If you ever wondered if miracles still happen, well, here’s proof: Three wonderful artifacts from the very earliest days of Alpine County recently made their way home again, some 150 years later! William A. Johnson and Bridget Clark made history in 1864 by becoming the very first couple to […]
History Clues in Monitor Canyon
Locals know the secret of wild hops growing in Monitor Canyon – modern-day left-overs from an old brewery that quenched the thirst of silver miners in the 1870s. But how did those hops plants find their way here in the first place? Ah, meet brewer Nicholas Piequet! Piequet arrived […]
Silver Mountain City: Finding Your Way There
Today, Silver Mountain City is a ghost of a ghost town. An army of pines has invaded the town’s cross streets, and only the traces of hand-dug cellars and rock foundations remain where noisy saloons and thriving businesses once stood. The old stone jail, once a proud centerpiece of town, is a jumble of broken blocks. But […]
Markleeville’s (Unofficial) Sister City: Newman, California
Did you know tiny Markleeville, California has a sister city? Well, not an official one. In fact, the two towns probably have no idea they’re even related. But Newman, California and Markleeville share a common heritage. The link that binds them? The man who gave the town of Newman its name. Here’s the tale! Simon Newman (Neumann) was born in 1846 in Willmars, in the Bavarian […]
Jonas Winchester’s Wild, Crazy, Adventurous Life – Part 2
So, how did Jonas Winchester get to California? Ah, that’s a story in itself! (And if you missed Part 1 of Winchester’s wild and crazy story, here’s where to read it!) The eighth of 13 children, Jonas Winchester entered the world on November 19, 1810 in Marcellus, New York. At roughly age 16 he was apprenticed […]
The Wild, Crazy, Adventurous Life of Jonas Winchester (Part 1)
Jonas Winchester was one of a kind . . . . The year was 1871. Hope was in the air, in the tiny mining town of Monitor, California. “General” Jonas Winchester and his wife had recently arrived from back East. And word was that the Globe Gold & Silver Mine was finally going to be […]
Discover the Odd Fellows Rocks
Ever visited the Odd Fellows Rocks? Most folks don’t even know they’re here. But they’re a fascinating and easily-accessible site along the old Emigrant Trail, near the top of Carson Pass! Several jubilant emigrants paused here between August 25 and 27, 1849, after successfully ascending the infamous “Devil’s Ladder” — one of the most difficult stretches that […]
The Story of Kermit Neddenriep
Put July 26th on your calendar. Three-quarters of a century ago on that same date, our community lost a local son. The year was 1944. The place: somewhere near San Romano, Italy. Europe was convulsing in the final, ugly months of World War II. Kermit Neddenriep had been cooped up in a foxhole for several days with his […]
The Legacy of Lewis Chalmers
Today, few people know his name. But back in the 1870-1880s, everyone in Alpine County and most of nearby Carson Valley knew mining promoter Lewis Chalmers. And whether they loved him or hated him, everyone had an opinion. Son of a wealthy Scottish family, Chalmers was raised among the movers and shakers of Fraserburgh. His father and grandfather had each […]
Markleeville: A Bit of Haunted History
There’s more than one “tale of the unexplained” floating around the old buildings in Markleeville! Perhaps it just seems like there should be a ghost in places that have seen so much life pass through their rooms. But stories about ghosts at Markleeville’s Cutthroat Saloon (Wolf Creek Restaurant) have been swirling for years: One waitress will swear to […]
Summit Lake Mysteries (in Alpine County, CA) . . .
Photographer John Calvin Scripture captured this haunting image of a mysterious lake about 1874. The hand-lettered caption calls it “Summit Lake,” and confirms the location as Alpine County, California. So where was this 140+ year-old picture taken? There is, of course, a “Summit Lake” in Alpine County not far from today’s tiny airport, and another (on some maps, at least) […]
Earl Lessley: The Flying Cowboy
He died over half a century ago. But tales live on about Earl Lessley, the “flying cowboy”! Earl Lessley was born in 1889 in Drytown, California. His parents, Mary and Samuel Lessley, had crossed the plains from Missouri by covered wagon. Even after they arrived in California, the family evidently moved around a bit; a second […]