Twenty-three years ago on August 16th, 1992 our county was declared a disaster area with over 25,000 acres burned in the next few days. Many areas were evacuated including Fricot City, Sheep Ranch Cae City and part of Michel and Old Gulch Road.
Four thousand firefighters were here in our county, some from Southern California and all neighboring counties.
The fire was caused by an auto exhaust on Old Gulch Road near Mountain Ranch. They used the pasture behind the Alberts residence in Mountain Ranch for a staging area. We served cold drinks to the young firefighters who asked “Where are we?” Mountain Ranch Realty provided local maps so they could see what area they were in.
The fire moved in an easterly direction fron Old Gulch toward Fricot City, south of Sheep Ranch toward Highway 4 at Forest Meadows, Murphys and Indian Creek.
Mary Oslen’s home on Indian Creek became a victim of the Old Gulch Fire. This historical building was once the Valente Store, run by Mary’s family since the Gold Rush.
Many more homes were lost in its path toward Ebbetts Pass, including the mansion at Fricot City.
Your Mountain Ranch Fire Department was assigned to protect the homes along Cave City Road with equipment considered old and out of date today. We never lost a home. The only community in the fire path that did so.
For a few days there was mass confusion with firefighters and equipment by the hundreds, evacuating people out of harm’s way and protecting as many homes as possible, and because of their endurance today there is hardly a scar left to see.
Here is a partial list of equipment, manpower and losses from this fire:
* 521 engines, 76 bulldozers, 14 helicopters, 16 air tankers and 28 water tankers have been pressed into service.
* An estimated 15,000 people reside in the evacuated area, which stretches from Sheep Ranch to Big Trees Village.
* $9.5 million was spent to supress the fire.
* 11 minor injuries to firefighters have been reported.
* 54 structures have been destroyed, including 35 residences, 11 outbuildings, and 5 commercial buildings. Residences lost include 16 at Fricot CIty, four at Mineral Mountain, three along Ponderosa Way, two at Forest Meadows, and 15 at Northwood.
* 22 vehicles and two travel trailers have been incinerated.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
When We Arrived Here Fifty Years Ago
Coming up Mtn. Ranch Road there was one yellow line down the middle of the road with no white line on each side. No guard rails or caution signs. What a pleasant drive and everyone waved at each other as you met on the road.
Just past Cave City Road Mr. Bob Burge was raising turkeys on what is now the Mayo property. The El Dorado Ranch did not have the stone entrance. Johnny Jones lived in the little house at the entrance.
The beauty shop was a small home. The cafe and landscape business was not there.
The vacant lot where Joe Thomas has his tractors on display had two houses green in color on it that some local hippies converted into a hot tub business. A family by the name of Goff lived in one.
Bob Leidecker drove the local school bus. Bob and Mary lived in the next home where their daughter Jeanie now lives. Bob Leidecker's mother lived in the little house next to the swimming pool.
The bike trail was not there.
The baseball field and park was a large walnut orchard.
The Resource Center was a school for handicap ed students.
The large lot where the Blunder Inn now stands and the gas station was an equipment yard, for Al Pargett. The firehouse was not here. We built it later to become Mtn. Ranch Fire Department.
The building where Stark Realty is now was just an old vacant shack. Later Bill Stark redid the building and opened his office.
The Community Hall had an oak tree in front, a fireplace and wood burning kitchen stove, and a large wood shed in front. The Town Hall received their water from the Domenghini system with a pipe line under the county road.
When we arrived in Mtn. Ranch on a Sunday in late June of 1965 the street was littered with paper cups, crepe paper and plates. What a mess. We could not figure out why this quaint little town we saw earlier looked so bad. Later we learned that was the weekend that Erick and Paulie got married. The only other person we saw that Sunday morning was a huge an with full beard picking up all this trash. We learned later that was Paul Morse, Paulie Senders father.
The new post office was not there. That lot was a large garden tended later by Harry Rilea, Florence Alberts father.
The home across from the Town Hall was occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Cook. Her mother lived in the home which is now the Lutheran Church.
The large adobe building known as the Dughi building was in bad shape and Slim Thomas lived in one downstairs room.
There was an outhouse and Slim got his water from the Domenghini system. The new porch and balcony were added later to look original.
The small house across the street was owned by the Cuslidge family but it was not used. Florence Alberts parents moved into it much later.
The house where the Mtn. Ranch Realty office is was occupied by Dave Zwinge and his wife Lola. That's where we lived when we came. They moved over across by the sawmill.
On the opposite corner was the post office where Virginia Butterfield was the Postmaster. That building, along with the original small post office is restored and on display with the old fire truck across from the Dughi building.
