WORKING COPY PROOF
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The past is never dead. It's not even past.
William Faulkner
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My grandfather, Gordon W. Van Sise, was a laborer with the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. He was also, on the side, an amateur photographer, and clearly had a personal project documenting the everyday lives and labors of the other shirtless grinning youths digging ditches and swinging picks alongside him.
Working with the encouragement and assistance of the U.S. Forest Service, I intend to create a series of photographs exactly matching the scenes shown in grand-dad's photographs from 80 years ago, inhabiting the modern parks with the very ghosts that created them.
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August 2018: A selection of Van Sise's 1936-1938 photographs, to be used for the final photo illustration project, are shown here with original captioning, unchanged.
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March 2019: Article notes for magazine editorial:
From 1937 camp newsletter:
"As the men were seated in their truck that is to convey them to their work of building firetrails and means of fire prevention, so that the trees of the Eldorado National Forest shall be preserved for future generations of Americans, Mike Kaczowski, U.S. Forest Service foreman surveyed their faces to see if all were present.
Jennifer Chapman (PAO)
Jordan Serin (Historian)
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Ms. Dru Fenster
"March 20, 1938
TO THOSE GOING EAST:
Your stay here in Camp, whether long or short, has been to me something I shall never forget. You have given me the opportunity to visualize in an understanding way morale, obedience, cheerfulness and helpfulness. You who are leaving us, I sincerely hope that you will reach the "goal" for which you are striving for, and the success which is duly yours.
Remember, you are going back to a life from which you have absented yourself for a period of time. In returning, you may find things not as bright as you expected them to be, BUT with a stiff upper lip, square shoulders, and an honest determination, I'm sure you will achieve your ambition.
Best wishes of the Camp COMMANDER:
Herbert W. Sweezy
First Sergeant"
Herbert Wilson Swezey subsequently served in the Marine Corps in the second world war; he died in Seminole County, Florida in 1982.
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06MAR2019- private researcher at NARA St. Louis contacted to decipher remaining/uncertain identities
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| Exhibit - Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum 4079 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538 16JUL2019- records return from National Archives; most members identified |
Wright's Lake Road Area
1
AREA 3
[John Bookholt, Andy Jensen, at Crystal Rock]
[John Bookholt served in the U.S. Army in WW2, and was injured in 1945, rendering him permanently disabled. He returned to Pennsylvania, where he opened a furniture store. He died in 2018, at the age of 98.
Jordan Serin thinks this might be on Wrights Lake Rd, facing south, and online sources perhaps confirm this:
https://kundaliniandcelltowers.com/wrights-lake-road-lyons-creek-trail-photos.html
Airport Flats/Loon Lake Area
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AREA 2
[Garland]
This was shot on a bright sunny day in noon light.
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AREA 2
13
AREA 2
[Gerle Creek Barracks] [Jordan Serin: Airport Flat Campground]
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AREA 2
[Gerle Creek Barracks] [Jordan Serin: Airport Flat Campground]
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AREA 2
[Kaplita, H. Van Buskirk, McCaffrey, Ottalagano, Loon Lake]
{BVS- this is Karol Kaplita, died 2009 in New Jersey. Served as a PFC in the Army in the Philippines during WW2.}
[BVS- This is Gregory Ottalagano. Gregory joined the Navy, survived. Gregory died 1995 Gloversville, NY.]
This was shot on a bright sunny day in noon light.
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AREA 2
[Jordan Serin: Rubicon Jeep Trail]
[Jordan Serin 15 July: Thinks he might have specific location, along Loon Lake Road.]
CHALLENGE: this is difficult to get to, and will require either a very large vehicle rental or a hiking day.
ID: This photograph is almost certainly Jesse F. Ivins, Jr., 1919-2008, from NJ, served in the Navy during WW2 and worked as a shipfitter for the rest of his life after.
Interview with Jesse, mentions several of the people named as well as talks about the terrible train accident mentioned in the camp newsletters:
In October of 1937, several Gloucester Township boys and myself entered the C.C.C.. We traveled first to Manahawkin, New Jersey. We only stayed at Manahawkin for one night. We did not comprise a complete company. We of New Jersey joined about the same amount of men from New York, which then comprised our Company. We boarded a train to Placerville, California. Many of us had never been away from home, and this was the start of the greatest adventure of our lives.
The start of our adventure was marred by a terrible accident outside of Gary, Indiana, when our train hit two cars at once. Ine one car, a mother and her young daughter were killed, and four men who had been riding in a pick-up truck died instantly. Our train was delayed for two hours and we were all very upset by the incident. None of us ate very much that evening.
