Dinner given by Stephen Mather at the Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite, for San Francisco Supervisors ~ July 1927
History through the centuries at Camp Mather
The history of Camp Mather dates back many years before the area became a popular vacation site. Even before the pioneers settled in California, Mather was home to Native Americans, who may have gathered acorns in the area.
In the late 1800's ranchers acquired land in the Hetch Hetchy area to graze cattle and sheep. When the City of San Francisco, authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Raker Act of 1913, began construction of a dam and reservoir on the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy Valley, construction camps were erected.
During this time a sawmill was built on the lake side of Mather to supply the lumber needed for the dam's construction. Birch Lake, now the camp "swimming hole," was excavated for gravel needed for construction. During the excavation springs were struck, and the hole was flooded. The mill pond, located adjacent to the present swimming pool, was where the logs were floated to remove the bark to prepare them for milling. The sawmill was at the site of the present swimming pool and tennis court.
When the sawmill was erected, the Yosemite National Park Company leased the dining side of camp as a resort for tourists to visit Yosemite Valley and the Dam construction. In 1920 the Yosemite National Park Company (now Yosemite Park and Curry Company) built the Hetch Hetchy Lodge. This building, with additions, and renamed "Jack Spring Dining Hall," now serves as the Camp Mather kitchen and dining room.
The O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923. After the necessary pipelines were completed, San Francisco began using Hetch Hetchy water in 1934. San Francisco families began using the former sawmill camp, Camp Mather*, for summer recreation in 1924.
* (Stephen Mather, First Director of the National Park Service, was a graduate of Boys’ High School, which later became Lowell High School, in San Francisco.)
Friends of Camp Mather is seeking ALUMNI NAMES, history, pictures and all kinds of useful info to add to this site. Please contact [email protected]
Illustrious Mather Alumnus
US Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer
San Franciscan, Lowell graduate, Camp Mather Assistant
Speaking of his experience working in the kitchen at Camp Mather, Justice Breyer says, “In San Francisco in the nineteen-fifties, it was a wide-open time... there was a sense of possibility that we’ve never seen before or since. You had a great mixing of classes. I was a hasher at Camp Mather, in the Sierras, which was run by the city and county of San Francisco. Anyone could go. You had a mix of the families of firemen, policemen, and doctors and lawyers. They all felt an obligation to be part of the community and to contribute to the community.” This egalitarian mixing of San Franciscans remains a hallmark of the Mather experience.
Exerpt of article quoted with permission of author Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker Magazine
The history of Camp Mather dates back many years before the area became a popular vacation site. Even before the pioneers settled in California, Mather was home to Native Americans, who may have gathered acorns in the area.
In the late 1800's ranchers acquired land in the Hetch Hetchy area to graze cattle and sheep. When the City of San Francisco, authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Raker Act of 1913, began construction of a dam and reservoir on the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy Valley, construction camps were erected.
During this time a sawmill was built on the lake side of Mather to supply the lumber needed for the dam's construction. Birch Lake, now the camp "swimming hole," was excavated for gravel needed for construction. During the excavation springs were struck, and the hole was flooded. The mill pond, located adjacent to the present swimming pool, was where the logs were floated to remove the bark to prepare them for milling. The sawmill was at the site of the present swimming pool and tennis court.
When the sawmill was erected, the Yosemite National Park Company leased the dining side of camp as a resort for tourists to visit Yosemite Valley and the Dam construction. In 1920 the Yosemite National Park Company (now Yosemite Park and Curry Company) built the Hetch Hetchy Lodge. This building, with additions, and renamed "Jack Spring Dining Hall," now serves as the Camp Mather kitchen and dining room.
The O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923. After the necessary pipelines were completed, San Francisco began using Hetch Hetchy water in 1934. San Francisco families began using the former sawmill camp, Camp Mather*, for summer recreation in 1924.
* (Stephen Mather, First Director of the National Park Service, was a graduate of Boys’ High School, which later became Lowell High School, in San Francisco.)
Friends of Camp Mather is seeking ALUMNI NAMES, history, pictures and all kinds of useful info to add to this site. Please contact [email protected]
Illustrious Mather Alumnus
US Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer
San Franciscan, Lowell graduate, Camp Mather Assistant
Speaking of his experience working in the kitchen at Camp Mather, Justice Breyer says, “In San Francisco in the nineteen-fifties, it was a wide-open time... there was a sense of possibility that we’ve never seen before or since. You had a great mixing of classes. I was a hasher at Camp Mather, in the Sierras, which was run by the city and county of San Francisco. Anyone could go. You had a mix of the families of firemen, policemen, and doctors and lawyers. They all felt an obligation to be part of the community and to contribute to the community.” This egalitarian mixing of San Franciscans remains a hallmark of the Mather experience.
Exerpt of article quoted with permission of author Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker Magazine
|
|
This Camp Mather history was compiled by Richard Schaadt. Richard is a long-time historian of Camp Mather, Hog Ranch and the Mather environs.
Get involved. Subscribe to our email list.
You can expect one or two emails a month, featuring news and stories about Camp Mather, practical advice to prepare for a trip to Camp, reminders of key dates like the reservation lottery, and other updates from FoCM.
Friends of Camp Mather | [email protected] | (415) 289-9180
PO Box 320542 San Francisco, CA 94132-0542
Camp Mather | 35250 Mather Road, Groveland, CA 95321
Camp Mather Reservation Desk | SF Recreation & Park Department
PO Box 320542 San Francisco, CA 94132-0542
Camp Mather | 35250 Mather Road, Groveland, CA 95321
Camp Mather Reservation Desk | SF Recreation & Park Department
Friends of Camp Mather is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization | Privacy Policy