There was no Ace Hardware, lumber yard or supermarket. There was a big square two story stone building at the end of Washington Street. Across the street was the Tisher building, it is vacant today.
On Garabaldi Street was Senders Market. Gus Sender and his son Erick operated this store which was famous throughout the area for quality meat. There is a large photo of the original Senders Market hanging at the end of the meat counter.
A lean-to was added to Senders market and opened as "Opa's Smokehouse" which was a beer bar operated by Gus Sender. There was a bridge across the creek which is now covered by parking lot.
Next to Senders was the old dance hall used at this time by the Domenghini Family as a warehouse for their hardware business.
The stone building with iron doors was the General Store operated by Francis Devoto after Louie Domenghini died in 1962.
An old-fashioned store with a wood-burning stove, coffee pot and chairs with plenty of conversation. This store had gas pumps out front, also a large walk-in box and barrels with white gas and kerosene.
Clorinda Domenghini was the owner and Francis had worked for the family for many years. She lived in the old house now occupied by the Alberts. The pole barn used as a garage is gone, which she had built when she married in 1899.
Across the street was where Edith lived, the daughter-in-law of Clorinda. This house was moved across the street in 1938 when the large porches were added.
Further up Garabaldi Street there were five cabins built in the 1940's for the sawmill workers; only 2 remain today. Because of drunks living there, the street was called Wobbly Lane.
Across the field from the cabins was a stagecoach barn, a beautiful old barn which has long disappeared.
Up the hill was the cemetary which is now twice the size it was then. The iron fence and gate is a recent addition.
There was no mini-storage but the house was there. Bill Copley lived at the corner of Mtn. Ranch Road and Ave. "A". His father Howard Copley lived on Ave. "A" where the tall redwood trees are.
The old Hotel was occupied by Eldon Lane and wife Blossom, part-time. It was in rough condition and they worked on it continuously.
Of course the Joses Ranch a mile north was here and operating in full swing.
The Community Church out there on East Murray Creek was not here yet.
All in all there have been many physical changes to our town especially since all these ranches were subdivided in the 1970's and 1980's. The influx of people helped build the many businesses and changes you see today.
Can you remember what it looked like when you got here?
Phil and Florence Alberts
Just past Cave City Road Mr. Bob Burge was raising turkeys on what is now the Mayo property. The El Dorado Ranch did not have the stone entrance. Johnny Jones lived in the little house at the entrance.
The beauty shop was a small home. The cafe and landscape business was not there.
The vacant lot where Joe Thomas has his tractors on display had two houses green in color on it that some local hippies converted into a hot tub business. A family by the name of Goff lived in one.
Bob Leidecker drove the local school bus. Bob and Mary lived in the next home where their daughter Jeanie now lives. Bob Leidecker's mother lived in the little house next to the swimming pool.
The bike trail was not there.
The baseball field and park was a large walnut orchard.
The Resource Center was a school for handicap ed students.
The large lot where the Blunder Inn now stands and the gas station was an equipment yard, for Al Pargett. The firehouse was not here. We built it later to become Mtn. Ranch Fire Department.
The building where Stark Realty is now was just an old vacant shack. Later Bill Stark redid the building and opened his office.
The Community Hall had an oak tree in front, a fireplace and wood burning kitchen stove, and a large wood shed in front. The Town Hall received their water from the Domenghini system with a pipe line under the county road.
When we arrived in Mtn. Ranch on a Sunday in late June of 1965 the street was littered with paper cups, crepe paper and plates. What a mess. We could not figure out why this quaint little town we saw earlier looked so bad. Later we learned that was the weekend that Erick and Paulie got married. The only other person we saw that Sunday morning was a huge an with full beard picking up all this trash. We learned later that was Paul Morse, Paulie Senders father.
The new post office was not there. That lot was a large garden tended later by Harry Rilea, Florence Alberts father.
The home across from the Town Hall was occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Cook. Her mother lived in the home which is now the Lutheran Church.
The large adobe building known as the Dughi building was in bad shape and Slim Thomas lived in one downstairs room.
There was an outhouse and Slim got his water from the Domenghini system. The new porch and balcony were added later to look original.
The small house across the street was owned by the Cuslidge family but it was not used. Florence Alberts parents moved into it much later.
The house where the Mtn. Ranch Realty office is was occupied by Dave Zwinge and his wife Lola. That's where we lived when we came. They moved over across by the sawmill.
On the opposite corner was the post office where Virginia Butterfield was the Postmaster. That building, along with the original small post office is restored and on display with the old fire truck across from the Dughi building.
