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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 26, 2013 - 11:04am PT
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This book was going to go to a nephew, but he's since outgrown Thomas the Tank Engine.
Auf weidersehen!
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Gypsy
Social climber
NC
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Feb 26, 2013 - 01:07pm PT
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Normally this is in color; but I wanted to keep with the black and white theme. Took this when I was still livin' in Santa Cruz
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Feb 26, 2013 - 03:18pm PT
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hey there say, mouse, and all...
say, gypsy, very nice!!! i know that area, a bit, as we used to go there, at times, when my dad would go sailing, we loved santa cruz, so much!!
also, all:
nice black and white shots... and the old stuff, even nicer...
my folks had a few neat old pics, black and white, from back in the day,
and i even a few from back, 'just after the day'... :)
here is a few fun stuff from the snow, which at least,
thankfully, does NOT need to be cleaned up--at least here...
am only sharing these, kind of black and whites,
keeping the color scheme simple, to go with your black and whites...
GOT a yard full of goodies:
well, as of now, most of it has now gone to the dog:
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 26, 2013 - 03:20pm PT
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That's gorgeous! And thanks.
The century-before-last was a huge one for this continent: it shrunk.
The rails went west, the steamboats raced, and we all walked more. It's always fascinated me how people get to Yosemite, ever since I first looked at the YVRR equipment in El Portal--the turning table, the coaches.
They came on foot, like Muir, and in parties like Hutchings before any established system of regular transportation came into play. But when the trains came, the steamboats had been here before, and they were used to get travelers out to Stockton so they could begin the final leg to Yosemite. These steamers were generally sidewheelers, not sternwheelers. The smaller width of the Sacramento and San Joaquin meant the turns were tight, so the side wheel came in very handy--it could negotiate a tight bend more quickly and safely.
Safety was secondary to speed, too. The captains of these were notorious for exhibiting speed. Here is an excerpt from a good book on the subject.
http://www.deltarevision.com/2011/historic-timeline/historic_maps/1850s_steamboat_races1.jpg
There were several injuries and deaths over the years from boilers exploding (even sitting in port at Stockton they could overheat) as well as the ordinary miscalculations of speed and distance. I know of no accidents in Merced County. There were several just downstream in Stanislaus County, one in which a boat sunk with a full load of grain in sacks from Merced County, which was refloated a bit later, so just the cargo was lost.
Our city of Merced replaced the small settlement on the San Joaquin called Dover on the list of sites for county seat because the RR came though here. The community of Snelling was the first seat, out on the Merced River. Then plans were to have Dover become the center of our grain trade by having warehoused grain in sacks ready to ship via steamer. The trouble with that is that not in all years is there sufficient depth of water to float a flat-bottomed boat of big enough size to carry enough to make a trip worthwhile or even possible. The Central Pacific RR was the solution, later becoming the SP. And tourists came on the train not to Merced, but to Berenda, south of here, and took a connection to Raymond, then a stage to WAWONA, or Clark's Station, as it was known first. Later, in about 1906, the YVRR started in business, carrying logs out and passengers and freight in to El Portal.
Thus the reason for the conjoining of two modes of transportation, the train and the steamer, in this morning's Flames thread. They are historical and part of the YNP story.
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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Feb 26, 2013 - 03:32pm PT
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What can I say, I'm lagging
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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Feb 26, 2013 - 03:34pm PT
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This is an actual photo (most everything else seems to be postcards) of the Merced ferry and is actually very impressive to ses @ 2143 X 1650, but it doesn't fit well here. You can click to enlarge and should you choose to do so, you'll see two fellows in hats on the gangplank whom I believe to be MFM and Throwpie. There appears to be a small tab at the feet of Throwpie, but you have to double click to doubly enlarge to see it.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 26, 2013 - 06:07pm PT
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Go ask Alice, she'll know what it is...
And you ARE trippin' cuz there are no ferries in Merced. Haven't been for a very long time, though there's a couple of names still associated with long-ago ferries here. There's Dickenson Ferry Rd. I think named for an old crossing on the San Joaquin, and Hill's Ferry, in the far north by Hilmar on the SJ, as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips%27_Ferry_%28Merced_River%29
^^^ But out on the Merced River by Merced Falls, near my brother's place, there are three sites which were used as ferry crossings, mainly by the north-south traffic along the Stockton-Millerton Rd., which forms the Mariposa boundary. These saw a lot of traffic from oxen-drawn wagons hauling copper ore, wool, and likely some heavy grain tonnage. The river itself, in certain years, was crossable in the winter during low water, before snow began melting.
The traffic to Mariposa used the Merced Falls crossings coming in from Stockton. Snelling was a busy place during this time period, between the Civil War up to the seventies, when the rails came through the new town on Bear Creek.
Only Morse, Morse, and Morse, nowadays, no more Ferries.
