When we learned that 'Snowshoe Thompson' would be at Wylder Resort we knew we had to be there, too.
This was our first time at the old Sorensen's since it changed ownership and we were very impressed."Learn about the legendary Snowshoe Thompson and his journey over the Sierra Nevada to deliver mail in Hope Valley this weekend. The presentation is free and open to the public. It will be held outside the main lodge around the fire ring."This was my second time watching historian David Woodruff's Chautauqua performance of Snowshoe Thompson. I was as impressed as the first time. We learned so much about the man who wandered these parts 165 years ago.When John A. Thompson responded to an ad in the Sacramento Union : “People Lost to the World; Uncle Sam Needs a Mail Carrier”, he had no idea he was to become a legend. He just needed a job since nothing else he tried panned out (mining pun).
Snowshoe Thompson (born Jon Torsteinson–Rue) is one of the most intriguing heroes in California’s history. From 1856 to 1876, he made legendary 90-mile treks over snowdrifts up to 50 feet high and through blizzards with up to 80 mile per hour winds, to deliver mail to those living in isolation. He was the sole link between California and the Atlantic states during the long winter months. And as it turns out, did it all for no pay from the USPS. His story is too great to share here, but boy, David did an amazing job educating us all in only an hour.
After our history lesson, we headed to Markleeville for a lunch break. Jacob J. Marklee founded a toll bridge crossing the Carson River, in 1861. His goal was to tap into the traffic from the silver mining boom at Silver Mountain City. However, in 1863, Marklee died after being involved in a gunfight. When the Comstock Lode discovery took place, the town of Markleeville was founded on the Marklee property and the rest, they say, is history.A delicious meal was consumed in the side lawn of the J. Marklee Toll Station.I include this because it made us chuckle and again, I do not condone graffiti! The martini glass is electrical tape, so the graffiti is only temporary.Fueled up and ready for more history lessons, we headed to Diamond Valley. Here was the homestead of Snowshoe Thompson. The plaque on the left reads, John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson (1827-1876) Native of Norway who carried mail across the Sierra Nevada on skis, assisting the needful for twenty years, dwelt and died on this site.Our last stop was at Carson Canyon and a visit to Snowshoe Thompson’s Alpine County cave. It was located on the Carson Route of the Emigrant Trail, a route used as an alternative to the higher altitude Donner Pass.Not a bad spot to sit out a storm!We were extra excited to discover this rock, marred by the wagon wheels of those long ago adventurers.This part of the Carson Trail was known as the Crooked Trail. According to traveler, Amasa Morgan (1849), "A part of the way the rocks covered the ground so large that it is with the greatest dificulty that we find a place to drive our waggons through. The trail is quite crooked." (note: her spelling, not mine).Exploring close to home and just being out in it is absolutely how we love to spend our days. Life is very, very good.
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