There was no Ace Hardware, lumber yard or supermarket. There was a big square two story stone building at the end of Washington Street. Across the street was the Tisher building, it is vacant today.
On Garabaldi Street was Senders Market. Gus Sender and his son Erick operated this store which was famous throughout the area for quality meat. There is a large photo of the original Senders Market hanging at the end of the meat counter.
A lean-to was added to Senders market and opened as "Opa's Smokehouse" which was a beer bar operated by Gus Sender. There was a bridge across the creek which is now covered by parking lot.
Next to Senders was the old dance hall used at this time by the Domenghini Family as a warehouse for their hardware business.
The stone building with iron doors was the General Store operated by Francis Devoto after Louie Domenghini died in 1962.
An old-fashioned store with a wood-burning stove, coffee pot and chairs with plenty of conversation. This store had gas pumps out front, also a large walk-in box and barrels with white gas and kerosene.
Clorinda Domenghini was the owner and Francis had worked for the family for many years. She lived in the old house now occupied by the Alberts. The pole barn used as a garage is gone, which she had built when she married in 1899.
Across the street was where Edith lived, the daughter-in-law of Clorinda. This house was moved across the street in 1938 when the large porches were added.
Further up Garabaldi Street there were five cabins built in the 1940's for the sawmill workers; only 2 remain today. Because of drunks living there, the street was called Wobbly Lane.
Across the field from the cabins was a stagecoach barn, a beautiful old barn which has long disappeared.
Up the hill was the cemetary which is now twice the size it was then. The iron fence and gate is a recent addition.
There was no mini-storage but the house was there. Bill Copley lived at the corner of Mtn. Ranch Road and Ave. "A". His father Howard Copley lived on Ave. "A" where the tall redwood trees are.
The old Hotel was occupied by Eldon Lane and wife Blossom, part-time. It was in rough condition and they worked on it continuously.
Of course the Joses Ranch a mile north was here and operating in full swing.
The Community Church out there on East Murray Creek was not here yet.
All in all there have been many physical changes to our town especially since all these ranches were subdivided in the 1970's and 1980's. The influx of people helped build the many businesses and changes you see today.
Can you remember what it looked like when you got here?
Phil and Florence Alberts
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Ben Thorn
When one thinks of the lawmen of the Old West, such figure as Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok and Pat Garrett come to mind. Each of them established their reputations as peace officers long after the California Gold Rush.
The Gold Rush not only produced America's most violent frontier, it also produced some of the frontier's finest lawmen. But few western peace officers could match the skill, daring, and longevity of Ben Thorn, the iron-willed lawman of Calaveras County.
Ben Thorn served continuously as a law officer in Calaveras County from 1855 until his retirement almost half a century later, in 1903. During his long career he captured scores of dangerous outlaws including the mankiller "Longhair Sam" Brown, and in 1883 played a prominent role in the manhunt for Charles E. Boles, alias Black Bart, America's most prolific stagecoach robber. He took part in numerous hair-raising gun battles, and superstitious Mexicans and Indians came to believe that he led a charmed life and that no knife or bullet could kill him.
Benjamin Kent Thorn was born in Plattsburg, New York, on December 22 1829. In 1849 he joined the Gold Rush to California. He began mining on the Yuba River in the Northern Mines, but by 1850 he drifted south to the diggings in Calaveras County where he would spend the rest of his life.
Ned Bushyhead, constable of El Dorado Mining District in 1850's worked with Ben Thorn in law enforcement may times. He was the lead man in capture of Bill Holt, a well known outlaw in the McKinney Diggins - Cave City area. They worked together on many jobs including the hanging in old El Dorado December 1864, and the stage coach hold-up in 1892.
Ben Thorn's first law enforcement experience began in the spring of 1853, when, like hundreds of other miners in Calaveras County, he helped search for the rampaging gang of bandidos led by Joaquin Murrieta.
Ben Thorn soon became noted for reckless bravado, and on April 15, 1855, Charles A. Clarke, sheriff of Calaveras County, appointed him a deputy.
It was not long before the young Deputy Thorn tackled one of the worst bands of toughs in the gold region. Their leader was Longhair Sam Brown. San Brown fled Mariposa and soon turned up in Calaveras County at the head of a band of gamblers and hardcases. On July 8, 1855, while running a monte game in Upper Calaveritas, Longhair Sam and a comrade, Hugh "Bunty" Owens, got into a row with several gamblers.
A bystander raced to Ben Thorn's mining claim at San Antonio camp and reported the killings. Thorn, after obtaining warrants for the arrest of Brown and Owens, started after the killers with a fellow miner, Ed Hopkins. They rode all night in search and by daybreak learned that the bad men were holed up with four other members of the gang in a cabin on O'Neill Creek.