Other than that, our 5-day train ride was nice and we slept very well in a Pullman. The scenery became more beautiful as we traveled west, and for those of us who had never seen mountains before, the views were magnificent. We arrived in Sacramento late in the evening and traveled the remainder of our trip on a flatbed truck. That ride was very harrowing as the sides of the truck were meagerly railed and as we rounded the twists and turns of the mountain roads, all you could see was a sheer drop over the side of the cliffs.
We arrived at our new home, a campsite, around 2 a.m. and were assigned bunks. We were quick to discover that the barracks had been abandoned for some time, and the bedding was loaded with bedbugs. I was fortunate and did not get bitten as some of the others did. They fumigated the next day, but the name "Camp Mosquito" stuck.
The following day we were assigned to Company 298, located just outside of Placerville. We were to work in a beautiful area in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, that was near the Sutters Mill gold mining area. It was a great place to work.
We met our Company Commander, who was an Army Captain whose name was Harbison. He was at the camp when we arrived. Another Company had just left a week before we arrived. Our Captain seemed old to us, but I don't believe he was over 40. We was an avid bear hunter. Captain Harbison was very friendly with Howard Hill, who was a famous archer at that time and had done the shooting in the film Robin Hood. He taught Erol Flynn how to shoot a bow. He also did some exhibitions at our camp and it was amazing what he could do with a bow and arrow. At that time he was considered the best trick archer in the world. He and our Captain went bear hunting together.
Within a few days our work assignments were made - we would be working on a new highway that crossed the American River. In addition to this work from our main camp we also would have a couple of what they called Spike Camps. These were small temporary camps at which a few men would stay separate from the Company for extended periods of time. These would be set up in the summer when 5 or 6 men would stay there, mostly for fire lookouts. I never worked on a lookout tower nor visited our spike camp which was about 10 miles away I believe from the main camp.
Our job was to blast rocks and slate that were in the highway's right of way. My job was dynamite blaster. I learned enough to earn a dynamite license, although I never utilized it when I returned home. Our company cut holes into the side of the mountain with small charges of dynamite until they were approximately 10 to 12 feet deep by 12 inches around.
The way blasting was done, one crew, mine, worked on the side of the mountain making what they called coyote holes. These were made by chipping a small hole in the rock, which was mostly quartz, with a tool called a bull perch. This was a heavy pointed steel rod with a spoon on the other end. You would then load a stick or two of dynamite and tamp it into the hole together with a cap. The cap would be wired to a small device with a handle which when tripped would explode the cap, and the dynamite, with an electrical charge. Of course safety was the number one priority and you would make sure no one else was in your area. Then you would yell Springer and detonate it. You would then take the spoon end of the tool and drag out the loose rock and start the procedure all over again. With each charge you could go a little deeper until you were at the required depth - ten to twelve feet - which may possibly take up to a week or if you were lucky a couple of days.
In the meantime while we were blasting the jack hammer crew drilled holes from aboveup. The jackhammer crews would be above you drilling holes to 10 to 12 or 14 feet. Whatever was required. When a section was completely drilled, about 200 to 300 yards would be a section, you would load the holes with dynamite. The holes would be completely filled, using more than a ton of dynamite for the whole section.
To explode the dynamite a large handled device about as big as a car battery was used to send a current to the blasting caps. Before the blast two men would be stationed, one at each end above and beyond the blasting area. They would each yell Fire to signal the coast was clear.
The blast would blow a huge L out of the side of the mountain. A bulldozer wold come in and clear it. Then sometimes we would have to come back and blast the larger rocks.
It could take up to two weeks to prepare one charge and possibly a ton or more of dynamite. The blasting was quite a site to see - of course from a distance. Safety was always the main factor.
Each day at lunchtime we would gather at the lunch truck. It was parked near a mountain stream. Our lunch would usually consist of two sandwiches - bologna and pineapple (believe it or not). The truck would always have a large pot of coffee as well.
Our meals in the barracks were usually good, but it depended on how much the mess cook spent. I believe he was allowed $.13 per meal per person at the time, and we always felt that he made a few bucks on us. The meals were very orderly. We marched in and sat down and table waiters placed the platters on the tables. (We all took turns as table waiters). However, we could not eat until the whistle blew. The idea was to clean the platters as soon as possible and send the waiter back for more.
As for camp life itself, I suppose it was typical. All violent arguments were settled with a fist fight out at the woodpile. Fortunately, I was never involved in any and generally speaking we all got along very well.
We could take classes as part of the educational program. While I was there I took a course in photography and did receive a diploma but never pursued it.
