Summit Valley was inhabited by the Natives for thousands of years. As a matter in fact the Martis tribe hunted and gathered during the summers in this valley from 2000 B.C. till about 500 A.D. Today so very little remains that they even existed nobody even knows where they migrated too next some even believe Yosemite. If you explore the valley thoroughly your going to find petroglyphs, metates, mortars and basalt flakes. The valley was very fruitful and it still is but it definitely does not look like it did when the Martis inhabited the area. Men would hunt although they used spears the bow and arrow was not known to the Martis tribe. The women would gather caterpillars, grass hoppers, grass, berries, grubs, tree sap, acorns etc then they would grinding them into the Mortars. The men would use nets to capture birds, fish and they hunted deer.  

When the Martis left other tribes did inhabit the area or rather migrated to this valley during the warmer months. More then likely they lived in bark houses which are all long gone however the mortars took years to create which meant that the natives spent years here living on the edge of Lake Van Norden and along the south fork of the Yuba River. We know the natives were here for thousands of years because some of the petroglyphs found in the area date back to 4,000 B.C.

The first white Europeans to have arrived in the area were trappers. Eventually a road would be built in 1862 to 1864 by the transcontinental railroad from the west by the Central Pacific. That road would be known as the Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road which was a toll road. At the time it was used to carry supplies and equipment to the construction sites for the railroad including the Donner Summit Railroad Tunnels. It was a well used route at its peak 85 train cars of freight were unloaded via wagon in Cisco which then would be transported to the Summit. At times wagons might have been backed up a couple miles on this route especially in Summit Valley. 

In 1868 the railroad was completed therefore the road seen very little traffic. Most folks took the railroad instead of traveling via wagon and freight could easily be loaded onto train cars. It was a bit eerie to take this road in the 1870's because many hotels, barns, homesteads etc remained abandoned. Most of them were in a state of disrepair due to the weight of the snow collapsing the roofs while others were simply burnt down due to fires. When the Van Norden Dam was built most of the road was submerged under the lake. In 1976 a breach occurred in the dam which led to the lake waters receding therefore the old wagon road would once again be exposed which today is used as a hiking and biking trail for some. 

Since we are discussing the dam what I can tell is that the valleys first dam dates back to 1874. Nobody knows who built it that is more or less a historical mystery but what we do know is that its one of the oldest in the valley and the first. The South Yuba Canal Co. seemed to have taken ownership of the dam. At the time they built canals and reservoirs in the area. They built reservoirs to supply hydraulic mining, secondly irrigation and then eventually generation of electricity. Many of the rivers were dammed off to create lakes which also was beneficial to farms trying to graze livestock. The South Yuba Canal Co. became the Central California Electric Company in 1905 and by 1907 what most of you know as PG&E.

In the 1970's PG&E was looking at enlarging the lake and perhaps renovating the dam. What they realized is that the dam was residing on sediment not bedrock. They also realized the earth it was composed off was not compacted and that it had a wood core. The dam was not sturdy at all which meant that during a terrible storm with flooding or even an earthquake could end up causing chaos if it ever broke. As a matter in fact 5,800 acre feet of water well Lake Van Norden would end up heading south downstream on the Yuba River therefore causing mass destruction. Many of the rivers downstream from Dams go right through small towns throughout the Sierra Nevada. I always am concerned when I see dams with cracks or even some earthen dams. Reason being is that the flooding, storms and even freak earthquakes can be destruction and a manmade dam is not going to stop mother natures wraith. Therefore lives and even some structures were at stake and they always will be!

It was to expensive to rebuild the dam I know PG&E renovated it so that way they could breech it slowly letting out the water downstream. Unfortunately this had led to Lake Van Norden shrinking quite considerably. As a matter in fact I believe in theory that this is what is known as a Vanishing Lake. As it stands right now the lake is about 70 to 80 acres in size. Over the years it continues to dissipate and probably in another decade or so this probably will become a wet meadow rather then a lake. When I hiked in Summit Valley it felt a bit strange knowing the trails run right through what once was underwater. It really is hard to understand the sheer size of the dam since most of it is barely visible. With high grass growing everywhere and foliage you sort of lose sight of it. However, what I can tell you is that the dam is 27' high, 1637' long and is composed of 5874 acre feet. I stood on top of the dam where their is a rusty wheel  which at the time was used to slowly let water draining Lake Van Norden. 

Who is Van Norden well according to the Donner Summit Historic Society: Lake Van Norden was named for Charles Van Norden the scion of a wealthy family that could trace its New York roots back to 1640. His brother, Warner, had made an extended visit to California and invested in the South Yuba Canal Co. and Spaulding Dam. Eventually the company had 450 miles of flumes, canals and pipes along the CPRR route downhill to Central Valley, as well as 30 reservoirs.

Charles Van Norden, Warner's brother, was at loose ends and one source said he had health problems. He came to California to represent the family and keep an eye on its investments. 

Charles, was a scholar, writer, student, philosopher and litterateur of "more than ordinary ability." He was also a Congregational Minister, had been president of Elmira College, and once escaped death at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan in New Orleans where he had been a minister. In 1893 he came to California as the resident director of the Canal company and later, president of Central California Electric Co. 

When the early Europeans and emigrants came to this valley they made it their home. Their was the Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road, Hotels, Stores, Homesteads, Reservoirs, Dams, orchards, dairy farms, cabins, snow sheds, first transcontinental highway, railroad, saw mill, an ice house, stage stops and even ranches. The Yuba River traverses right through the center of this valley. Since it is dammed off it held back the waters of Lake Van Norden for a century. Unfortunately each year the lake shrinks soon their will not be a need for a dam. The river connects to Castle Creek part of our adventure would take us along the river and creek. This is why Summit Valley is so lush its really a sanctuary for wildlife considering its rich grazing quality. The valley surrounded by 10 to 12 thousand foot peaks is truly a gem. However, many folks associate the valley with the Donner Party just a few miles away. 