Thorn and Hopkins took the pair to a sawmill on San Antonio Creek owned by Orrin Spencer, the justice of the peace.
Within a few months after his capture of San Brown, Ben Thorn was again in the saddle after dangerous outlaws. On August 6, 1855, in the so-called Rancheria Tragedy, a gang of Hispanic bandits raided the mining camp of Rancheria in Amador County, just north of Calaveras.
There they learned that Calaveras County Sheriff Charles Clarke had caught up with the mounted bandits at Texas Bar on the Calaveras River. Clarke and his men, one of whom was undoubtedly Ben Thorn, had engaged the bandidos in a sharp gunfight and managed to shoot and capture one of them.
One of Ben Thorn's most notable exploits was his encounter with Santiago Molino, a dangerous desperado who reported to have killed six men in the mining country. Ben trailed and killed Molino.
Just a few of the many exploits of Ben Thorn, a true Western Lawman.
After the Gold Rush many forty-niners drifted on to new mining frontiers. Ben Thorn, however, stayed, married built a mansion (which is still standing) in San Andreas, raised two daughters and became a power in local politics.
He served as undersheriff for Sheriff Bob Paul from 1860 to 1864 and was sheriff of Calaveras County from 1868 to 1876, then worked as a Wells, Fargo detective, and again was county sheriff from 1880 to 1903.
During the 1880's and 1890's he was, next to his friend Tom Cunningham of Stockton, the most famous sheriff in California. When he died on November 15, 1905,, the San Francisco Call gave simple but elegant praise: "In the days when laws were loose, when the bandit, the stage robber, and the horse thief abounded, when life was cheap and men lived in the frontier stage of existence, Thorn's name was a terror to the criminal."
The Gold Rush not only produced America's most violent frontier, it also produced some of the frontier's finest lawmen. But few western peace officers could match the skill, daring, and longevity of Ben Thorn, the iron-willed lawman of Calaveras County.
Ben Thorn served continuously as a law officer in Calaveras County from 1855 until his retirement almost half a century later, in 1903. During his long career he captured scores of dangerous outlaws including the mankiller "Longhair Sam" Brown, and in 1883 played a prominent role in the manhunt for Charles E. Boles, alias Black Bart, America's most prolific stagecoach robber. He took part in numerous hair-raising gun battles, and superstitious Mexicans and Indians came to believe that he led a charmed life and that no knife or bullet could kill him.
Benjamin Kent Thorn was born in Plattsburg, New York, on December 22 1829. In 1849 he joined the Gold Rush to California. He began mining on the Yuba River in the Northern Mines, but by 1850 he drifted south to the diggings in Calaveras County where he would spend the rest of his life.
Ned Bushyhead, constable of El Dorado Mining District in 1850's worked with Ben Thorn in law enforcement may times. He was the lead man in capture of Bill Holt, a well known outlaw in the McKinney Diggins - Cave City area. They worked together on many jobs including the hanging in old El Dorado December 1864, and the stage coach hold-up in 1892.
Ben Thorn's first law enforcement experience began in the spring of 1853, when, like hundreds of other miners in Calaveras County, he helped search for the rampaging gang of bandidos led by Joaquin Murrieta.
Ben Thorn soon became noted for reckless bravado, and on April 15, 1855, Charles A. Clarke, sheriff of Calaveras County, appointed him a deputy.
It was not long before the young Deputy Thorn tackled one of the worst bands of toughs in the gold region. Their leader was Longhair Sam Brown. San Brown fled Mariposa and soon turned up in Calaveras County at the head of a band of gamblers and hardcases. On July 8, 1855, while running a monte game in Upper Calaveritas, Longhair Sam and a comrade, Hugh "Bunty" Owens, got into a row with several gamblers.
A bystander raced to Ben Thorn's mining claim at San Antonio camp and reported the killings. Thorn, after obtaining warrants for the arrest of Brown and Owens, started after the killers with a fellow miner, Ed Hopkins. They rode all night in search and by daybreak learned that the bad men were holed up with four other members of the gang in a cabin on O'Neill Creek.
Thorn and Hopkins took the pair to a sawmill on San Antonio Creek owned by Orrin Spencer, the justice of the peace.
Within a few months after his capture of San Brown, Ben Thorn was again in the saddle after dangerous outlaws. On August 6, 1855, in the so-called Rancheria Tragedy, a gang of Hispanic bandits raided the mining camp of Rancheria in Amador County, just north of Calaveras.
