North Fork Stanislaus River

The Middle Fork Stanislaus River is a 45.7-mile (73.5 km) tributary of the Stanislaus River in the central Sierra Nevada and Stanislaus National Forest of eastern California.

The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is 96 miles (154 km) long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about 150 miles (240 km) long. Originating as three forks in the high Sierra Nevada, the river flows generally southwest through the agricultural San Joaquin Valley to join the San Joaquin south of Manteca, draining parts of five California counties. The Stanislaus is known for its swift rapids and scenic canyons in the upper reaches, and is heavily used for irrigation, hydroelectricity and domestic water supply. Originally inhabited by the Miwok group of Native Americans, the Stanislaus River was explored in the early 1800s by the Spanish, who conscripted indigenous people to work in the colonial mission and presidio systems. The river is named for Estanislao, who led a native uprising in Mexican-controlled California in 1828, but was ultimately defeated on the Stanislaus River (then known as the Río de los Laquisimes). During the California Gold Rush, the Stanislaus River was the destination of tens of thousands of gold seekers; many of them reached California via Sonora Pass, at the headwaters of the Middle Fork. Many miners and their families eventually settled along the lower Stanislaus River. The farms and ranches they established are now part of the richest agricultural region in the United States.Early mining companies were formed to channel Stanislaus River water to the gold diggings via elaborate canal and flume systems, which directly preceded the irrigation districts formed by farmers who sought a greater degree of river control. Starting in the early 1900s, many dams were built to store and divert water; these were often paired with hydro-power systems, whose revenues covered the high cost of the water projects. In the 1970s the construction of the federal New Melones Dam incited major opposition from recreation and environmental groups (documented on the Stanislaus River Archive), who protested the loss of one of the last free-flowing stretches of the Stanislaus. Although New Melones was eventually built, its completion is considered to have marked the end of large dam building in the United States.Water rights along the Stanislaus River are a controversial topic, with the senior rights of farmers coming into conflict with federal and state laws protecting endangered salmon and steelhead trout. The Stanislaus irrigation districts contend that diverting water for fish damages the local economy, especially in years of drought. Water managers have struggled to find a balance between competing needs, which also include groundwater recharge, flood control, and river-based recreation such as fishing and whitewater rafting.

Hathaway Pines is an unincorporated community in Calaveras County, California, 8 km (5 mi) south of Arnold and 20 km (12.5 mi) northeast of Angels Camp. It lies at an elevation of 3323 feet (1013 m). Hathaway Pines' post office was established in 1943; it has the zip code 95233. The place's name honors Robert B. Hathaway, a vacation resort promoter who became the first postmaster.

Vallecito Union School District is a unified school district located in Avery, California, a town located in Calaveras County. It operates three schools: Avery Middle School, Albert Michelson Elementary, and Hazel Fischer Elementary. The current superintendent is Dr. Rick Brewer.

Forest Meadows is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2010 census, up from 1,197 at the 2000 census.

Avery is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 646 at the 2010 census, down from 672 at the 2000 census. Avery is located on State Route 4 and is home to the oldest continually operating hotel in the county, the Avery Hotel Restaurant & Saloon. Built in 1853, it was known as the "Half Way House," being located between Murphys, Arnold, and Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

Rose Creek is a tributary of the Stanislaus River in Tuolumne County, California in the United States. The creek is about 16.8 miles (27.0 km) long and flows in a southwesterly direction from Crandall Peak, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, to join the Stanislaus River about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Murphys.

