Ode to a bridge -- part 2

March 23, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Ode to a bridge Part 2

A few days later, I called Mike again to ask some questions about his Cramer family. He had told me several stories during our phone call – and on many other occasions. I hadn’t written anything down and needed clarifications. Mike’s great uncle Ira Cramer and his wife, Ruth, were living in the dove-tailed wooden plank house, on the Moffett Creek ranch, when he died in 1931.

Ira was holding his young daughter, Dorothy, and collapsed from a heart attack. Mike was told that Ira had just walked in the house after rolling or dragging a dead cow out of the barn. He was a big sturdy man. Family surmised he over-worked his body and blew-out his heart.

So, that dove-tailed wooden plank two-story house is likely about 100 years old. I took photos of it. On the east side, there is modernization -- a swamp cooler and satellite TV dish can be seen. I posted a photo on my LizWritesLife.blogspot.com along with last week’s “Liz Writes Life” article.

In our chat, Mike mentioned that I had misspelled Cramer in last month’s article about his great aunt Ruth Markon. It only has one “m” not two! Ooops, so sorry.

The history that Mike shares about his Cramer family is pretty amazing. Yes, Ira’s father was German, but born in New York in 1831. His name was George Lansing Cramer. Mike said he rode horseback out to California during the gold rush time period and settled on Moffett Creek at the bottom of we now call Forest Mt. He planted peach, apple and pear trees and the little county road is appropriately named “Peach Orchard Lane.” The ranch also served as a stage stop.

George met Emily Bills, who crossed with her family from Illinois by wagon train. She was expected to marry a man in Scott Valley, but apparently didn’t much care for him. Emily decided to elope with George in June 1863. They rode north fording the Klamath River, on horseback, and were married in Jacksonville, Oregon. The couple set up house and Emily gave birth to 16 children. Mike said they also adopted three orphan children. Wow, what a household that must have been!

One of those children was Mike’s grandfather Fredrick William Cramer. He and Ira along with brothers Harry and Charles went into business together. They operated a butcher shop named Etna Packers in Etna along with other businesses. Mike still has one of the old ledgers touting the names of the clients from back then.

Monday, March 7, 2022

Well, I will get back to my original plan of relating my drive up East Moffett Creek Road to obtain a photo of the nano-high-tech concrete bridge laid by Siskiyou County in November 2020.

Not long after turning off Highway 3, driving down Peach Orchard Lane to East Moffett Creek Road, I was stopped by a county flagman. The road crew was cleaning the gutter. It wasn’t a long wait and then I was given the slow sign. When I began to pass the grader, I recognized the operator. He is a life-long friend (went through Etna schools together) and was a good friend of my husband. Figuring there wasn’t any other traffic on this dirt road to irritate by stopping; I explained I was looking for the new bridge. Yep, it would be the third bridge crossing the creek. Quick, but nice reconnection!

It was maybe four or five miles, but it seems longer driving 25 mph on a dirt road. I saw the Duzel Road coming in with the new bridge. After parking, I surveyed my options for taking photos. The poor old barbed-wire fence had holes big enough that I could duck through. I wanted to get some side photos, which was easy because there wasn’t any water running in the creek. Ray Haupt had told me that the county did not pave the bridge, because the nano-tech concrete was expected to last 100 years. About 20 feet before and after the bridge, the road had been paved.

About that time, I noticed a young woman walking down Duzel Road with two dogs. She recognized me first. We had a nice chat and then I took about 20 photos.

The sun was warm. My window was rolled down, so I decided to drive back home over Duzel Road. I had never been on it before and felt adventurous! About a mile up this one-lane, but well-maintained dirt road I stopped. A woodcutter was cutting up limbs and the road was blocked. I didn’t want to bother him and decided to turn around at the widened corner just behind me. It was then that I noticed he was walking towards me. His dog had alerted him that I was there.

I stepped out of my Chevy Trax and was, again, surprised to be recognized. We both mentioned that we were much older than in our high school days over 50 years ago. He said he could move his pickup and I would be able to continue on the road, but I decided to retrace my path. I really wasn’t sure where Duzel Road comes out in Scott Valley and might adventure it other time.

My trip home to Callahan was uneventful: Didn’t run into anyone to talk to, even at the grocery store. So it seemed like a good time to reflect on life in rural areas. Driving down what should have been a lonely dirt road, held several surprises that made March 7th a very pleasant day.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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