There they learned that Calaveras County Sheriff Charles Clarke had caught up with the mounted bandits at Texas Bar on the Calaveras River. Clarke and his men, one of whom was undoubtedly Ben Thorn, had engaged the bandidos in a sharp gunfight and managed to shoot and capture one of them.
One of Ben Thorn's most notable exploits was his encounter with Santiago Molino, a dangerous desperado who reported to have killed six men in the mining country. Ben trailed and killed Molino.
Just a few of the many exploits of Ben Thorn, a true Western Lawman.
After the Gold Rush many forty-niners drifted on to new mining frontiers. Ben Thorn, however, stayed, married built a mansion (which is still standing) in San Andreas, raised two daughters and became a power in local politics.
He served as undersheriff for Sheriff Bob Paul from 1860 to 1864 and was sheriff of Calaveras County from 1868 to 1876, then worked as a Wells, Fargo detective, and again was county sheriff from 1880 to 1903.
During the 1880's and 1890's he was, next to his friend Tom Cunningham of Stockton, the most famous sheriff in California. When he died on November 15, 1905,, the San Francisco Call gave simple but elegant praise: "In the days when laws were loose, when the bandit, the stage robber, and the horse thief abounded, when life was cheap and men lived in the frontier stage of existence, Thorn's name was a terror to the criminal."
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Mtn. Ranch Baseball Field
Lots of volunteers worked on the field this month. We cleaned the concession stand, by Linda O-Keefe, Phil Alberts, Mel Borges, Jerry Byrd. Pressure washed by Pete Connell, painted inside by Terry Crum, vent by Dan Dowdin, coordinated by Pete Connell. New Bases installed by Sam Smith and Phil Alberts. West Point Little League is using our field. Round-up weed killer around the field fence by Mel Borges. Outfield grass mowed by Bill Schmiett. Alan Senders and his crew assembled the batting cage purchased by donations so his team can practice. They are having a good season to date. Old flag destroyed by wind, a new one was ordered and has been installed. Adult softball will be starting soon.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
The Clampers are Coming!! The Clampers are Coming!!
On June 13th the local MATUCA chapter of the E. Clampus Vitus will install an historical placque on the oldest building in Old El Dorado now known as Mountain Ranch.
The placque will read:
Domenghini Adobe
The Domenghini Adobe was built in 1856 by Mr. Pagani using adobe, field stones, and hand hewn beams. It is the oldest building in Mountain Ranch. In 1872 it was purchased by the Domenghini Family. This building was used as a saloon, pool hall and dance hall until 1901 when it was converted into a general store by brothers Attilio and Cash Domenghini and known as Domenghini Brothers General Merchandise. In 1925 it became known as the A. Domenghini and Son Store. In July 1965 the Domenghini property was purchased by the current owners, Phil D. Alberts and family,
Dedicated by:
E Clampus Vitus Matuca Chapter 1849
June 13th, 2015 (6020)
Credo Quia Absurdum
Clampology, an appendix,
Many Americans, especially those who left the ways of formal living, the frontiersmen and the 49'ers, abhorred false pretensions, or what might now be called "stuffed shirts". During the middle nineteenth century there was a steady development of organizations of fraternal orders under such names as the Sublime Knights, or the Grand Exalted Templars, etc. While these orders were organized to aid their members and often the unfortunates of their communities, still they affected elaborate uniforms, fancy dress swords and plumes and other such trappings. Their officers' titles, would by modern opinion, seem quite preposterous.
As a natural refutation of these, "spoofing" groups sprang up, usually, at least at first, informally organized. Probably the best known of these is the E. Clampus Vitus. When the first groups met is unknown. There are reports of Chapters in Bedford, Penn., in 1847, and in West Union, W. VA in 1850. Rumors of even earlier Chapters float around, but due to the tendency of all the Clamper writs to mix fact and fantasy, one never knows.
Such an order was a natural for those amusement-starved miners of the Mother Lode, and members from the States early formed ad hoc Chapters. The most current story is as follows:
A drummer would come to town and was asked, "Are you a Clamper?" As the salesman had never heard of E C.V., he was informed that all the merchants were Clampers and only bought from Clampers. After a reasonable time for the victim to check out this fact, they would relent and hold a special meeting to initiate the prospect. After initiation, some food and much liquor, the new member would be presented with the tab.
Just how many Clampers were organized is not known. There is a copy of the Initiation Manual of the Downieville Chapter in the Huntington Library, and Chapters were known to have been in existence until after 1880.
Many fables have come down of their activities. One that especially well tells of their feeling toward pretentiousness is that in the many parades in the mining towns after the elaborately uniformed Masonic orders, the various Knights and sundry Templars, a gang of red-shirted miners, giving the sign of the "well-Jackass", would march, led by their Noble Grand Humbug. Their standard-bearer would carry a tall pole supporting an ornate hoop skirt and slogan, "The Banner We Fought Under".
