Strawberry Tract, history and picnic...
Our newest, favorite picnic spot was found today along the South Fork of the American River at Dick and Joan's cabin.
Nestled amongst the pines, between the highway and the River, are 55 cabins comprising the Strawberry Tract. Every trip on this road had me intrigued by the numerous homes we saw in various picturesque mountain settings. In Eldorado National Forest, "recreation residences" began before the turn of the 20th century to encourage public use of the forest. In 1968, the Forest Service decided against permitting any more new tracts.
Joan's grandfather got the land lease for lot #4 in 1931. Each cabin was built by the original individual families who owned them yet the land is still owned by the Forest Service. According to Joan, "El Dorado Co. has the largest number of forest service owned land covered by summer cabin tracts. We are not allowed to live in those cabins full time, and that is why they are designated Summer Home Cabin Tracts. You can buy a cabin that is up for sale, if you are interested. Certainly costs more than the original cabins cost to build. Ours cost $200 for materials when my two uncles built our cabin in 1931, under the supervision of our ailing grandpa. That was a lot of money in those days and their 5 sisters (of which one was my Mom) came up with some of the cash to help with the materials."
Entering the cabin, and just being in the area, is like going back in time. We were greeted by a wall of family images, sketched by a very talented cousin, decades ago. I loved seeing 15 year old Joan. I savored the photo albums and journals from 81 years of family lore. Each year, growing up, Joan would summer here, sleeping outdoors with all the other siblings, cousins, aunts, etc. When she married, only child Dick was thrown into the family encampments. There was only one summer that Joan missed an idyllic vacation at Strawberry, and that was because Dick was stationed back east.
After lunch and some minor home repair, we hiked to see the favorite "swimming holes" and learn about the families whose memories floated through the pines, greeting us. It was an unforgettable glimpse into a long ago past of enviable memories. We feel so honored to have been invited to witness such history and familial love.
Nestled amongst the pines, between the highway and the River, are 55 cabins comprising the Strawberry Tract. Every trip on this road had me intrigued by the numerous homes we saw in various picturesque mountain settings. In Eldorado National Forest, "recreation residences" began before the turn of the 20th century to encourage public use of the forest. In 1968, the Forest Service decided against permitting any more new tracts.
Joan's grandfather got the land lease for lot #4 in 1931. Each cabin was built by the original individual families who owned them yet the land is still owned by the Forest Service. According to Joan, "El Dorado Co. has the largest number of forest service owned land covered by summer cabin tracts. We are not allowed to live in those cabins full time, and that is why they are designated Summer Home Cabin Tracts. You can buy a cabin that is up for sale, if you are interested. Certainly costs more than the original cabins cost to build. Ours cost $200 for materials when my two uncles built our cabin in 1931, under the supervision of our ailing grandpa. That was a lot of money in those days and their 5 sisters (of which one was my Mom) came up with some of the cash to help with the materials."
Entering the cabin, and just being in the area, is like going back in time. We were greeted by a wall of family images, sketched by a very talented cousin, decades ago. I loved seeing 15 year old Joan. I savored the photo albums and journals from 81 years of family lore. Each year, growing up, Joan would summer here, sleeping outdoors with all the other siblings, cousins, aunts, etc. When she married, only child Dick was thrown into the family encampments. There was only one summer that Joan missed an idyllic vacation at Strawberry, and that was because Dick was stationed back east.
After lunch and some minor home repair, we hiked to see the favorite "swimming holes" and learn about the families whose memories floated through the pines, greeting us. It was an unforgettable glimpse into a long ago past of enviable memories. We feel so honored to have been invited to witness such history and familial love.
2 comments:
That looks like a wonderful place to spend a day! What a nice story too, who are Joan and Dick? I imagine they had such great stories to tell!
This is your family weekend correct? I know how excited you must be to see the boys! Have fun!
I too am curious as to how you know Joan and Dick. You can just forward me the email you sent to Nick and Deb. :)
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