A Brief History of the Clear Lake Region
A Brief History of the Clear Lake Region
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Promotional poster from the 1800s showing resorts, farms, towns and steam boats cruising back and forth.
Background (provided by Doug Prather)
Background (provided by Doug Prather)
Clear Lake is the largest fresh water lake in California. It was densely settled by indigenous peoples as a central gathering place for millennia. In the 1850s the region escaped the Gold Rush, but farming and mining eventually came to dominate the colonial landscape. The native Pomo are world famous for basketry, and the farm land is as famous today for its pears and grapes. The climate mirrors the Mediterranean and the people are eager to show its riches. During the last century Lake County was the go-to destination for tourism because of its amazing thermal springs fed by active volcanic underground water sources. Massive resorts surrounded the lake, this was Hawaii and Cancun all-in-one. What happened? What is the story behind the relationships we see today between native California populations and western farmers. It is a complex history, it is an American story, all taking place in a beautiful lake basin that has been relatively isolated for centuries from the massive development that much of the rest of California has undergone. But it is coming. Roads are getting wider, highways are being developed, and people are moving in - forced out by rising housing costs and Covid, or an interest in the potential of making great wine from these grapes - the landscape is changing once again. There is a pressure to document what we can before it is lost.
The Clearlake Basin has a rich cultural history. As early as 10,000 - 6,000 BC, nomadic hunters and fishers were living in small groups in the area. The appearance of milling stones between 6,000 and 3,000 indicated a switch to seed resources and possibly a more sedentary lifestyle. By 3,000 BC, the bowl mortar and pestle appeared, indicating a switch to acorn processing. Around 500 AD, the bow and arrow replaced the atlatl, and the bedrock mortar (used in conjunction with conical baskets) replaced the bowl mortar (Unknown 2003).
A Pomo woman demonstrating traditional seed-gathering techniques, photograph by Edward S. Curtis, c. 1924.
Edward S. Curtis Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-116525)
The specific project area falls within the boundary of the Eastern Pomo, although it is also near the border of Central Pomo territory. The Eastern Pomo, like other Pomo in the region, were of a Hokan language stock. The Eastern Pomo were primarily concentrated around Clear Lake, nestled within Big Valley. Their boundaries extended south to Cobb Mountain, and east to the waters of Putah Creek. The abundance of fish, wildlife, and acorns around Clear Lake, however, made it an especially hospitable area, sustaining large populations of Native Americans. Kroeber (1925:226) notes, however, that the main villages were not generally located on the shore of Clear Lake, but on streams that were within a close distance to the lake. This was possibly due to the seasonal flooding of the lake. The Eastern Pomo relied entirely on hunting and gathering for sustenance. No farming or domestic animals were kept. Black-tailed deer, squirrels, rabbits, fish, cranes, waterfowl, insects, and many others were eaten by the Eastern Pomo (Loeb, nd.).
Historic Context
As early as the late 1700’s, Spanish explorers had made contact with tribes in northern California. It is documented that the Lake Miwok met with a Spanish exploration in 1821 near the present-day Middletown. Russian fur trappers were also in the area in the early1800s. The Russo-American Fur Company had established a fur post at Bodega Bay in 1811, and soon thereafter another post at Fort Ross (unknown 1995:47-48). Trappers working for the company traveled extensively over the drainages in northern California, and likely found the Clear Lake Basin. By 1847, white settlers had begun to settle in the area. Nothing could compare, however, with the influx of people entering California during the gold rush of 1849. Although the Clear Lake area was not rich with gold, it was rich with other resources that drew more and more settlers in. Towns were established around the lake, mills were constructed, and settlements grew.
While mining never reached its heyday in Lake County, lumbering did. One of the first mills was built by Thomas Boyd near the west slope of Mt. Hannah in 1858. This was a combined saw and grist mill. The mill burned in 1860, and it was rebuilt on the road between Kelseyville and Cobb Valley. As late as 1947, the Whitely Mill was operating just south of Mt. Hannah (Lewis, et al. 1949:64).
Historic information regarding the specific project area is relatively limited. In its day the Clear Lake region was the go-to place for tourists seeking respite from the grind of city life around the Bay and in Sacramento. The lake basin is not easy to access, surrounded on all sides mountains. To this day no trains access the basin, and public transportation to the area is limited. Access points are by mountain roads that often leave passengers car-sick. A number of factors have driven down the tourism industry, to include the rise of the airline industry, local indifference, and the clean up of lake waters, which has given rise to algae blooms.