In our current time, a number of dedicated (if not always serious) historians decided to re-organize this Ancient and Noble Order. In the spring of 1930, Carl I. Wheat, George Ezra Dane and Leon Whitsell, the "Three Revivers", planned this revival. The first meeting was held at the Hotel Clift in "Yerba Buena" in 1931, with ten charter members. The first pilgrimage (later, called Clampouts) was to Downieville in May 1932, and there the first PBC, Ed Grabhorn, was initiated in front of the St. Charles Hotel Then came the first Annual Dinner, held at the Bohemian Club in Yerba Buena in January of 1933,
At first growth was slow, the second chapter being "Platrix, the Queen of Cow Counties." The first Clamper publication, "The Enigmatical Book of Vitus" came off in 1934.
The Articles of the Bylaws express the sublime indifference of the Order:
I. All Men are Officers
II. All Officers are of Equal Indignity
(It is rumored that the founding fathers became exhausted after giving birth to these immortal lines and repaired to a nearby tavern. They never recovered sufficiently to write an Article III, etc.)
Now, each Chapter meets twice a year in a Clampout, to initiate worthy though trembling PBC's and to dedicate a plaque at some little known -- though most worthy -- historical site. The Grand Council meets annually, the last weekend in May, at Murphy's Camp.
Satisfactory!!
And so recorded.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Miner's Songs, The One he Sings Here
I'm sitting on a big quartz rock.
Where the gold is said to grow;
But, I'm thinking of the merry flock,
That I left long ago.
My fare is hard, and so is my bed,
My claim is giving out,
I've worked until I'm almost dead,
And soon I shall "peg" out.
I'm thinking of the better days,
Before I left my home;
Before my brain with gold was crazed,
And I began to roam.
Those were the days, no more are seen,
When all the girls loved me;
When I did dress in linen clean,
They washed and cooked for me.
But awful change is this to tell,
I wash and cook myself;
I never more shall cut a swell,
But here must dig for pelf.
I ne'er shall lie in clean white sheets,
But in my blankets roll;
An oh! the girls I thought so sweet,
They think me but a fool.
Author Unknown
Where the gold is said to grow;
But, I'm thinking of the merry flock,
That I left long ago.
My fare is hard, and so is my bed,
My claim is giving out,
I've worked until I'm almost dead,
And soon I shall "peg" out.
I'm thinking of the better days,
Before I left my home;
Before my brain with gold was crazed,
And I began to roam.
Those were the days, no more are seen,
When all the girls loved me;
When I did dress in linen clean,
They washed and cooked for me.
But awful change is this to tell,
I wash and cook myself;
I never more shall cut a swell,
But here must dig for pelf.
I ne'er shall lie in clean white sheets,
But in my blankets roll;
An oh! the girls I thought so sweet,
They think me but a fool.
Author Unknown
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Devoto, One of the Early Families in Old Eldorado Camp
Benidito Devoto came to Calaveras County in the early 1860‘s. He came from Italy around the horn in a clipper ship. Two years later he sent for his wife Rosa. He traveled from San Francisco to El Dorado Camp by hitching rides on wagons heading for the gold fields.
By working hard and saving what little he did make from mining he was able to buy a small lot and adobe building in El Dorado. Later he purchased a small acreage northeast of town and put in a vineyard. He soon became one of the finest wine makers in the area. Near his vineyard he also found gold valued at $800 in one pocket. He also lost one eye in a mining accident.
There was a bakery in El Dorado as early as 1858. Mr. Devoto’s bakery is listed on the township map of 1872. We believe he bought the same bakery that was operated in the early days. It was in an adobe building behind the present candle shop.
In his later years grandfather Devoto told of Joaquin Murietta coming over Butcher Hill from Cave City to his bakery to get sacks of bread. When business was poor for Murietta he did not offer to pay. When the pickings were right he often rewarded the baker very well. Mr. Devoto never spoke of this during the time it happened. No one spoke of Murietta at that time for fear of reprisal. His gang was known throughout California as cold-blooded killers.
The Devotos lived behind the bakery in small living quarters. Later with the help of his two sons he built the existing Devoto home which stands next to the stone Dughi building which is now the Lutheran Church, the oldest wooden building in town. The sons exchanged work for lumber from Wiggins Sawmill on Jesus Maria Creek. Joe Cuneo helped with the carpentry work on this house.
Benidito Devoto was born in Italy in 1828, died in El Dorado in 1917; his wife was born in 1832, died 1923.
