Historical Clippings Book (HC-11) (314 pages)

ils cessation, came as a blow to ‘Graniteville. Finally for lack of business, the extensive ditch systems in the area were abandoned.; Quartz mining declined slowly but} continued to operate on a reduced seale for several years. Luumbering Starts Lumbering activity began in the early 1890's with the construction laf the Rell Sau Mill and the Bierce and Smart Saw Mill. -1 ran{ with considerable produ sion for several years but closed down in 1902. awe s : Mining came almost to a stand-. $35 an ounce created a brief resurgence of the town. The ‘most recent plunge of Graniteville’s fortunes came with the complete closing of the mines during World War Il. A fire in 1948 destroyed the town's last hotel and a few still during’ World War I, but the}, increase in the price of gold to. lyears ago the last store was closed. : In the past Graniteville has al ‘ways emerged from its periods of ‘depression and the people of Granitville have faith that this. cycle will continue. As the popula:! tion of California spirals and the’ metropolitan areas become more congested, they believe that their region’s advantages of quiet liv-. ing, natural beauty -and recrea-, BEARING GIFTS—"Star route” mailman Walter Harbour jeeps into nearly-abandoned Graniteville to deliver Christmas presents and cards on his once weekly run. Mailman in Jeep Delivers tional possibilities will -become ever more attractive. Sit For Santa in Si Wild sas 2 aoe When the Graniteville car. . 3 5 as® 28-mile route starting at Negrawn stages would creak along . yada City, mail was delivered slowly, highwaymen would . hy plane, sled, ski and snow'jyr; for plunder. Steve Venard, . CT “GRANITEVILLE (Nevada County), Dec, 25—In this wintry wilderness: where man’s machines once scooped out _ gold, Christmas is an old jeep, driver named Walter Harbour. “The handful of residents here watched “star route” mail carrier Harbour skid over a poor excuse for a road yesterday with his sack of Christmas greetings and packages. »There’s no sleigh or reindéer or bells—but for 20 years here, Harbour, has been the mbol for Yuletide. », Harbour is one of the Post Office Department’s 10,000 star youte carriers; the men who make sure the mail goes through over rugged terrain. LONG TRADITION a i Y . “Star route carriers have played their backwoods roles . . for the post office for more than a century. Their name stems from early days, when their contracts always provided for “celerity, certainty and se. curity” of the mails. » Penning these three words proved -bothersome topostal clerks, so they took to sub‘stituting three asterisks or gig It was not long before ey soon tagged the deliveries star routes, and the name has SRW hung on ever since. — A MAILMAN W. HARBOUR Wilderness Deliveries shoe. : SWITCHES TO JEEP $ But at 73, Harbour can no longer go on skis, He's resorted mechanization in theform of a jeep. Whatever his mode of transportation, however, his 45 “customers” have always been able to rely on the Harhour service. ades of service, have any of Harbour’s customers given him a Christmas present. . “Doesn't really matter,” says. ‘. Harbour. What does concern him is the condition of roads on his route. The 16-mile trek from Nevada City to North Bloomfield is the easy leg of his postal route—by comparison to the Bloomfield Graniteville run, that is. PERILOUS ROUTE ’ On the first leg, there’s only a 3,000-foot drop to contend with. When roads are slick, } mail delivering is perilous. But generally this road is kept cleared. In gold mining days, this stretch often was the scene of . _» In_fact, he’s sort. of taken . '. for granted. Never, in two dec'a colorful, early-day sheriff, shot and killed three bandits who’d just robbed a stage and killed a passenger along this route. : Harbour says he has fallen in high drifts and run into a bear, who wasn’t definitely looking for a stamp. PIONEER TOWNS Starting his chores at 8 a.m., {Harbour tools his jeep past Sugar Loaf Hill and Blue Tent, an abandoned mining town, and over the South Yuba River gorge. Then comes Humbug (now called North Bloomfield) with its strong winds and deep drifts. E In the winter of 1955, snow in .the Graniteville vicinity reached a height of 16 feet. For four months no vehicles could get in or out of the tiny community, But Harbour and others skied in mail and sup. plies. From November to May, the star route mailman gets to Graniteville only once weekly. And this week he got here for Christmas. For Walter Har' bour, who says he’ll keep plugging through the drifts till he: . drops, one delivery is like any other. All part of the job. . .