The site of the Old Mining Camp of Brownsville is a California Historical Landmark on Pennsylvania Gulch Road east of the town of Murphys, California in Calaveras County. The Mining Camp of Brownsville was a California Gold Rush camp in Pennsylvania Gulch in from 1850 to 1870. The camp is named after Alfred Brown, who was the former owner of the Table Mountain Ranch. There were many rich mines in the area and Brownsville Mining Camp supported this activity. So rich was the area, the Brownsville Mining District limited the size of mines in the District. Each miner could claim and own only one wet and one dry site, no larger than 150 square feet (14 m2) each. Brownsville Mining District was in the area of Pennsylvania Gulches and Missouri Gulches 2 miles from Murphys. There are no remains of the camp, but nearby is the Brownsville Mining District Cemetery. A plaque monument was dedicated on July 19, 1953, by California State Park Commission with the monument base built by Christa Parlor No. 137 and Ruby Parlor No. 49 of the Native Daughters of the Golden West.Table Mountain Ranch was 1,300-acre ranch that started a mile east of the city of Murphys and ran to the Stanislaus River. The ranch's was bordered on the west by Coyote Creek. George Brown founded the ranch in the 1850, and supported the gold rush miners. George Brown sold the ranch in 1860 to William. Auditt and George March. In 1882 the ranch was sold to Leo Dolan and again sold in 1889 it was sold to William and Ethel Adams, mining engineer from Boston. After their divorce, William sold the ranch to Ethel's father. Ethel ran the ranch and had a herd of beef cattle, Jersey dairy cows, swine and horses. The ranch also became an orchard with English walnuts, almonds, French prunes, peachas, grapes and apples. Ethel died in 1927 and left the ranch to its foreman, Fred Kenney. Kenney operated the Dairy till 1940. Kenney raised cattle until 1963, in 1963 when Kenney sold the ranch to David Kentfield. Kentfield subdivided some of Ranch. Some Hollywood movies were shot on Table Mountain Ranch including: The County Chairman in 1935 with Will Rogers, The Farmer Takes a Wife in 1935 with Janet Gaynor and Henry Fonda, The Red House in 1947 with Edward G. Robinson, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1954. Only raimaning building of the ranch is the Dairy barn on 70-acres, that is now the Indian Rock Vineyards at 38.1300°N 120.4381°W / 38.1300; -120.4381.

Arnold is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 3,843 at the 2010 census, down from 4,218 at the 2000 census. Arnold is located on State Route 4.

Murphys Grammar School is a historic school building in Murphys, California. Built in 1860, the school was the first public school in Murphys. The school was designed in a vernacular Greek Revival style, which was popular at the time of its construction; its design includes a cornice held up by square pilasters, a pedimented gable, and a cupola over the entrance with its own cornice and square pilasters. The school operated continuously from its opening until it closed in 1973; at the time of its closing, it was the longest continuously running school west of the Mississippi River.Albert Abraham Michelson, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, attended the school.Murphys Grammar School was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 8, 1973.

The South Fork Stanislaus River is a major tributary of the Stanislaus River in Tuolumne County, California. The river flows for 48.5 miles (78.1 km) through rugged alpine and foothill areas of the Sierra Nevada. The river begins in Hay Meadow in the Emigrant Wilderness of the Stanislaus National Forest. It flows generally southwest, past Pinecrest, Cold Springs and Long Barn, then descends west through a canyon to the New Melones Lake reservoir where it meets the Stanislaus River.There are two dams on the South Fork: Strawberry Dam, which forms Pinecrest Lake, and Lyons Dam, impounding Lyons Reservoir, which provides municipal water supply to the Twain Harte area. Strawberry Dam is part of the Spring-Gap Stanislaus Hydroelectric Project, which uses water from the South Fork and Middle Forks of the Stanislaus River to generate power.

The Douglas Flat School is a historic school building on California State Route 4 in Douglas Flat, California. The school was built in 1854 to serve miners who settled in Douglas Flat during the California Gold Rush; the school site was the only place in Douglas Flat where mining was not permitted, as the mining rights on the property were reserved for the first teachers. The building was designed in a vernacular Greek Revival style, a popular style during the Gold Rush. The simple design of the school includes a pedimented gable in the front, an architrave set atop plain pilasters, a flat cornice, and a small belfry. The one-room schoolhouse first taught classes in 1856 and operated until 1956. It reopened in 1971 to become a kindergarten and later became a community center.The Douglas Flat School was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1973.