They had five children, one died as an infant. Louis was born 1864, died 1929; Jennie born 1872, died March 29, 1967 age 94; Joe born 1869, died 1943; Auralia born 1875, died 1951.
The children went to school at the old Fischer School north of El Dorado. Louis later became Justice of the Peace in San Andreas. He moved to San Francisco. At one time he was assistant treasurer for the city, later became head of the Board of Health and finally was elected to the assembly. When he first moved to San Francisco he worked as a guard at San Quentin and also as a bartender on the infamous Barbary Coast. He was known all his life as “Judge”. Louis married Mame Coran.
A son Francis was born in 1897 in San Francisco. A daughter born in 1902 was named Maria Rose.
Francis went to the St. Mary Catholic School in San Francisco and later went to Lincoln Public School in Oakland after the earthquake in 1906. He was living with his parents on Minna Street in San Francisco when the earthquake hit. He was nine years old. The morning of the quake Francis was awakened by his father. By the time Louis got his family together the house had moved two feet off its foundation and there were cracks in the walls large enough to walk through.
Louis was a big man, over six feet tall, he picked up his son and jumped through a hole in the wall, leaped several large cracks in the earth until they had reached safety. He returned to the house several times to get the rest of his family and some supplies.
As they wandered about the city trying to find a place away from the fires, Francis can remember seeing tongues of flames licking out of every window in the Call Newspaper building. Fires started everywhere, there was no water to fight with, the lines had broken from the quake so many buildings were blasted down by the fire fighters. Many people were hysterical and untold numbers were killed.
The Devoto family stayed two days in Golden Gate Park. It was a haven for many homeless families. They they moved out of town with family friends. When the family gathered what was left after the quake they moved to Oakland.
Francis’ uncle Joe lived in Mountain Ranch for many years. He was postmaster here in 1894. He married Louise Rodesino, sister to Johanna Rodesino, who was killed in a stage hold-up.
Later he moved to San Francisco where Louis set him up as a partner in a saloon. He also moved to Oakland after the earthquake. He bought a saloon at 7th and Broadway called the “Station Saloon”. Lew Powell, a promising young fighter, became close friends of Joe and Louis Devoto. Lew Powell spent his life in the fighting game and was considered the most colorful fighter of his day. He spent his retired years at Mountain Ranch. Joe Devoto had no children. Lew Powell’s daughter still owns the Powell Ranch off Banner Road.
Francis’ Aunt Jennie became postmaster in Mountain Ranch in 1906 after working for many years in the post office. In fact, she took care of the post office when Joe, her brother, was postmaster.
Francis moved from Oakland to Mountain Ranch in 1908 when he was eleven years old. He lived with his Aunt Jennie.
Francis went to school in Mountain Ranch. Elba Ames was one of his teachers. He used to ride the butcher’s wagon from San Andreas, operated by Jim Uland, who served the El Dorado - Cave City area selling fresh meats. Francis said he kept towns clear of flies, as they followed the meat wagon wherever he went.
He moved back to Oakland when he was 13 to work for Southern Pacific Railroad as an apprentice machinist for 15 cents an hour. Later he worked for the Telephone Co. collecting money from pay phones. He spent two years in Dunsmuir for his health but working in a billiard parlor did not seem to do much good.
He missed the first World War because he was working on the railroad. After the war he made two trips to Europe as a pump man on an oil tanker for the Tri-Mountain Oil Co.
Francis returned to Mountain Ranch in the early 1930‘s to work part time for A. Domenghini. He also worked some in the Sheep Ranch Store. Later when Atillio took sick he went to work full time for Louis Domenghini in the general store. His first marriage did not work out and he married Mabel Dale Hatch in 1946. Francis worked for the Domenghini family for over 30 years. He retired in 1965 when the Domenghini Estate was sold to Alberts Family and has since passed away.
The Domenghini General Store fixtures and old merchandise as well as old photos is now on display at the Red Barn Museum, donated by Phil and Florence Alberts.
By working hard and saving what little he did make from mining he was able to buy a small lot and adobe building in El Dorado. Later he purchased a small acreage northeast of town and put in a vineyard. He soon became one of the finest wine makers in the area. Near his vineyard he also found gold valued at $800 in one pocket. He also lost one eye in a mining accident.
There was a bakery in El Dorado as early as 1858. Mr. Devoto’s bakery is listed on the township map of 1872. We believe he bought the same bakery that was operated in the early days. It was in an adobe building behind the present candle shop.
