. One that was never before
within her realm of imagination.
Jean Rousseau once said, "Money is the seed of money, and the first guinea
is sometimes more difficult to acquire than the second million." This honor
is Clara's first guinea, and it is one that supersedes beyond all
measure the possession of great riches.
Selected from a host of candidates to represent the town-site of Washington,
Clara was considered along with the ghost of the infamous, gun-slinging Wyatt
Earp, who was said to have once slept in the old Washington Hotel.
While the questions of Earp's reputation still rises, "Was he an authentic
western law man or a fraud and a liar?", Clara's character was built and
cemented together with the building blocks of many years of dedicated public
service. While Earp blazed the dusty trails, Clara, in 1958 took on the asphalt
to become Nevada County's first woman bus driver, overcoming the roadblock
of her superior, who had stated that no woman would work for him. There was
no show down on Main Street at high noon, but Clara would continue in her
bus driving position for the next 23 years, proving her commitment while
she navigated from Washington to Grass Valley through winter's most treacherous
times. A trail blazer she was. "I can remember when she would stop to put
snow chains on that big bus. Men on the road would see a lady and always
stop to offer their help. We called them her victims, and placed bets on
who would finish first. She always thanked the unsuspecting good samaritans
and allowed them to take over the wheel where she had been working. She would
then go to the other side of the bus, put the chain on the other tire in
time to help her gentleman assistant finish his," said one of her former
student charges.
While Earp was heralded as having arrested
Shanghai Pierce and a mob of Texas cowboys at Wichita to march them all into
court, Clara in 1977, as the president of the California Schools Employees
Association ( a position she held for 14 years) led a strike, which would
put her in a situation to face off with one of her own son-in-laws, who at
the time held a top administrative position with the schools. When her son-in-law
questioned her about her actions, and asked her what she was going to do
if she lost her job, Clara resounded with, "Well, if that happens you had
just better set another place at your dinner table for me."
Connected with the notorious shoot-out at the O.K. Corral, Earp was known
to use a colt buntline special equipped with a 12" barrel. Clara was no stranger
herself to weapons, as she was known to frequently pick up her piece, and
along side her husband (Dyer Williams - deceased in April of 1981), and her
brother, take to the backwoods of Washington to pursue the bigger game of
the region. With Earp's appearance, reported on numerous occasions to have
stirred excitement, Clara out did him on one particular day at sundown when
she came riding through town on top of a freshly killed bear, which was being
pulled home on a tractor trailer. Her take from the land meant rendered lard
for cooking, and plenty of meat for her family of five daughters, and the
numerous children that she found room for, both in her heart, and in her
smallish three bedroom home.
In his travels, Earp may have forded many a stream on horseback, but Clara
in 1966 would take on the entire Water District for Washington, serving as
Secretary/Treasurer for 33 years.
While Earp gained notoriety with his sheriff's badge, Clara's hallmark became
the pies that she baked from her own home grown fruits. Preserving foods
was something that was ingrained in her. One time when my son asked her to
bake him an apple pie in the month of February, she said that she couldn't
"because there were no apples on the trees". I had to tell her that you could
buy them at the store. "That was just who she was, a frontier woman who didn't
know how to play catch with the times," said the youngest of her daughters.
Like Earp was said to be, Clara was a fighter, yet her setting would take
her away from primitive America, and place her in the colder corridors of
medical facilities while she fought and won the battle over cancer. Another
of her daughters would attest to her devotion for her jobs during that time.
"I can remember when Mom would drive her morning bus route, drive to Sacramento
to have her radiation treatments, (1967/68) and be back in time for her afternoon
run," she said.
Clara additionally served a term on the Washington School Board, was an active
member of the Washington District Council, acting as president for ten years,
and headed up the Food Distribution Program in Washington for the Nevada
County Food Bank, until a recent heart attack kept her away. She, like Wyatt
Earp become a legend, each in their own time. It could never be said that
Clara has short-changed life. Indeed, this special recognition seems
fitting.
Still remembering the happiness you and
Mr Williams brought to my life Clara. Thanks a Billion!
THE LONE PINE MILL AT WASHINGTON
Picture from Loney Mellott, from his grandparents picture collection.
Just had the wonderful experience of viewing your Washington website.
It brought back many memories.
My experience with Washington goes back to 1946. My Dad and Grandfather
leased the Blue Lead mine near Relief Hill. I was home schooled and Mom would
take me to the Washington school periodically to be tested and get books
for me to learn from. I would spend the day in school and Mom would travel
on to Nevada City to shop. She would return and drive us home to Relief Hill.
Must have been quite a day for her.