At some point in the 1860s, a man named Ripley settled in the area to utilize the mineral waters. Later, after a succession of property transfers, a small hotel wing was constructed near the springs in 1871, with the main hotel established by 1875 (Hoberg 2007:43-47). The Highland Springs Hotel became a massive resort complex, serving multitudes of tourists. At its heyday, the resort encompassed 2500 acres. The project area, which would have been part of those acres, would have been used for hunting, hiking, and other recreational purposes. By 1920, resorts in Lake County began failing, and the Highland Springs Resort, slowly faded into history. By 1960, the county had torn down the remaining structures and constructed an earthen dam, creating the current Highland Springs Reservoir, which flooded the site of the resort. A record search by the Northwest Information Center found no previous surveys in, or near the immediate vicinity, of the specific project boundary.
Summer 2021 - Ely Stage Stop Historical Background from John Parker
The Ely Stage Stop building has had several incarnations over the years dating back to about 1864 or 1865. It has served as a public house, stagecoach stop, hotel, post office, school for wayward boys, general store, and even as a gas station before taking on its current role as a historical preservation center. Future archeological research may help us pinpoint the precise date of its origin.
In his Notes on Lake County History, Henry Mauldin writes that the original Ely building was located on the Kelseyville-Lower Lake Road [currently Highway 29] about one-quarter mile north-west from the intersection of the Highway 29 and the Konocti Bay Road [currently Soda Bay Road] and Red Hills Drive. This northwest-southeast road was the main freight and travel-way for upper Lake County to Napa and the road was about the only way to contact with the outside world.
Originally, Highway 29 followed a Native American trail that ran through the town of Ely. As travel on Highway 29 became more efficient the Ely Hotel no longer served as a layover point and was bypassed. Recently the vacant historic building was slated for destruction due to roadwork when the Lake County Historical Society and Lake County moved the near forgotten building to its current location and restored it.
According to Lake County Biographies, from The History of Napa and Lake Counties,1881, the first settlers to the come to the Ely Stage Stop location were the Jamison Family who came here in June 1859, when the property was first known as the Lost Springs Ranch, then later as the S-Bar-S Ranch. The Ranch included Pine Springs to the south, that provided year-round domestic water to the buildings. However, there are no records of James Jamison, or his family, ever owning title to the lands on which this Ranch was located.
Research Design
In order to provide the proper foundation for proper survey methodology and identification of cultural resources, several research domains were assessed for their applicability toward the project area. Chronology, Ethnicity, Patterns of Land Use, and Subsistence were found to be suitable themes that spanned the time frame from prehistoric through the historic period. Fieldwork and archival research were tailored to these research themes and corresponding research questions to allow for greater efficiency.
Theme 1: Chronology
Questions: At what time was the primary use of the property? Are multiple times of use present? Does the artifact assemblage, if available, suggest any earlier, ephemeral occupations within the area? Does the artifact assemblage compare with other known assemblages from the region, and fit within their chronologic timeframe? Do the historic artifacts fit the known chronologies for mining and lumber operations for the county?
Theme 2: Ethnicity
Questions: If prehistoric cultural remains exist in the project area, are they representative of Pomo or Lake Miwok proto-historic or ethnographic cultures? Do any historic artifacts represent the possible use of ethnic laborers?
Theme 3: Patterns of Land Use
Questions: Do landscape features and geomorphology indicate periods of land utilization? Are there periods when the property would not have been utilized (such as flood zones, slide areas, erosion)? Do landscape features indicate constraints upon settlement patterns? How would prehistoric or historic uses have been affected by changes of the landscape?
Theme 4: Subsistence
Questions: Do current floral and faunal populations indicate possible subsistence practices during the prehistoric period? Do historic cultural remains provide insights into subsistence patterns of historic lumber and mining operations?
For a great read, try looking at the history of Fort Ross, which is on the Pacific Coast, and a must visit this summer. Maybe the entire project should go!
John Parker prepared an excellent history presentation on the local area, specifically Kelseyville where we will be doing most of our research. Here is the link.
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