In his later years grandfather Devoto told of Joaquin Murietta coming over Butcher Hill from Cave City to his bakery to get sacks of bread. When business was poor for Murietta he did not offer to pay. When the pickings were right he often rewarded the baker very well. Mr. Devoto never spoke of this during the time it happened. No one spoke of Murietta at that time for fear of reprisal. His gang was known throughout California as cold-blooded killers.
The Devotos lived behind the bakery in small living quarters. Later with the help of his two sons he built the existing Devoto home which stands next to the stone Dughi building which is now the Lutheran Church, the oldest wooden building in town. The sons exchanged work for lumber from Wiggins Sawmill on Jesus Maria Creek. Joe Cuneo helped with the carpentry work on this house.
Benidito Devoto was born in Italy in 1828, died in El Dorado in 1917; his wife was born in 1832, died 1923.
They had five children, one died as an infant. Louis was born 1864, died 1929; Jennie born 1872, died March 29, 1967 age 94; Joe born 1869, died 1943; Auralia born 1875, died 1951.
The children went to school at the old Fischer School north of El Dorado. Louis later became Justice of the Peace in San Andreas. He moved to San Francisco. At one time he was assistant treasurer for the city, later became head of the Board of Health and finally was elected to the assembly. When he first moved to San Francisco he worked as a guard at San Quentin and also as a bartender on the infamous Barbary Coast. He was known all his life as “Judge”. Louis married Mame Coran.
A son Francis was born in 1897 in San Francisco. A daughter born in 1902 was named Maria Rose.
Francis went to the St. Mary Catholic School in San Francisco and later went to Lincoln Public School in Oakland after the earthquake in 1906. He was living with his parents on Minna Street in San Francisco when the earthquake hit. He was nine years old. The morning of the quake Francis was awakened by his father. By the time Louis got his family together the house had moved two feet off its foundation and there were cracks in the walls large enough to walk through.
Louis was a big man, over six feet tall, he picked up his son and jumped through a hole in the wall, leaped several large cracks in the earth until they had reached safety. He returned to the house several times to get the rest of his family and some supplies.
As they wandered about the city trying to find a place away from the fires, Francis can remember seeing tongues of flames licking out of every window in the Call Newspaper building. Fires started everywhere, there was no water to fight with, the lines had broken from the quake so many buildings were blasted down by the fire fighters. Many people were hysterical and untold numbers were killed.
The Devoto family stayed two days in Golden Gate Park. It was a haven for many homeless families. They they moved out of town with family friends. When the family gathered what was left after the quake they moved to Oakland.
Francis’ uncle Joe lived in Mountain Ranch for many years. He was postmaster here in 1894. He married Louise Rodesino, sister to Johanna Rodesino, who was killed in a stage hold-up.
Later he moved to San Francisco where Louis set him up as a partner in a saloon. He also moved to Oakland after the earthquake. He bought a saloon at 7th and Broadway called the “Station Saloon”. Lew Powell, a promising young fighter, became close friends of Joe and Louis Devoto. Lew Powell spent his life in the fighting game and was considered the most colorful fighter of his day. He spent his retired years at Mountain Ranch. Joe Devoto had no children. Lew Powell’s daughter still owns the Powell Ranch off Banner Road.
Francis’ Aunt Jennie became postmaster in Mountain Ranch in 1906 after working for many years in the post office. In fact, she took care of the post office when Joe, her brother, was postmaster.
Francis moved from Oakland to Mountain Ranch in 1908 when he was eleven years old. He lived with his Aunt Jennie.
Francis went to school in Mountain Ranch. Elba Ames was one of his teachers. He used to ride the butcher’s wagon from San Andreas, operated by Jim Uland, who served the El Dorado - Cave City area selling fresh meats. Francis said he kept towns clear of flies, as they followed the meat wagon wherever he went.
He moved back to Oakland when he was 13 to work for Southern Pacific Railroad as an apprentice machinist for 15 cents an hour. Later he worked for the Telephone Co. collecting money from pay phones. He spent two years in Dunsmuir for his health but working in a billiard parlor did not seem to do much good.
He missed the first World War because he was working on the railroad. After the war he made two trips to Europe as a pump man on an oil tanker for the Tri-Mountain Oil Co.
Francis returned to Mountain Ranch in the early 1930‘s to work part time for A. Domenghini. He also worked some in the Sheep Ranch Store. Later when Atillio took sick he went to work full time for Louis Domenghini in the general store. His first marriage did not work out and he married Mabel Dale Hatch in 1946. Francis worked for the Domenghini family for over 30 years. He retired in 1965 when the Domenghini Estate was sold to Alberts Family and has since passed away.
The Domenghini General Store fixtures and old merchandise as well as old photos is now on display at the Red Barn Museum, donated by Phil and Florence Alberts.
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