When the railroad came through the area and nearby towns were developing some turned to ranching the high meadows of the sierras. The meadows around Lake Van Norden were mainly utilized by Basque herders. During the winter snow clings to the peaks and the entire meadow is filled with snow. When it melts it causes the lake to expand especially during the Spring. In turn the streams, rivers and creeks are generally raging for a few months. This has led to many of the meadows being very lush. So when you explore our website and this expedition pay mind to the photos. This area flourishes just as many meadows do during the warmer months and this my friends is why the natives migrated here for about half of the year. 

When the water gets to high it is released the dam had to be reinforced because it was dangerous if it ever breeched. So the water ends up being released so that it can be utilized for the Drum Forebay Power Plant for electricity. When areas of the lake become wetlands and the soil absorbs the water high grasses grow. That is why these meadows were home to thousands of sheep. Soda Springs which is north of the Dam and Lake became the top shipping area for sheep exporting and importing. Sheep no longer graze here although they did up until around the 1970's. I seen some dung in the meadows so many people enjoy equestrian riding so more then likely it is from horses. Not much remains of the sheep herders ranch just a few post, pens and corrals. Their is also a small homestead hidden in the woods so I worked to compile a little bit of everything that Summit Valley offers. Back in the day you could be a mile away and hear the bells in the wind chiming as 2000 sheep grazed in sync. 

Norden is a small unincorporated community just west of Truckee located on a portion of US 40 near Interstate 80 which lies along the historic first Transcontinental Railroad and only 1.5 miles west of Donner Pass. The Norden Post Office was named after the lake which opened in 1926 and closed in 1943 then reopened again in 1947 and is now closed. The place was named after Dr. Charles Van Norden who was an official of the South Yuba Canal Company. As you can see the lake was named after him to in the area.  Norden is west of the lake while Soda Springs is north of it but the two communities do border Summit Valley. Soda Springs at one time was called Summit Valley, Soda Springs Station, Hopkins, Tinker Station and was also unincorporated. 

Soda Springs like Norden has Ski Resorts as a matter in fact Mark Hopkins and Leland Stanford set up a resort in the 1880's here. The Summit Valley post office had opened up in 1870 then changed its name in 1875 to Soda Springs in 1875, and closed in 1881 and re-opened in 1929. The Hopkins post office operated from 1885 to 1886 so alternatively it is reportedly known as Hopkins Springs until the Soda Springs Post Office was established in March of 1875. The Central Pacific Railroad station was named Tinkers Station from 1867 to 1873 commemorating J.A. Tinker who was a rough, drinking teamsters who had hauled freight between the mines on the Forest Hill Divide and Soda Springs. The sheep herders would migrate to this valley each year as the lake level waters receded and grasses grew. Once the sheep grazed they would then be boarded on trains at Soda Springs Station to continue there journey east. 

Not much remains of the past but back in the day this area was booming with ranching, hotels, wagons and people. Today more or less its just a great area to explore, hike and ski at. I was looking at an old photo of the dam and to the left of it is where downtown Soda Springs use to be. They had a bar, store, hotel and livery. I never did find the site of the ice house I guess in the 1870's that is why the dam was built so that huge ice blocks could be mined. Ice blocks were often exported to the mines to be used a lower depths where it was very hot for the miners to work.  The ice block business did not boom as well here as it did in nearby Boca California. Most ice blocks were exported to the deep mines of the Comstock Lode of Virginia City Nevada.

Times have changed since then since in 1916 when the Pacific Gas and Electric Company became the owner of the lake. At the time they enlarged it to 5,600 acre feet so the water could be slowly released to be used downstream. Other sheep camps down stream could benefit from this but again it was a dangerous undertaking because at the time the earthen dam was not compacted so nobody knew if it would give way since it sat on loose gravel bed. Its hard to believe that it took till 1976 to figure this out therefore they added notches which allowed less water to be stored however the lake was very small but good enough for recreation and wildlife. Unfortunately it was only 150 acre feet in size and the state wanted it drained below fifty acre feet which at the time started to sound more like a pond then a lake. The land trust did want to sell the valley to the Forestry however they would not buy it as long as it had a lake. With that being said the Land Trust did not know what to do they opened the drain completely draining the lake in 2015. The forest service eventually plans on resorting summit valley to a dry meadow as before 1872 as if there was no dam or summer river. With that being said its more then likely that Lake Van Norden soon will be a thing of the past the dam is expected to eventually be completely removed!

I expect the area to look much different then it does now in a few years which is why I am so glad that we were able to cover what we could before things change. Many lakes in the high sierras were created by dams which is great if you want to build a reservoir or manmade lake which can be used for its water. But the problem is when you dam off valleys it takes years for them to recover because in order to create them trees kept chopped down, wildlife gets displaced and even in some cases routes get submerged kind of like the Donner Dutch Flat Wagon Road. Eventually all that will exist in Summit Valley will be a few small tributaries flowing, grasses and trees as nature reclaims this land. Unfortunately the birds that have spent countless summers here will have to relocate and perhaps find a new home only down side to all of this. Perhaps so will North Americas king of the forest "Sasquatch" also!

Copyright By
Lord Rick
PGS Founder
Author, Talk Show Host, Producer, Urban Explorer and Paranormal Investigator

Custom Search

AngelOfThyNight On Twitter AngelOfThyNight's Personal Blog AngelOfThyNight On Youtube ParanormalGhostSociety At Yahoo

-

"Over 10 Years Of Upstanding Paranormal Eloquence & Service"