In 1950 my parents moved to Sacramento and my grandparents moved down
to Washington. At first they lived in a small cabin down in the area that
you call "Ribbles Trailer Park". My granddad worked for Mr. Ribble. They
then started taking care of the general store and moved into an apartment
under the store. I remember helping them stock the shelves and learned to
count change helping the customers. I also remember standing on the back
porch looking at the river just knowing there was a big trout down there
waiting for me. I was not allowed to go near the river without an adult.
They then moved to a house in the town near the school. My grandfather
was the custodian for the school for a while.
My date for my high school graduation dance was a girl from Washington
named Elaine Romero (we only had the one date). Somewhere in the early '60s
my grandparents moved into Nevada City and in 1963 I joined the Navy. I always
managed to make a trip to Washington whenever I was home.
In the early '90s my father worked a claim with a gentleman named "Yankee"
who lived in Washington. The claim was in the mine located at the top of
the grade coming out of Washington, just before you get to Hwy 20. He also
dealt with a lady who lived in Washington that bought and sold gold.
I have inherited my grandparents pictures and will go through them looking
for old pictures of Washington. There may also be pictures of the people
there but my grandmother, who had an excellent memory didn't write any names
down so I don't know who many of them are.
My grandparents were George and Lora Mellott, my father is Frank Mellott.
My father currently lives in Sacramento.
Sam Tracy's Store
Not to sure what it is right now,
it seems to be owned by a man from San Francisco, and he may be using it
as a weekender? There is a plaque on the outside wall, front right, that
tells of the buildings history. It is said to be one of the oldest building
in Nevada County, CA.
The Washington
Hotel
A lot of effort has been made
to recondition this grand old building. It has an active hotel, restaurant
and a great bar. Stop in for a look see. Henry and Su will be glad to see
you.
Wyatt Earp stayed here one time, well,
that's what I was told!
Sarah and I stayed over in the Earp
room (#9), and well, no one or thing visited.
This is the back of the Washington
Hotel from over at Gene's Pine Aire camp ground. If you want to spend some
time in Washington, and camping out is just not your thing, you might just
consider a stay at the Washington Hotel. You can go to their Web Site. Of
Course camping out is a great way to discover Washington.
WASHINGTONHOTEL.NET,or click on the picture. The site,
dedicated to the hotel, and will provide you with what you want to know about
your stay, or if you need more information a form is
provided.
It's a neat
site!
Past home of White Log Coffee
Shop
My parents, Pat and Charles McLeod, tried their hand at making this little
restaurant work. Many hours were spent making a go of it, it was just to
much for them and the returns were not what they needed or were looking for
in 1964.
It's a residence
now.
I have to say, I regret
not doing more to help out, sorry
Dad.
Our Old House
This
is the house we lived in for most of the time we were in Washington. We lived
in two others before finally making it to this one. One was a small cabin
at the River Rest, then another house located at the mill, the first one
on the left.
This house is big, The front porch was
big, the living room was a big room ~20X30. This house was beautifully built
with what must have been the best products of the Tahoe Sugar Pine Sawmill
at Washington. The walls are all knotty pine, the floors all, except the
kitchen, hardwood. Downstairs consisted of master bedroom with bath, 2 bed
rooms with adjoining bath and another bedroom. All placed along the back
of the house, connected by a hall way running the length of the house. This
hall looked like a bowling alley, and had in wall gun cabinets, which my
Dad kept his deer hunting rifles.
The great picture window in the living
room was a true window to the local nature. Deer could be seen standing just
outside as could the years first heavy snow as it filled the branches of
the sugar pines. The snow getting so deep on the limbs that the upper parts
of the tree would bend down past the breaking point and sound off with rifle
shot like, cracks as the tops of the trees feel to the ground. It's a great
view and many an hour was expended just standing there and looking out, or
sitting watching. I think my parents really liked it here, but I was real
surprised when in early '65 they purchased land West of Grass Valley to build
their dream home. The upstairs of the house was unfinished, then. It's a
great house. My Dad would come home, settle down in his big chair and watch
Bonanza, and laugh with The Flintstone's on his color TV. It was a very good
time for him, it was a very good time for us, all of us.
This is my Dad, Charles Shaw McLeod,
of Sanford North Carolina , son of Ruth Shaw McLeod, and me. Dad was 67 when
this picture was taken. It was Christmas at my brother's house in Texarkana,
Texas. Daddy had been looking for a place to sit, always had a problem finding
a place with five kids of his own, when I grabbed him and pulled him down
where I was sitting. He was surprised and laughed ever so much, one of the
best laughs I had ever heard from him.
