Valley Maker

I want to go to there.

[valleymaker]

Grimblefinger books in Nevada City. Shortish man in the center of the first photo is poet Gary Snyder, long time local resident, and the taller man is Wendell Berry. Their letters to each other were published in 2014 as "Distant Neighbors".

[valleymaker]

Mid-century Nevada City.

[valleymaker]

Paris by Charles Marville, b.1813, d. 1879.

[valleymaker]

Nevada City from 1907, 1921, 1930 and unknown.  These are from the California State Library.

[valleymaker]

Downieville Photos from the California State Library. From turn of the century through about the 1930s, approximately.

[valleymaker]

Press photos from 1981.

[valleymaker]

I watched "Moonshine County Express", which was filmed in Nevada City and Grass Valley. It's pretty classic 70s, muscle cars, hillbillies, cowboy hats. Lots of fun!

These pictures are from:

[valleymaker]

All images from the Library of Congress “Historic American Buildings Survey”, 1934.  The house in the last two is now gone, but used to be right across the street from my in-laws.

[valleymaker]

Sierra City, top 1960s, bottom three, late 30′s.

[valleymaker]

Nevada City in 1966, 1976, and 1981 from top to bottom.

Does anyone remember the restaurant sign by the courthouse?  “Creeky Pete’s”.  The earliest restaurant I remember there was the Country Rose, then Mateo’s which closed last year.

[valleymaker]

Waterways. Top left, Yuba at 49, 1960s. Top right, hydraulic mining at Hirschman's Pond, 1880s. Bottom left, Yuba in Downieville below the courthouse bridge. Bottom right, Downie River in Downieville below 49 bridge. Both 1950s.

[valleymaker]

These are all from the California State Library, which I was searching using Calisphere, it's so great! Left to right, top to bottom: Looking up Broad Street, 1930. Up towards the old courthouse, 1921. Building on the left is where Mateos was. "The Plaza": the intersection of Sacramento, Nevada, Boulder and Broad. On the right is where Lefty's is, large building in the middle is where the Stonehouse parking lot is. You can see the Red Castle up above on the hillside. 1900, maybe taken by a Chinese photographer? Looking down Broad, probably 1900s. Brick building on the left is the firehouse, on the right is the Nevada Theatre. Large white building to the theater's left was an armory, now it's been replaced with Bonanza. Looking down Broad at the intersection of Pine. Streetcar is coming up the street, the end of the line was right there. Early 1900s. Down Pine. Turn of the century? Parade, I think the ice co. in the back is where KVMR is now. 1880s. The National, 1920s?

[valleymaker]

Pine Street bridge, I'd guess about 1920s for all these. I don't recognize the view in the bottom half of the last image. If you do, share!

[valleymaker]

Grass Valley in the 1970s. Left; looking down Main Street, right; the Holiday Lodge (at Sierra College Drive and East Main) before it was so sketchy.

[valleymaker]

Left; little town of Washington, right; Dutch Flat. Both 1950s postcards.

[valleymaker]

1980s Nevada City. You can see the Button Works in the third picture!

[valleymaker]

There was a time when you could catch either a stagecoach or an electric trolley on Broad Street! "Between the years 1901 to 1924, western Nevada County enjoyed riding on the cars of the Nevada County Traction Company, which ran between Boston Ravine south of Grass Valley to the its terminus at the northwest corner of Pine and Broad streets in Nevada City.

The line opened to much fanfare as an alternative ride to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad to and from Grass Valley and Nevada City. The line shut down for economic reasons after a severe snow storm in 1924."