The Carman Valley by Anne Eldred
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VO LU ME XXXII, NUMBER 1 WINTER/SPRING 2004 e e a - A Publication of the Sierra County Historical Society MEMBE R OF THE CONF E RENCE OF CALIFORN I A H ISTOR I CAL SOC I ETIES AND T H E C ALIFORNIA ASSOC I ATION OF MUSEUMS The Carman Valley by Anne Eldred CARMAN V ALLEY is a series of small, verdant wet mea Natural History: dows west of S ierra Va lley in Sierra and Plumas Coun ties. Geology, Geography, Climate, Hydrology These meadows are primarily northwest trending and are After the ages of glaciation , most of the ice sheets melted connected as tributari es of Carman Creek and 3S part of and lakes began forming in closed basins, probably the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Feather River in 20,000 to 40,000 thousand years ago (Lonergan 1987; Sierra Valley. Geologically Carman Vall ey and Sierra unpublished booklet). Sierra Valley, which was a closed Valley are similar: T hey both exist as the result of fault basin became Lake Beckwourth , named for the early movement and the uplift of the Sierra Nevadas. The black' explorer who was the first non~ Native American to bottom of the Sierra Va lley was a fau lt block which come into Sierra Valley. Carman Valley meadows are moved downward as the sides (the surrounding generally similar in elevation to Sierra Valley and thus mountains) moved upward. The eastern scarp of the undoubtedly were flooded when the lake was present and S ierras borders the west side of Carman Valley. Carman were arms of Lake Beckwourth. Originall y the lake was Va lley had a se ries of small faults which formed the Basin very deep, at least 1600 feet. Deposition of eroded soil s and Ran gc~ lik e small depressions and rises that delineate from the surrounding mountains began filling the basin. these wet meadows today. The most westerly valley is The lake terraces around Sierra Va lley are 150 feet or so Carman Valley proper which occupies the West Fork of above roday's valley noor at their highest level. Another Carman Creek. Moving east the next small valley level, approximately 50 feet lower, must have reflected occup ies the East Fork of Cannan Creek and is unnamed the level at which Lake Beckwourth and Mohawk Lake except for the most southerly portion which is called balanced each other, a level that was maintained for Thrce~Cornered Meadow. The most easterly meadow is many years. During this time Lake Beckwourth was about Folchi Meadow, which, at its southern end, tees into an 160 feet deep and couldn't go any lower until Mohawk cas[ ~we s t running meadow called Knuthsen Meadow. (Continlled on Page 3) KnHthsen Meadow in Calmen Valley and Beckwourth Peak in the background to the north. Photo courtesy Judy Lawrence. THE SIERRAN WINTER/SPRING 2 004 - THE SIERRA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY- he Sierra County Historical Society is an 2003 OFFICERS, D IRECTORS & STAFF organization of people interested in preserving T and promoting an appreciation of Sierra County's President .... .... .... ......... ....... ... .... Bud Buczkowske rich history. The Society operates a museum at the P.O. Box 904, Alleghany, CA 95910 (530) 287-3287 Kentucky Mine in Sierra City, holds an annual meeting, publishes a semi~annLlal newsletter and conducts Vice President ........ ................................... Bill Copren historical research. Members are sent n otices of Society PO. Box 95, Sattley, CA 96124 (530) 994-3376 activ ities, receive THE SIERRAN, and are admitted free of charge to the museum and stamp mill tour. If you Treasurer. ... ................ ... Milton Gotrardi would like to become involved in these activit ies or P.O. Box 305, Loyalton, CA 96118 (530) 993-4407 would just like to give your support, please join us! Secretary ... Virginia Lures PO. Box 145, Sierraville, CA 96126 (775) 323-1127 MEMBERSH I P RE PORT Membership Chair ....... .............. Lynn McKechnie PO. Box 294, Sierraville, CA 96126 (530) 994-9999 We welcome these new members who have joined since the Fa ll 2003 issue of THE SIERRAN. We appreciate the Director. ..... .... ... .... Bill Long interest and support of all ollr members. P.O. Box 904, A lleghany, CA 95910 (530) 287-3287 Director ............. ... ........... ... ... Maren Scholberg MEMBERSH I P INFORMATION PO. Box 141 , Sierrville, CA 96126 (530) 994-3480 Membership in the Sierra County Historical Society is Director ................ .............. .. ... Susan Schoensee open to any interested person, business or organization. P.O. Box 54, Sattley, CA 96124 (530) 994-3208 Members need not be residents of Sierra County. Dues are due and payable each January for the calendar year. Museum Director/Curator ... .. A nne Eldred PO. Box 184, Sierraville, CA 96126 (530) 994-3514 Membership categories are as follows: Administrative Asst. .. ... ....... .................. Laurie Upland INDIVIDUAL $15.00 PO. Box 373, Downieville, CA 95936 (530) 289-3198 FAMILY & INSTITUTION $20.00 BUSINESS & SUPPORTING $30.00 Assistant.. .. .. .......... .. ........... .......... Lee Adams SUSTAINING $50.00 PO. Box 404, Downieville, CA 95936 (530) 289-3506 LlFE (per individual) $250.00 THE SIERRAN Editor ............................ Judy Lawrence Please send dues to the Membership Ch air: 5016 Holyoke Ave ., Sacramento, CA 95841 Lynn McKechnie (916) 332-1044 Sacramento (530) 994-3066 Sattley PO Box 294 Sierraville, CA 96126 SIERRA COUNTY HISTORICA L SOCIETY Office Address: Kentucky Mine Museum PO Box 260, Sierra City, CA 96125 (530) 862- 13 10 THE SIERRAN WINTER/SPRING 2004 from about 5000 to 3000 years ago there was a gradual Carman Valley (Continued from Page 1) shift toward cooler, moister conditions. Lindstrom reports that between 4000 to 1500 years ago this cool, moist drained completely. Mohawk found a new exit and head trend contained warm Jry intervals, but that most cut itself, at wh ich point it drained very rapidly. Lake precipitation fell during the winter months. It was during Beckwourth drained itself down to the elevation of its this time that the conifers, which were growing 16 feet exit between Beckwourth and Portola at that time, at below the rim at Lake Tahoe, were drowned by rising least 10,000 years ago (Durrell 1987:253-257, 273-274). waters and many Basin and Range and Great Basin lakes There would have continued to be standing water in filled again to record hi gh levels (Lindstrom 1990:146- Sierra Valley fo r several thousand more years until 157). A generalized cool moist regime continues into erosion filled it to today's elevation of 5,000 feet. Some present ti mes, although the last 1500 years has been features were islands: the Buttes, the Mounds, Randolph, punctuated by extremes: Two major periods of drought the S ierraville cemetery and o ther named and un~nam ed have occurred within this period, one between 11 00 and mounds. These mounds all contain items of early human occupation, as do the lake shorelines. The geologica l and geographic histories of Sierra Valley With the melring of glaciers came the filling of the closed and Carman Valley are shared. Their landscape features basins in the Basin and Range country with lakes, such were determined by similar occurrences in the past, such as Lake Beckwourth (today's Sierra Valley). as tectonic, volcanic, glacial, erosional and depositional events. The landform had developed as the continent added land ever westward by erosional activity frorn the east and volcanic eruptions where the continental and 900 years ago and the other from 700 to 500 years ago. oceanic plates met during millions of years. Thus the Based on rree-ring analysis, these droughts lasted 220 and basement rocks of the area are large granitiC and 141 years, respectively, with a period of extreme wetness - - metamorphic formatlons which have been deposited on separating them. The second and less severe dry period the land and then stretched and constricted together at lasted from 1750 to 1850 A.D., ending just 25 years various times through huge geological pressures. before the Truckee River began flowing at above~average Pleistocene volcanic activity between 1 and 2 million levels. This wet period lasted fro m 1875 to 1915 AD and years ago resulted in the deposition of fine~gra in ed marks the longest time period during which flows were basal ts. Four major perioos of glaciation have been that high in the last 500 years (Lindstrom: 1994: 19-20). identified in the north~central Sierra Nevada, Fire has had a hand in shaping of the montane fo rest of terminating about 10,000 years ago. Since that time there the no rth~cen[ral Sierra Nevadas:as well. A number of have been neoglacial periods of shorter duration and species are strongly influenced by or dependant upon fire intensity. With the melting of glaciers came the filling of for su rvivaL the closed basins in the Basin and Range country with lakes, such as Lake Beckwourth (today's Sierra Valley). The glacial melting began with the transition into a cool Prehistoric Sites - Native Americans moist era with increased winter precipitation. Vegetation Prehistoric people began living on the shores of Lake was likely to represent a cold sagebrush steppe. Summers Beckwourth (and, no doubt, along the arms of the were similar to modern remperdture ranges. The flooded rneadows of the Carman Valley Creek watershed) ecosystem shift was to a coniferous forest. By about in hunting, fishing, gathering, food~processing and tool~ 10,000 years ago the environment had become much making camps. These camps were probably not inhabited warmer and drier. There is indiction of rapid year~rou nd because of the severe S ierra Valley/Carman environmental change and an intensification of su mmer Valley winter temperatures. As described above, we know drought.