We had a rec hall. We had movies on Saturday and Sunday nights. We also had singalongs, in the barracks usually, with a fellow who played the guitar.
We were often on our own for the weekends and we would spend lots of time exploring the gold mines, which was very interesting. On rare occasions, we visited a little town called Motor City. Most of the fellows went to Motor City to buy wine or go to the cat house. That was about all that was there. I don't think it exists on the maps anymore.
There were a couple heavy snowfalls while I was stationed there. When that occurred, our company had to stay near the barracks and keep our roof cleared. We also helped nearby camps keep their roofs cleared of snow. It rained almost the whole month of February and we hardly left the camp that month. In between showers we cut firewood for the camp from the Manzetti trees which surrounded our camp.
Our captain was an army captain, but most of the other top personnel, our foreman, were forestry men, Forest Service Men. They were all very learned and congenial and wonderful to work for. Since I am 81 years old now its very hard to remember names but the forest ranger's last name was Oates and the one I worked for was Carter ( or Cotter, not sure how he spelled his name) and another was Steckland. Most of the leaders were well liked by all the men. I was enticed by one of the leaders with a week's stay with his family at their home in Stockton if I re-enlisted, but I was too homesick for New Jersey by then, so I turned him down.
Overall, I consider that time to be one of the highlights of my life. I was able to help my family, which was very important to me. I sent $25 a month home and kept $5 a month for myself. Unfortunately, I usually owed $2 or $3 to the canteen. We could attend the movies on Saturdays and Sundays if we chose. Each cost $.10 and we could pay monthly. At that time I smoked Bull Durham Roll Your Own, on which I squandered a buck or two per month.
Georgetown/Rt 193 Area
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AREA 1
[Eddy Wood, American River]
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[Van Buskirk, American River]
[BAVS- CCC newsletters identify "H. Van Buskirk"] [Found on CCC registers as Henry Van Buskirk- stayed with the CCC as a leader with the 298th in Utah as late as 1940]
[Research indicates this is most likely Henry George Van Buskirk, 1920-1967, of Mt. Carroll, Illinois.]
[Interview with Jesse Ivins indicates one of the tasks of their company was building a highway across the American River- This appears to be the foundations for highway 193, where it crosses the American River on the way up to Georgetown. Background matches closely with the north side of the river, there. Picture appears to be printed in reverse.]
38.766047, -120.821748
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AREA 1
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AREA 1
[Georgetown Ranger Station]
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AREA 1
[Georgetown Ranger Station]
7600 Wentworth Springs Rd, Georgetown, CA 95634
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AREA 1
{no caption, but placed with a number of other photographs from the Georgetown ranger station - B.A.V.S.}
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AREA 1
[Ass't Ranger Walter Puhn]
{BVS- Walter Puhn later rose to the be the Sierra National Forest Supervisor. He married Vivian Walkup, had two children, and died in Fresno in 1998.}
[BVS- location? looks like Georgetown Ranger Station]
Finnon Reservoir Area
3
[Speare, Capt. Harbison, Lt. Gusta]
[BVS- Sam's name is alternately spelled Speers, Speer, and Speare, both in the photographs and in CCC records]
[BVS- Joseph Staub Harbison was born in Ohio in 1893, served in France in the 1st World War; he remained in the Army and served his entire career thereafter, including a long period as an officer overseeing the CCC. in 1940 he was working at a CCC camp in Montana, serving through WW2 and being released from Army service as a colonel in 1950. He died in Silver Spring, Maryland in 1984, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.]
[CCC records indicate "Sam Speare" was Samuel Speers, born 1886, died 1950; he's buried at San Bruno National Cemetery. He's already in the area and working for the Forest Service in 1928, and in 1943 sells his private ranch at Fruit Ridge.]
5
[Garland, Feury]
{BVS- only two people surnamed Feury served in WW2; Donald W. Feury was killed in the Philippines in 1942. he was from Michigan; Joseph Feury, from New York died of disease in 1943}
{Almost all members of 298 were from NJ or NY; pending NARA confirmation, this is probably Joseph Feury}
6
[Red Beak] [BAVS- named in camp newsledger as Mc Caffery]
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AREA 1
[Howard Hill, archer]
Extensive info about this guy online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hill
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AREA 1
[BAVS: there are a large number of abandoned mine shafts within Eldorado- perhaps one of the forest rangers might recognize this one?]
[08MAR2019: this mine appears to be located at 38.7822222222, -120.711388889]
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[Thames]
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AREA 1
[BAVS 07MAR2019: Per Robert Barnard, this is definitively the Rock Creek Bridge on Rock Creek Road before it meets up with Mosquito Road. Online photos confirm this.]
