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photo by Donald Kinney
I've always called it the Lagunitas (La-goo-knee'-tas) Creek, meaning "little lagoons" in Spanish, but many locals also refer to it as Papermill Creek--in the late 1800's Samuel P. Taylor established a small paper-mill here relying on the abundant Fir trees in this area for his pulp feedstock.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
The giant Redwoods here were of no use to Taylor in the manufacture of his paper, but San Francisco's insatiable demands for lumber made a quick buck for opportunistic loggers. By the 1870's a railroad had already been built through the area, making it economical to transport lumber and Samuel P. Taylor's paper to market. Taylor also established a large resort here as a rustic weekend get-away for San Francisco's wealthy "city folk".
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Taylor died on January 22, 1886 and unfortunately his family lost ownership of the paper-mill and resort in the stock market crash of of 1893, however the resort, "Taylorville" continued to operate under new ownership until 1910. The paper-mill burned down in 1916, and in 1945 the State of California took possession of the property for non-payment of taxes, eventually turning the area into a California State Park; Camp Taylor.
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1 comment:
I have camped there and just love the Redwoods.
So glad it is a protected park now.
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