UPCOMING
EVENTS |
Monache
Meanderings tour (camping). August 14-16. Click
on image for details.
By
God, to Bodie! tour (motel or camp). Sept.
11-13
and
Golden
Leaves and Golden Trails tour (motel or camp). Sept.
18-20 Click
on images for details. Click
here
for information on all our 2004 tours. |
PHOTO
GALLERY
Land
of Volcanoes
trip,
June 2004. Click the
photo
|
Click on
the photo below to read more about Cerro Gordo.
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Lulu
Waplehorst, the First White Bride of Cerro Gordo
by
Cecile Page Vargo
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For days, the young people of the
silver town of Cerro Gordo
scoured the mountainsides for what native wildflowers and shrubbery they
could find late in the month of August of 1875, so they could fill the
American Hotel with their glory. By Wednesday, the 25th, the hall nearly burst with most of the
residents of
Cerro Gordo, Independence
and Darwin. Young women who traveled from the two
towns below the hill were allowed to use the private rooms to
change into their dresses which matched the most popular fashion of the
day. The daughter of Mrs. Margaret Lewis of the hotel, now stood amongst
the green background. She wore a fine white dotted Swiss gown adorned
with a large blue ribbon sash. She was frightened, yet happy and
excited. Her groom and his co-hearts from Camp
Independence
stood out in their military attire.
Soft music played in the background as the very young Lulu Lewis
and Al Waplehorst exchanged their vows.
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The
American Hotel, built in 1871, as it stands in Cerro Gordo today. |
Gala music and dancing went on through daybreak. A painted
stagecoach decorated with white ribbon bows waited to whisk the new Mr.
& Mrs. Waplehorst and their entire bridal party down the mountain.
The 6 horses were spirited and tore down the
Yellow Grade Road
only to have the harness separate as they were halfway to their
destination. There was some speculation that it was not an accident, but
a wedding prank, but no one really knew for sure. Regardless, the entire
wedding party was stalled in their coach, while the horses galloped back
up to the mining town on the top of the hill. Luckily, a Louie Munsinger
Brewery wagon came along and rescued everyone. The Judge of Inyo County,
the bridesmaids, and other
Cerro Gordo
notables climbed onto empty beer kegs. The bride and groom followed
suit. They made quite a site as they swayed and jolted and giggled down
the steep and winding grade.
Read
More
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Cerro
Gordo and Its Ladies
by Maggie
Moore Vargo
|
Hi! I’m Maggie
Moore, the new member of Explore Historic California. Haven’t done a
lot of exploring yet as I am way too young to go out much and
haven’t had all of my puppy shots yet.
But that gives me lots of time to read up on who I am named after, and
the place she lived in. Papa Jake (who you guys know better as Poor
Little Jake) is teaching me how to write like he does, so here’s my
first try:
All I ever hear my human Mommy talk about is this place called
Cerro Gordo. She says Cerro Gordo
means “Fat Hill”, because the mountain was so rich with silver.
Some important guys like Mortimer Belshaw and Victor Beaudry owned the
big mines up there in the mid to late 1800’s. Another guy named Remi
Nadeau owned real big wagons pulled by a whole lot of mules. These wagons and mules took silver bricks from
Cerro Gordo
to Los Angeles, then came back to
Cerro Gordo
with supplies for the town. My family just barely lives in Los Angeles
and we’re about 4 hours away from
Cerro Gordo
driving our comfy 4Runner. But in the 1800’s in Mr. Nadeau’s
wagons, it took days! Longest
ride I’ve ever had is 2 hours from my birth home in Apple Valley, to my permanent home here in Tujunga. That trip to
Cerro Gordo
must have really been something back in the really old days!
Cerro Gordo
was mainly a mining town and most of the people living there were men.