Dad brought us to Washington, he was
going to be working on the water tunnel project at Bowman Lake, so we needed
a place to live, another move. We came up from Lompoc, CA, after a couple
of years of being there. You see WE never stayed anywhere, we were always
" from someplace ", as he did construction work, electrician, and often traveled
from place to place finding the most work for the highest
pay.
In 1963 we thought Washington was it.
He loved the place, loved to hunt in the local woods . It was the happiest
place we had ever been, and he lived. When the job at Bowman Lake was finished
he didn't work for several month. I remember he had one of those self winding
watches, they were new then, and one day he was sitting watching TV, loved
Bonanza, and noticed that his watch had stopped, said, " guess it's time
to get back to work, my watch has stopped" in the next few months following
that He and my Mom designed the house they always wanted, found some land
west of Grass Valley, off of Jones Bar Road, hired a contractor and built
a very nice place on 17 acres of land. It was their dream home come
true.
It was the first Summer I worked,
I was needed to help build the house, missed a whole Summer, I never got
over that. He would come in around 5:30 in the morning and ask, " Son, you
going to help with the house today?" What could I say, we worked from light
to light, foundation to roof, 7 days a week until it was complete. The house
was to have brick siding and he had permission to use the old bricks from
the Tahoe Sugar Pine Lumber Mill, that had burned down in '64. (He had taken
a picture during the fire that was in the UNION, but I have not been able
to find it) I didn't
realize it then, but he and my
brother Steve had to chip the old brick from the walls that remained, clean
and stack each and every brick. They worked for weeks getting the numbers
he required for his house, he had bricks stacked and ready for transport
before the foundation for the house had been started. A lot of work, well,
his watch was running again. We moved in about the time school started and
it was a great house. But with his watch now tightly wound, he was ready
to move on, we only lived in the house a little over a year, and left for
Michigan just after school was out in '66. Little did I know then, I would
attend three high schools before graduation in '69. But he provided well
for us and what more could one expect, after all it was his life. Dad died
in 1990 and is resting in the grave yard here in Washington as this is where
he was happiest and time, and his watch stood still for him, for a time,
and now forever, enjoy your stay Dad, enjoy your
stay.
The Park
The plaque at the park has
the information that I used in the opening of this page. The information
was supplied by Robert I & Grace I. Slyter. The park is located at the
corner of Alpha Road and Washington Road. The Alpha road goes up to the Alpha
and Omega Hydraulic diggins.
Their book Historical
Notes of The Early Washington. Nevada County California is available at the
Washington General Store, and at the Washington
Hotel
This is a look up the Alpha
Road
You can see why a four wheel drive
just might come in handy trekking up this path, This road goes up and to
the left then back over the hill up past the Alpha Diggins and back out to
Hwy 20, it's rough but in the summer, when it's dry, a 2 wheel drive pick-up
can make it OK, I did in mine with no problems. The Alpha diggins are posted
so no stopping and loading up a truck load of nuggets, it just would not
be right!
This is Alpha Road taken from
the porch of the Washington General Store. The only thing that is missing
from this picture is a couple of girls walking down the road to meet up with
the rest of the River Rats... You know who you are, Kathy,
Deby!
The old swimming hole on the East side
of the Washington bridge.
This is the view you see as you enter
the area. Across the way are jagged slate rock formations ready made for
jumping off of, the water is deepest at the base of the rocks. The beach,
is on the side I am shooting from as you can tell from the next
shot.
The
river water here is clear, you can see the bottom at 15 feet. You can watch
rainbow trout swim around, of course, when they get in a deep hole like this
is they don't do much, cool to see all the same. In the heat of the summer
this area is shaded from the hot sun in the afternoon by this hill. Great
Summer days!
This is the swimming area at the bridge,
it will support about 50 people and gets crowded during the summer, but there
are a lot of days, like during the week, it's hardly used at
all.
This is a look up the river
from the cliff side of the swimming hole, standing on the cliff area from
where you can jump in, ah huh. See how clean the water is? Being near
the source of the water does have it's advantages, very clean and cool. There
is a rough road that goes up the left side of the river quite a way, where
you can find additional open access to the river. large open camping areas,
closed to overnight, but available for day camping, this is a protected area
now so no over night camping is allowed. The next time I go I'll get some
shots of these areas.
Be Kind to the
river!
This
is the river, swimming hole actually, during the heavy rainy months, Dec.
- Feb. This was in Jan. '95. Every year the river bed is purged with high
water, bringing a newness to the river, sometimes, as in the rains of '97,
it rearranges things along the river, relocating houses, campsite
gear and sometimes even bridges
Several bridges crossing the S. Yuba
both above and below Washington have been washed away over the years. In
the case of the old County bridge at Washington, it was the approach on the
south side that continued to fail to hold back the water flows, thus leading
to it's replacement as you see it today. If you look you will note that the
road bed rises is you approach the bridge, but you have to notice
it!