Located at
38.795501, -120.776477
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AREA 1
Morton Sawmill. a 1927 newspaper article refers to a story subject being an employee of the "Morton Sawmill" near Mosquito.
What is the exact location?
This is "Hal Morton's Mill," which an article in the Mountain Democrat references being in operation in the late 1930s.
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AREA 1
[Taczowski, Priestly]
Plaque is still in place.
This is George William Priestly, MAY STILL BE ALIVE
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AREA 1
32
[Tyzch, Captain Joseph S. Harbison]
{BAVS note: could "Tyzch" be Ed Tymuszczuk referenced in camp newsletters?}
Edward Tymusczczuk joined the CCC fraudulently; his name was actually Benjamin, and he gundecked his papers to join and hid the fact that he was a convict in his native New Jersey. He was caught, and the CCC recruitment commander in NJ stepped in with a letter on Edward's behalf, calling him a "particularly pathetic case"- his mother was dead, his father stepped out, and there were six siblings back in NJ to support. The CCC kept him in. He married Mary Arinello in NJ in 1940, and died there in 1978.
33
[Bill Cotter, Sam M. Speers, Bill Oates, Bill McLane]
[BAVS: These fellows are all foreman from the U.S. Forest Service]
[William Owen Cotter was born in 1914, spent his entire life with the U.S. Forest Service; he rose to be the Sly Park Forest Service director. He died in 2009.]
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AREA 1
[Mosquito Barracks]
36
[Wally Green]
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Ray Williams, John Krunas, Thomas Howley
[John Krunas was born in 1907 in Lithuania, before living in New York and Chicago and ending up as a cook with the CCC. In 1940 he's still with Company 298, in Utah.]
[A year prior to this photograph, Ray Williams was a CCC employee at Sequoia National Park, and made national news when the Civilian Conservation Corps mistakenly paid him a check for $250,000.22; he returned the check and was given a new one for his regular monthly salary of $36.]
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AREA 1
[Howard Hill, champion archer]
{BVS- Howard Hill later came on to be known as "The World's Greatest Archer" and had a supporting roll in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938}
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AREA 1
[Jordan Serin: Slate Mountain Lookout]
This could potentially be an excellent photograph- original photograph was made in noon light, early morning or late afternoon light would be better for the modern frame. The foundations of the tower in the background remain, but the tower itself has been torn down. There's now a modern microwave repeater tower nearby, which should also be within the modern frame.
CHALLENGE: This is pretty difficult to get to- will probably need a large vehicle. Ask forest rangers for advice.
http://brnav.com/wordpress/?p=3003
Unknown
2
[Jay C. Bruce, California State Lion Hunter] {photo printed reversed horizontally}
FOUND ONLINE:
Jay Bruce was born Sept. 20, 1881 at the Washington Mine, three miles from Hornitos, where his father was a mechanic for the prominent Negro mining engineer and promoter, Mose Rogers. Fifth in line, he was their second son to survive. His parents both came around Cape Horn to California. Albert Olcott Bruce, of Scotch and French descent, came with his parents when 13 years old from Scotland, to settle in Mariposa in 1852, where they set up a gunsmith business. His mother, Azealia Van Campen, born in New York, of Dutch and English ancestry, came with her family settling in Stockton and from when they moved west, first there to Elkhorn Creek, five miles west of Hornitos. She attended the State Normal School at Gilroy, and at the age of 18, with her teachers diploma, came to Mariposa to teach, met Bruce and they were married in 1872.
Two of Al Bruces's brothers in-law, Albert Henry Washburn and John J. Cook, who were promoting construction of a road and stage line between Mariposa, Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, set up headquarters at Clark's Station, formerly owned by Galen Clark. Long on ambition and short on cash, they needed the help of a couple willing to work without regular wages. Al Bruce and his wife, with their family, including the young Jay moved to Clarks station, where he constructed a water-power mill while she managed the hotel part of the business. Following a fire, when the Station burned, a new hotel was built, named by his two aunts, Jean Bruce Washburn and Frances Bruce Clark Wa-Wo-Na, (Indian for big tree) still standing and in later years simplified to Wawona.
In 1884 Al and Azealia filed for 160 acres of land adjacent to the Merced River and Chilnualna Creek. Family differences and possible competition caused his father to be dismissed from the Hotel. He left, in search of work, going from mine to mine, Princeton, Bear Valley, Coulterville, finally going to work at the Quartz Mountain, six miles form Sonora. Grandfather Van Campen remained with them, and with scrap lumber and logs, built a cabin for the family in readiness for winter and left for his homestead on the bank of the San Joaquin River, 10 miles from Merced City.
