Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 032-2 - April 1978 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-01-26 14:10:58 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:05:55 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:05:55

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin Volume 32 No. 2 April 1978 INDEPENDENCE LAKE A Brief Historical Investigation Of Its Uses Over The Years By: David Beesley Panoramic Photograph of Independence Lake. From Hobart Family album, Searl’s Research Library, Box 100, Nevada City, California 95959. Shows CarpenterRidge, inlet of Independence Creek and Old Lodge facilities. In 1974 the Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division in co-operation with the Southern Pacific Land Company and the Sierra-Pacific Power Company announced its intention to begin planning for the development ofa year-around resort at Independence Lake. The lake, two thirds of which lies within Nevada County, is now becoming the focus of several environmental studies conducted by the Disney Corporation, the United States Forest Service as well as several California state agencies. In the belief that historical perspective can illuminate present policy decisions the following study has been prepared.! The lake itself is of glacial origin not unlike that of Donner Lake. Its size is small, being three and a half miles long and one half mile wide. It runs along a North East--South West axis at an altitude of 6,849 feet above sea level. As stated above two thirds of the lake lies within Nevada County including its source Independence Creek. The other one third lies within Sierra County including the proposed Disney project.” The lake has been utilized by humans since at least 1,000 B.C. Archeologists have assigned the area to the Martis Complex which dates from 1,000 B.C. to about 500 A.D. The period from 500 A.D. to the time of historical contact has been assigned the designation of the Kings Beach Complex. The lake was used seasonally by the Washo Indians or their predecessors who ranged in part from Carson Valley in the East to Sierra Valley in the West. In the late spring and summer small groups of Washo would harvest fish at Independence Lake. They would supplement their diet with foods gathered close by and hunt deer and small game in the vicinity of the lake. Typically the Washo would remain at the lake until the colder weather and ripening Pinyon trees drew them into the Carson Valley for the winter.’ The first sustained historical contact with the Independence Lake area was largely the result of travel through nearby Henness and Beckworth Passes as miners rushed to the Comstock. At various times Independence Lake and the adjoining Sierra Valley has seen economic activity which included trapping, farming, grazing, dairying, and hay cutting on a moderate scale. This beautiful valley and its margins were seen as having great value and quickly drew permanent residents. One of the earliest and most successful of the valley’s and the lake’s industries was that of logging. Several local families and eventually outside interests became involved. As the loggers expanded their operations they were drawn farther into the foothills which surrounded the valley. Eventually a narrow gauge railroad from Boca to Loyalton was built to transfer timber to the mills at Boca.‘ The local residents and outside visitors by the 1850’s also became