NO TIME TO BE IN THE
RIVER!
Picture credit goes to Clara Williams,
Washington, Ca
THE ROPE
SWING
![Rope Swing at the Swimming Hole S. Yuba River]()
You can get an Idea of the size of the
rock face by judging the size of the people standing
on the
ledges.
( Sadly, The tree that supported the rope
swing tree was taken out over the winter, but another support will be found
I'm sure. Nothing like a Great Rope Swing!)
There are large piles of boulders,
as you can see, around the area. These were removed from out of the riverbed
by the Chinese gold field workers . This allowed access to the GOLD that
was laying on the bed rock below. Get a gold pan! I know that there is still
some GOLD in that river! Pans are available at the Washington General Store,
no directions for use are provided however, as anyone knowing what a gold
pan looks like, is just about expected to know how it is used, but if you
ask a local, just to make sure your doing it right, you will receive all
the information you need.
You know?, The GOLD RUSH of 1849, started just
over in Placer County, at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, Ca. Driving there can
be another great day trip. Highway 49 passes right through the park. They
have a short movie, that they show all the time at the park Headquarters
Building, that gives detailed instructions on gold panning! You can check
out the area and get the full story of the discovery of GOLD in California.Jump
on over to
coloma.com.
If you are interested in other communities in the local area, here is a LINK
to a site that has a lot of local Gold Country Communities listed.
http://www.malakoff.com/
My Fate On The
River, Just
Not
today! by: Pat McLeod
It was a wonderful hot, crystal
clear blue-sky, day as most of our summers days are on the South Yuba River
in Washington, California. Chuck Compton and I were going to float down the
river on inner-tubes. It seemed to be a good idea at the time. We had done
this a couple of times before without incident. This time however, it was
going to be a bit different. It was not long before things turned
ugly.
We had barely passed through
two sets of small rapids on the river, just below the bridge. The river runs
slow and low in the summertime so you have to pick your route as you go just
to find enough water to float the tube. Chuck was ahead of me when it happened.
As I guided my way between two large boulders I put my foot down to kick
off one when suddenly I realized that my foot was wedged hard between two
rocks under the water. The first rule of tubing down the river is keeping
you feet up and out of the
water.
The river rose up somewhat between
the large, water worn, boulders where the water was being forced as it passed
between them. The pressure of the water pushed hard on the tube as I tried
to pull my foot free. You have to act quickly. Before I knew it the tube,
with me firmly affixed inside, was pivoting on my leg. The tube rotated to
the right and passed downstream between the big rocks. It wasn't long before
I was yelling for Chuck to come help me as my leg was being twisted. He had
passed through without incident and was well on his way down river. My ankle
felt like it was way past the breaking point. Funny thing about a tube being
pushed down stream by water, you tend to become wedged inside .The water
started to pull the now backward facing, front edge of the tube, under the
water with me inside. Great, not only is my ankle about to be broken; I am
about to drown too. Normally I think you would just be flipped out of the
tube, but with my leg anchored firmly upstream I was trapped. I cried out
again, just short of panic. I caught a glimpse of Chuck making his way back
but not nearly fast enough to suit me. I cried out again.He knew I was not
joking this time, as I was often prone to do. I was in
trouble.
Chuck was now ten or twelve feet
away. I had no idea what the plan was but I was being pushed completely under
the water and in tremendous pain. As Chuck reached out to me, my foot suddenly
came free from the hold the river had on it! As fast as the river had taken
hold of my foot it let go and I was now free, it was over. Chuck helped me
out of the river and to the safety of the rocks. I wasn't much for going
down the river any longer this
day.
This was a day that could have
turned out so differently as it has for many others.Here Chuck and I were,
sitting there on the rocks contemplating what had just happened. It wasn't
long before we were laughing about it. It was a wonderful hot, crystal clear
blue-sky, day as most of our summers days are on the South Yuba River in
Washington, California.
Wherever you are Chuck, I hope
you are well.
Oh! Look! What Luck, someone is panning
for GOLD!
" I don't have any black dirt!
"
My wife Sarah and daughter Samantha.
Sam, the one with the pan is talking.
Yea! that's what a gold pan looks like... Shhhh,
don't tell anyone or the whole river will be crawling with gold panners...
Sarah is watching Patrick, our son, playing in the rapids just down stream.
You ARE ready for more! Then LET'S go!
....
The Town of Washington Page 3
It's the last one!