#519 Caples Lake #519
by William Lum
Title
#519 Caples Lake #519
Artist
William Lum
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
This is my watercolor painting of Caples Lake, California. On the way to Hope Valley, I passed this lake along highway 88, also known as Carson Pass at elevation 7,800 feet. The lake was used as a halting place for wagon travelers who were trekking the historic Mormon Emigrant trail during the Gold Rush. Caples Lake is now a reservoir being used for water and recreation. An El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) managed reservoir in Alpine County, offers an unbeatable combination of majestic alpine scenery and fine trophy trout fishing. The lake mackinaw record is 26 pounds and the brown trout record at 13 pounds.
The Washoe Indians occupied the area before the gold rush attracted many new settlers. The Washoe people referred to Caples Lake as Twin lakes because the area was historically an open meadow with two shallow lakes that they were able to fish, hunt, and forage around. The next person to occupy the area was Dr. James Caples, who passed by the lake in 1849 on his trek to the gold country. He later returned and bought the area that is now Caples Lake to raise cattle and to set up a trading post for travelers that was around for thirty years. The way-station could only be opened up during the summer months due to its high elevation but it still served as a very important stop for 49ers, which is why the lake was named after Dr. Caples. Caples dam was originally constructed in 1922 by damming up Caples creek. The opening of nearby Kirkwood ski resort in 1972 allowed highway 88 to remain open as a winter travel route, making it easier for the resort to remain open year-round.
This 12” X 16” watercolor was painted on Arches, 140 lb, cold press paper.
Uploaded
December 18th, 2020
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