ils cessation, came as a blow to ‘Graniteville. Finally for lack of business, the extensive ditch systems in the area were abandoned.; Quartz mining declined slowly but} continued to operate on a reduced seale for several years. Luumbering Starts Lumbering activity began in the early 1890's with the construction laf the Rell Sau Mill and the Bierce and Smart Saw Mill. -1 ran{ with considerable produ sion for several years but closed down in 1902. awe s : Mining came almost to a stand-. $35 an ounce created a brief resurgence of the town. The ‘most recent plunge of Graniteville’s fortunes came with the complete closing of the mines during World War Il. A fire in 1948 destroyed the town's last hotel and a few still during’ World War I, but the}, increase in the price of gold to. lyears ago the last store was closed. : In the past Graniteville has al ‘ways emerged from its periods of ‘depression and the people of Granitville have faith that this. cycle will continue. As the popula:! tion of California spirals and the’ metropolitan areas become more congested, they believe that their region’s advantages of quiet liv-. ing, natural beauty -and recrea-, BEARING GIFTS—"Star route” mailman Walter Harbour jeeps into nearly-abandoned Graniteville to deliver Christmas presents and cards on his once weekly run. Mailman in Jeep Delivers tional possibilities will -become ever more attractive. Sit For Santa in Si Wild sas 2 aoe When the Graniteville car. . 3 5 as® 28-mile route starting at Negrawn stages would creak along . yada City, mail was delivered slowly, highwaymen would . hy plane, sled, ski and snow'jyr; for plunder. Steve Venard, . CT “GRANITEVILLE (Nevada County), Dec, 25—In this wintry wilderness: where man’s machines once scooped out _ gold, Christmas is an old jeep, driver named Walter Harbour. “The handful of residents here watched “star route” mail carrier Harbour skid over a poor excuse for a road yesterday with his sack of Christmas greetings and packages. »There’s no sleigh or reindéer or bells—but for 20 years here, Harbour, has been the mbol for Yuletide. », Harbour is one of the Post Office Department’s 10,000 star youte carriers; the men who make sure the mail goes through over rugged terrain. LONG TRADITION a i Y . “Star route carriers have played their backwoods roles . . for the post office for more than a century. Their name stems from early days, when their contracts always provided for “celerity, certainty and se. curity” of the mails. » Penning these three words proved -bothersome topostal clerks, so they took to sub‘stituting three asterisks or

gig It was not long before ey soon tagged the deliveries star routes, and the name has SRW hung on ever since. — A MAILMAN W. HARBOUR Wilderness Deliveries shoe. : SWITCHES TO JEEP $ But at 73, Harbour can no longer go on skis, He's resorted mechanization in theform of a jeep. Whatever his mode of transportation, however, his 45 “customers” have always been able to rely on the Harhour service. ades of service, have any of Harbour’s customers given him a Christmas present. . “Doesn't really matter,” says. ‘. Harbour. What does concern him is the condition of roads on his route. The 16-mile trek from Nevada City to North Bloomfield is the easy leg of his postal route—by comparison to the Bloomfield Graniteville run, that is. PERILOUS ROUTE ’ On the first leg, there’s only a 3,000-foot drop to contend with. When roads are slick, } mail delivering is perilous. But generally this road is kept cleared. In gold mining days, this stretch often was the scene of . _» In_fact, he’s sort. of taken . '. for granted. Never, in two dec'a colorful, early-day sheriff, shot and killed three bandits who’d just robbed a stage and killed a passenger along this route. : Harbour says he has fallen in high drifts and run into a bear, who wasn’t definitely looking for a stamp. PIONEER TOWNS Starting his chores at 8 a.m., {Harbour tools his jeep past Sugar Loaf Hill and Blue Tent, an abandoned mining town, and over the South Yuba River gorge. Then comes Humbug (now called North Bloomfield) with its strong winds and deep drifts. E In the winter of 1955, snow in .the Graniteville vicinity reached a height of 16 feet. For four months no vehicles could get in or out of the tiny community, But Harbour and others skied in mail and sup. plies. From November to May, the star route mailman gets to Graniteville only once weekly. And this week he got here for Christmas. For Walter Har' bour, who says he’ll keep plugging through the drifts till he: . drops, one delivery is like any other. All part of the job. . .