A little Berryessa history

[Rich hamilton]

For a rainy day http://vhc.smugmug.com/Berryessa-Valley http://www.vacavilleheritagecouncil.org ... sa_valley/

[davet.]

Very interesting, seems they only had 2 types of buildings. Buildings that were on fire and buildings that were about to catch fire!

[D.B.COOPER]

I' m amazed that they could just shut a town down like that and tell everybody to take a hike! Must have been devastating for those people. Seemed like it was such a nice place to live. Crazy what goes on sometimes. D.B.COOPER

[Ross England]

We watched the same thing happen to my Grandpa's and mine favorite little summer town called Jacksonville. Mountain River Lodge, Art and Ann's Frostie, and some pretty cool trout fishing. All gone when New Don Pedro was built. Man, it was hard to watch, a little town just gone.

[Team Pollard]

Ross-
My fathers, father, my grandpa owned a restaraunt, gas station, and had a few rooms in Jacksonville called the Fish Hook. Im to young to have seen it, but my dad tells me storys every time we are at Pedro. He has great memories of trout fishing on the river, and in the spring drifting minnows on the sand bars for bass.

[Team Pollard]

Ross-My mom and dad also went swimming by Mountain River Lodge.

[Ross England]

Hey Mark,

That is cool! I remember the Fish Hook! Man, there used to be some huge rainbows in that river. My Grandpa used to pick me up at grammar school in Escalon on Friday, we headed straight up to his favorite little parking spot with a dinky trailer, right next to Mocassin creek, we would wade the creek all Saturday and Sunday morning catching trout, then come home in time for the evening church service. I was very lucky!

[Mark 1]

And the McKenzie store in Monticello later became the great Vacaville Pacific Hardware Store, when the owners relocated from the valley. It is still a vibrant business owned by decendants of the Monticello store.

[Dan Pollard]

Ross Man have you stirred up some memories of The Tuolumne River as it used to be. I can remember as if it was yesterday. Standing on the point where Woods Creek empitied in to the Tuolumne River. Throwing a minnow and a bobber in to the rushing water of the Tuolumne and letting it drift back in to the quiet water of Woods Creek up against the willows. Then wait a very short time to FISH ON. fighting a large Bass that was resting in those willows after fighting the river to complete the spawn in Woods Creek, Also walking down river about 3 miles from Woods Creek, till you come upon a old diversion dam. that the miners had built. Bass would congrigate on the down stream side of the Diversion Dam. leterally swim or jump over the dam just like Salmon do. You could kill them there. We would catch a limit. then catch and release the rest of the time. it was amasing. talk about 100 fish days that was it. And as you said HUGE RAINBOWS never have I seen larger Wild Rainbows. In the summer evenings. Drifting a minnow, and bobber in the channel letting out a lot of line, see those huge 20 inch rainbows . lazely swinning just under the surfice. FISH ON.
Man those were the days, If we could only relive them again to show our children what it use to be like. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. I lived all over that area. knew it like the back of my hand. all the way up to Lumbstun Bridge, to the siphons in Old Don Pedro. OH there is another story. Huge Bass that congrigsated at the siphons, OH those were the Days, Thanks for the memories.

[fishnhunt21]

Where did the town of Monticello actually sit? Where Putah Creek hit the main body? Those pics were cool and just shows how flat that lake is.

[Larry Hemphill]

I have never seen so many of the pre-Berryessa lake photos - wonderful! Now I know my Lowrance wasn't lying to me. It seems very much like the flat valley that Lake Almanor flooded. It too had a raised water level (dam) as did Don Pedro. Ross - I remember those day too at the Jacksonville town that was torn down to make Pedro larger. Probably the biggest trout I ever saw was in the river about 2 miles downstream - followed my Mepps almost to my feet!! It was amazing to watch them build the highway pilings above the old Don Pedro - in the canyon. I wouldn't have wanted that job for anything!!!

[TomAtkeson]

Great read and photos thanks Rich! Gotta find that stone bridge

[Mark 1]

For Fishnhunt 21: The answer to your question is the town of Monticello actually sat on the valley floor east of Big Island and slightly south. Looking due west from town you'd be looking basically at Park Headquarters.

[fishnhunt21]

Thanks.

[Wally]

Hey Dan, I went to grammer school and high school in Sonora with George Klien. His parents owned Mtn River Lodge. Did you know him? We use to hitch hike down there from Sonora when we were in grammer school, then drove down when we were old enough to drive. That was one of our PARTY spots, lol, along with old Melones. Down the old shell road that is known as Bear Creek now. That was before the new damn was built at Melones. I was a night guard at Pedro when they built the new damn there. Talk about old memories.

[Dan Pollard]

Wally I did know the Kleins, at Mountain River Lodge. But not well. Do you remember The old Concrete Bridge that crossed the river, just below the lodge, that was built when the river was low, it was used till they built the bridge. That was a great place. I did not go to School in Sonora, but my sister did. I had graduated from High School when they moved up there. But they had a cabin in Jacksonville ever since I was 8 years old. They opened the Fish Hook Resturant for many years. I used to fish all over that River, Mocassin Creek, Woods Creek, and deer hunted all over them hills. Larry talked about the huge Trout that followed his Mepps, and he was not kidding, never have i seen such huge trout, And they were hard to catch, but every once in a while you could get lucky, and i mean you were lucky if you caught one, they were very wise. I knew that river, like Cooch knows the Delta, Wish they had Tournaments then. We had a favorite swimming, party spot across the river at Kanacchi creek, we would swin across the river, and had a huge sandy beach to our self. Then My Dad got a key from a friend who worked for the forest service, and we could drive right down to the beach. Lots of great memories on that river. Every time I fish with my son in that area, i bore him with all of my stories.