Some seedy pictures coming up in this next link.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=xx-elmer&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=884&q=Ferry-Morse+logos&oq=Ferry-Morse+logos&gs_l=img.12...2136.14945.0.16701.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.1.4.img.ol_aTu0BPZ0#imgrc=jsExQgk5XonpMM%3A%3Bca3v71yF5VgmnM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffarm4.staticflickr.com%252F3193%252F3026382777_172be7b934_z.jpg%253Fzz%253D1%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fphotos%252Ftofsrud%252F3026382777%252F%3B640%3B508
There was a route driven by mud wagon stage coaches which used to go through what is now Le Grand and followed the canyon of Mariposa Creek to Bridgeport, thence into Mariposa. From there one changed to the coach to Wawona (Clark's Station) and then into Yosemite Valley or the Mariposa Grove.
http://www.mercedmuseum.org/exhibits/past/le_grand_history.shtml
There are several good tales in this now rare book about the difficulties of flooding on Mariposa and Owens Creeks. One instance I remember reading about, though it probably wasn't in this book was of a stage driver who needed to get the coach across one of these streams in spate, so he got the passengers out, took the reins, proceeded to cross, but got stuck and the stage was toppled and he drowned. Things happen so fast, eh?
Another place on the Merced River, one of the lesser-know local crossings by Snelling, used only by locals at low water, was the scene of a young girl's drowning when she slipped out of the bed of the wagon and her dad couldn't get her in time.
Up the river, at Phillips', the Phillips lost a son when he was knocked over the side by the winch handle, I think.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofsrud/3026382777/
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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Feb 26, 2013 - 07:30pm PT
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Oh wait, that's the Coronado Ferry and if I recall Coronado was the first Spainard to chance upon Merced back in the 1500's.
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado mistook it for the eigth city of Gold and was going to call it "de la Caballeria", but settled upon Merced when his first choice appeared too long to fit on the road signs of the day and the baby turned out female. Mr. Charlie told me so.
In Mexico, he married Beatriz de Estrada, called the Saint (la Santa), sister of Leonor de Estrada, ancestor of the de Alvarado family and daughter of Treasurer and Governor Alonso de Estrada y Hidalgo, Lord of Picón, and wife Marina Flores Gutiérrez de la Caballería, from a converso Jewish family.[2] Coronado inherited a large portion of a Mexican estate from Beatriz and had eight children by her.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 27, 2013 - 02:13am PT
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http://www.undiscovered-yosemite.com/wawona.html
So here is the next thing I found to post, concerning the brother known as A. H. Washburn. I had known for some time that, prior to setting up as hoteliers, the Washburns had some interest in the "town" of Bridgeport, on Agua Fria Creek, between Mariposa and Plainsburg, the principal center of business in south Merced County. It was a general merchandise operation, I thought, and this link says so.
http://www.mariposaresearch.net/BRIGPRt1867.html
There was very likely a teaming changeover here and a short rest for the passengers after the stage wagon ride up Mariposa Creek. And there was a saloon operated there, as well, begorrah!
I know not who T. J. Bermingham was, but I intend to seek the answer.
My great-grandfather is named Thomas Bermingham, but I can't tell you his middle initial. My take is that he came to the US from the Galway Bay with a brother who took sick and returned to Ireland, and this was ca. 1880, I believe. It may have been a relative, I don't know. First I've heard of this fellow. Sister Lenna will be able to fill me in tomorrow.
Boy oh boy, will she get "the bug" again? She did so much research on the family, as a good Mormon mom should, that I'd be surprised if she hasn't already come across this saloon owner. We shall see.
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KnitLit
Social climber
Fleece-on-Earth
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Feb 27, 2013 - 03:22am PT
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Mouse, your Nov. 17 "shout out to all STopian companions, partners, bottle-washers and seconds" finally reached this Flames Mama (pedigree courtesy of our dear departed rascal, Dennis Miller).
I'm delighted to debut in black-n-white as the shy child I once was in Dad's pride and joy, which was an early precursor of a Flamemobile, for sure.
Big hello to you, Gypsy (A million thanks, Gyp, for the photos you posted of Degnan's women, and Vic and me, from way back when!), Randy, Ariel and all the many wondrous spirits gathered in your Flames thread.
I have memories to share of Dennis, Cowboy Larry, Mollie, and Airwick too, but can't tonight. Got to zzzzz. Stay tuned...
Cheers, KnitLit ('cause I listen to lit when I knit)
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 27, 2013 - 03:43am PT
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Hey, that's REALLY nit!
We Flames just became a real class act thanks to the intervention of the spirits. Man, you wouldn't believe the thoughts I've entertained about letting the old thread getting
a little predictable. Yeah, right.
but Flames by their very nature are not predictable. I'm not talking about the blast of a welder's torch, forced by pressure to burn at a desired temperature, but the flames of the
typical campfire, reaching out, shrinking in, flaring, popping, and smokin'!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj6woqpmlj0
Welcome, welcome, welcome, Mama KnitLitSheiLitTheFire.
And when she's a Flame, she can be a Momma, a Mama, a Mamma, the choice is up to the particular Ms.
Sit where it's comfortable.
And God bless ya!
That's one spiffy ride, too! My dad also had a Model A following the War.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Feb 27, 2013 - 12:20pm PT
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hey there say, mouse and all...
wow, i love the old ferry pic...
and i seeing that neat pic of knitLit and her sis, and dad,
in the neat old car!!!
happy to see you here, now, a new folks to hear from,
on this, too... :)
the old history is so fun to see and hear of...
thanks all!
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