There were some families that lived up there, but there was never a
real school or a church, or even a newspaper. Other than the buildings
that were used for mining stuff, there were mainly bunkhouses, little
mining shacks, hotels, saloons, dancehalls, assay offices, general
stores for supplies. The
men that lived up there worked hard in the mines all day then spent
their money in the saloons and dancehalls afterwards. Since many of them didn’t have any families and were lonely
they spent a lot of time in places like The Waterfall owned by the
lady that I am named after, Madam Maggie Moore. The Waterfall was at the entrance to town. At the other end of
town a lady named Lola Travis ran a place called Lola’s Palace
of
Pleasure. These places were really
popular with the miners, but I guess decent folks, particularly
married women, didn’t like these places so much.
|
Maggie (with red
neckerchief) poses with Cecile and Robin outside Lola's Palace
of Pleasure at Cerro Gordo. |
Read
More
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Hizhonor
Visits the Owens Valley by
Roger Vargo |
James Hahn, the Mayor of Los Angeles, ventured northward to the wide open spaces of Inyo and Mono Counties
July 22-23. Hahn was on a two-day journey to hear feedback from local residents about his proposal to create a conservation easement that would bar future development
on more than 300,000 acres of Owens Valley land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
(LADWP).
The LADWP acquired land ownership and water rights in the early 1900's in
connection with the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct 1906-1913. Development on LADWP lands has been minimal since that time.
Hahn's visit included meetings with local environmental groups, ranchers,
politicians and Indian tribal leaders. "I don't think any solution about protecting DWP lands should be made without involvement of the stakeholders who live and work and have roots here," Hahn
said. "That would be arrogant in the extreme."
At the
conclusion of his tour, Hahn said he had no preferred plan and indicated the process would take "as long as it takes."
Hahn is running for a second term as Los Angeles' Mayor on the November, 2004, ballot.
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Los Angeles Mayor
James Hahn casts a line into the Owens River near Bishop, Calif.
Hahn was on a two-day visit to the Owens Valley to hear
residents' opinions on creation of a conservation easement that
would limit development on Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power Lands. With Hahn is local fishing expert, Dick Noles. |
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Our Tours with
Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures |
We're climbing into 2004!
Please check
here for our 2004 tour schedule.
|
Explore Historic California! |
Not too many years ago, the family station wagon was the
magic carpet to adventure. Today, that family station wagon is likely to
be a four wheel drive sport utility vehicle or pick up truck. SUV's and
other 4x4's are one of the best selling classes of vehicles. Ironically,
industry statistics show that once purchased, few owners will dare to
drive their vehicles off the paved highway. Click your mouse through our
website and enjoy our armchair adventures and the histories behind them.
If you are interested in taking one of our guided tours with your
vehicle, please visit our ECOLOGICAL 4-WHEELING ADVENTURES.
Several years ago, we bought our first SUV. We went to a one-night class
at a local community college entitled "How to 4-Wheel Drive" by Harry Lewellyn.
The following weekend we attended the hands-on day tour. We liked what we were
doing so much that we began going out nearly every weekend and learned how to
negotiate a variety of dirt roads. Our spare time was spent doing research on
the history and ecology of our favorite areas. A one-day outing turned into 15
years of leading others on mini-vacations throughout Southern California and the
Owens Valley.
Our 4WD outings involve driving on easy to moderate dirt roads and are
ideally suited to novice and intermediate level drivers. All tours are suitable
for stock vehicles in good condition, although some tours do have vehicle size
restrictions.
Our tours are
operated under permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S.
Forest Service, and other authorities.
We share our knowledge of the backcountry over the CB radio with our
guests. We frequently stop to explore mining areas, old and new, and ponder the
rocks, plants and animals we may encounter. We'll occasionally visit an old
cabin or deserted mountain lookout.
California has a fascinating history, from geologic unrest and
prehistoric petroglyph scribes to the "Radium Queen of the Mojave" and the
"Human Mole of Black Mountain." Load up your 4X, fasten your seatbelts and get
ready to explore historic California.
Roger, Cecile and Marty |
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