East Sonora Bypass displaces creek and its critters

120 years ago July 27, 1901

T.B. Skinner, foreman of Livingston’s shoemaker shop, is back on the bench after making the swiftest mountain trip on record. The young man is rather reticent about the journey, but his friends are wise and talkative. Skinner was absent just two days. His destination was Bell’s Meadows, and it is asserted that when he reached the tall timber he mistook a coyote for a bear, and his horse not retreating fast enough to suit him, he took to the road, hitting only the high places until he got back to Sonora.

When he first reached town he was bare-headed, his face was white as chalk and his friends assert that even his voice was pale.

90 years ago July 25, 1931

J.F. Garrette and F.W. Stephens of Woodland, Calif., has acquired, under lease and bond, from the Linda Minerals Company, a tuffa deposit at Cherokee, two miles north of Tuolumne, and begun its development with a force of miners.

The deposit is a bedded plane formation, having an average thickness of 32 feet, and covering 160 acres, and is located near the top of table mountain, capped with lava. The rock is utilized in the manufacture of chicken feed and has many other commercial uses.

Messrs. Garrette and Stephens have installed crushers, separators, dryers and other necessary machinery for the operation of the property on a large scale.

The Forest Service crew battled a fire last Wednesday that burned over about 50 acres on the north side of the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River near the mouth of Mill Creek. There was some damage to growing timber.

St. Anne’s Church, pictured here in 1936, opened for services in March 1856. It’s 100th anniversary was feted with a special service in July 1956 (see related item, below).

65 years ago July 26, 1956

Tuolumne County employees voted favorably for a retirement plan which will operate in conjunction with the state employees retirement system. At a special election held Friday afternoon in the Memorial Hall, the county employees voted 92 to 26 to endorse the program which is expected to go into effect August 1. One ballot was spoiled. The plan, which is in addition to federal social security, was also approved by peace officers, with two “Yes” votes.

Elective officers did not vote but may join in the program at the start of the new term.

Service in county employment prior to the adoption of the plan will be credited to new employees, with the county to underwrite the cost of making up the reserve amount for such years. No deduction will be made form employees’ salaries for such years of service.

An overflow crowd attended the Missa Cantata at St. Anne’s Catholic Church at 11:15 a.m. Sunday marking the 100th anniversary of its completion. Co-adjutor Bishop Joseph T. Mcguckin of Sacramento presided at the Mass and delivered the centennial address.

The Rev. Stephen Stack, pastro of St. Patrick’s Parish, sang the Mass with the assistance of St.

Patrick’s Choir. The Leonard Rehm was the accompanist.

St. Anne’s Church was opened for services in March 1856 with the Rev. Daniel Slattery, as its first pastor. Official dedication ceremonies were held on November

2, 1956, with Bishop Alemany of San Francisco officiating.

20 years ago July 23, 2001

A small creek on private property alongside Phoenix Lake Road is about to be piped and buried under 60 feet of dirt as part of the construction of the East Sonora Bypass on Highway 108 despite previous efforts by landowners to save it.

And with this permanent alteration to the landscape, a healthy population of California roach fish and rainbow trout will be destroyed along with all the insects, invertebrates and organisms the fish feed on.

“Such is the price of progress,” said Brian Quelvog, of Sonora, a fisher biologist with the Department of Fish and Game.

Quevlog wants to ensure the roach fish, listed as a “species of special concern” finds a new home to offset the destruction of its current one.