Young Jay and his brothers and sisters helped their mother fill the log cracks the best they could with discarded clothing and old newspapers. The winter was rough, and he could remember many morning waking to find snow on the face, which had drifted through some of the cracks. The main discomfort of the family that winter was lack of fresh meat. A dreary Christmas was broken when Mary Ann, with a haunch of venison, with her little son "Injun Joe" close beside her, came to the door to present them with it as a gift from her husband, Bush Head Tom. The mother, in return, gave her a loaf of bread. This started a friendship, with the family never again without meat, and the Indian woman learning to bake and other household arts. Little Joe, always along, taught the boys to make bows and arrows, and soon they were killing lizards and small game.
When Jay was nine and his brother Bert eleven, their father returned home for a longer period. He assembled three revolvers from parts saved from the gunsmith days, two 45 caliber six shooters and one 32 caliber five-shooter. Bullets were poured form a thin mental they found lining the boxes of tea, shipped from China, and discarded by the store. Because of necessity and practice, in a few months the boys could hit squirrels running up trees, and the pot was well supplied that winter, with squirrel fricassee (delicious dish rivaling mountain quail.) His dog treed a big lynx cat, and with five bullets in his revolver, he killed his first large animal. Selling this and other pelts, also rattlesnake pelts and live, to tourists, they helped out the family. Their mother stopped them when she found out they were buttoning rattles form one snake to another , in order to acquire a higher price. At the age of 15, while quail hunting, he bagged his first deer, with a b-b cap, accidentally hitting him just right, between the ribs. On July 4, 1894, carelessly celebrating with a home made bomb that exploded, he received permanent scars to his face and hands, his father removing as much of the copper as possible. While disabled, he took up trout fishing, and soon became proficient. This ability paid off getting him away from milking, and farm work which he hated. He worked and "chewed" his own flies, bent his own rods, and was able to sell all the trout he could catch as well as have several tourists pay him well to teach him his angling methods. His way of earning a living was halted, in 1900, when commercial trout fishing was outlawed. he went to work in the oil fields, served as a hunting and fishing guide, and played a mandolin at night for dancing.
Saving his money, he was finally able to enroll in the San Francisco School of Mines and Engineering. This was rudely interrupted by the San Francisco Fire and earthquake. In 1910 he was married to the late Katherine Fournier, sister of Mariposa's well remembered Tony Fournier, a union which lasted twenty-eight years, while they raised a family, then a separation. The basic difficulty was that Mrs. Bruce wanted to live in civilization, he loved the woods. With the responsibility of a family, Jay designed, built and operated a water power saw mill. However, with unscrupulous partners and a bad infection which caused his left hand to become crippled, the business failed. The next several years were rough, and he started supplementing the meager family income by hunting cougars for bounty. He acquired two hunting dogs from George Wright, yellow pups, part Airedale, that were "eating him out of house and home.
Jay trained them first to tree squirrel later lions and cats. He obtained a part-time job as guide-lecturer at the tourist concession at the Mariposa Grove. During this time he sold two walking sticks (novel and expensive) with his gift of gab, to Dernard M. Baruch and Diamond Jim Brady, visitors. In the winter of 1915, when their third child was on the way, with the eternal problem of earning a living and the high cost of groceries, Bruce made his first important lion hunt. A light snow storm had covered the ground, making tracking easier, when he started out with his dog Eli, for Wawona Dome. With a 5000 foot contour line, where several months supply of winter feed for deer, from the Bucktorn thorn family, deer brush and mountain mahogany, were plentiful, and cave-like holes at the upper edge of the shelter made it ideal for predatory animals. With Eli on a rope, to keep him from chasing squirrels, they found lion tracks, and came home with a kill to receive a bounty of $60 to $80. His further hunting expeditions kept the family in food and necessities. In three years he brought 31 lions to tree.
In 1918, Chief Ranger Forest Townsley introduced him to a group of influential people. Steve Mather, then director of National Parks, introduced him at a meeting, and he gave a talk, soon after receiving his "Cougar Killer" appointment, which he had tried to acquire for some time. His first official lion hunt, with his dog Eli, was to Camp Nelson, Tulare county, where eight goats were reported killed in one night. Within 2 weeks he had bagged three lions and five lynx. in the thirty years followed, he totaled over 700 Lions. His work is credited with allowing a great increase in California deer population and making life safer for livestock in the mountains.
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20
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Could this be Loon Lake? Water in background. Look for rock.
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[Van Sise]
{BVS- Gordon Van Sise served in the U.S. Army in World War 2, before settling in Hicksville, NY. He died in 1990.}
