Shaving Lake is not well known in leisure circles. There is no flash, crowds, traffic jams, cinemas, showrooms and casinos of Lake Tahoe, but it is infinitely more peaceful and serene, with particular beauty and character. So why is it not known - why is it such a stubborn secret? One can only assume that this is because when people think of the California mountains on vacation, they think of Lake Tahoe, with its enormous resources for recreation, or Yosemite, which receives a huge amount of advertising, but is also crowded with visitors. Is Shaving Lake in the shadow of Tahoe and Yosemite? May be. Or is it because Lake Baver offers a much lower vacation, at a slower pace, and people just haven't opened it yet? It is hard to say - many Californians do not even know where it is.
Where exactly is Shaving Lake? It is in the mountains of Central Sierra Nevada, one hour east of Fresno, two hours south of Yosemite, and surrounded by seven lakes. It is about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles at an altitude of 5,500 feet above sea level. At this altitude, it has an average daytime temperature of 75 degrees in the summer, even when it is over a hundred degrees in the San Joaquin Valley below, and in the winter it is cold enough to get enough snow to make it a winter wonderland. The permanent residents have several hundred. except for the 50,000 people who inhabit the Tahoe Basin.
Imagine a place where you can relax, rejuvenate and recharge your mind and body. Imagine an impressive mountain lake where you can go swimming, boating, fishing or picnic on a pontoon boat in an uncrowded setting. Look at yourself and your family on the deck of a beautiful cabin, enjoying the smell of pine forest, birds singing and the cool wind gently caressing the trees. If you have a vacation in central California, you might consider spending your next vacation on Lake Razor, staying at ShaverHaven and discover this secret secret.
“City” Bayver Lake is a quaint village with several restaurants, bakeries, souvenir shops, DVD rental, a store of stores, an auto parts store, sporting goods stores and accessories for skiing, grocery stores, a post office and even an internet cafe .
The lake is stocked with trout and has a reputation for excellent fishing. If stream fishing is your wish, there are several streams around the lake. Boating is very popular among the many types of ships available, such as the previously mentioned pontoon boats, wave guides, kayaks, fishing boats and inflatable toys for towing behind the boat. And the area has some exciting hikes from the easy, level, walks in the woods to the challenging ascent of granite rocks. Pedestrian guides are available with 35 hikes, described in great detail.
There are many photographs for photographers - bright meadows full of wildflowers, replete with numerous granite peaks and valleys.
The Chinese mountain resort is only 30 minutes away by 7 chair lifts. The summit is located at a height of 8,709 feet with a vertical drop of 1,679 feet to the base house at a height of 7,030 feet. Lift tickets are significantly less than in the Tahoe area, and small discounts are available.
Razor Lake owes its existence to the characters and events that shaped the landscape and the local economy. The region is rich in history, from the construction of the Big Creek Hydroelectric Power Plant to the ranches and logging of cattle that existed in the early 1900s. At that time, the Big Creek project was considered the largest construction project in the world. This created Huntington, Florence and Lake Razor. There are many stories about the characters and visions that have made Lake Shaving what it is today. Three of these people are John S. Eastwood, CB Razor and John Harshman.
In the late 1800s, John Eastwood was hired as a surveyor to help linker CB Shaver in his sawmills. The razor built a stone dam to create a mill, but it was rather small compared to what would become Biver Lake. It was located about a quarter of a mile to the east and upstream from where the dam is now located.
Eastwood loved mountains and forests. It was said that he could lay his hand on a tree in the dark and say what kind of tree it was. As John spent more and more time in the mountains, he developed the idea of a system of lakes, tunnels and power stations to create hydropower for transmission to the Los Angeles area for their tram system. It was long before the roads were built and, of course, before the helicopters were invented; he explored this vast region on foot and on horseback. Thus, the development of the region began in one of the most pristine holidays in California, as well as in the place of a colossal hydropower system. They not only built dams, but also roads and railways to support the Project. A labyrinth of tunnels through solid granite mountains was built by hard rockans to transport water from the lake to the lake and the power station to the power station. This water was named “The Most Difficult Working Water in the World”.
The construction of the first dam, which was supposed to create Lake Huntington, was begun in 1911. The dam was completed, like the first power station, in 1913, and the production and transmission of electricity at 150,000 volts, 243 miles to Los Angeles, began. It was a long extension cord! The Florentine Dam was at a higher level and was completed in 1926.
In subsequent years, a series of events led to the creation of Lake Razor and would have embraced the Shaver mill. CB Shaver died in 1907, the mill was sold to other logging interests, and after a certain blizzard destroyed part of the operation, the mill was closed forever.
At the same time, Southern California Edison, an energy company that owned lakes and power plants, acquired the Shaver property in 1917. Edison realized that Florence and Huntington Lakes cannot contain snow cover - they need more storage capacity. Here is the construction of a razor dam. Construction began in 1926 and was completed two years later. Alas, the old shaving sawmill was immersed in a lake and lies under water to this day.
The demand for electricity in the Los Angeles area after World War II was insatiable as the population exploded. Edison developed plans to expand the system, and in the 1950s four more dams were built to create David H. Redinger Lake in the foothills and reservoirs of Edison, Corta, and Whiston, which were installed in a high country. In fact, Courtright and Wishon are not officially part of the Big Creek project, but they are clean and add to the power of generating capacity and leisure facilities in the area. All of them were built to generate hydropower.
David Redinger began working as a surveyor for a project in 1912 (he was supposed to work for one or two years, and he would move on), but he was soon appointed resident engineer for the project and held this position until his retirement in 1949 year Fortunately, David and Edith Redinger were on hand to dedicate Redinger Lake.
In 1960, the reservoir system of the Mammoth Basin was created by building another dam and an associated power station. In 1987, the John S. Eastwood Power Station was completed in an underground room, hollowed out of solid granite near the shore of Lake Baver, as well as the associated tunnels, also dug through solid granite.
In total, six large reservoirs were created, 27 dams were built (Huntington has three), and water in only one river, the San Joaquin, passes through 24 generating units in 9 power plants. Electricity supplies electricity to 4.3 million customers in 800 cities. It was a BIG project. In addition, flood control and water distribution for farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are extremely important. From vacationers that recreational facilities were incredible and contributed to millions of visitors over the years.
Around the time the razor dam was completed, in 1928 John Harshman arrived at Lake Baver from Ohio to fish. Since the fishing was pretty good, he decided to stay. But more than a fisherman, he was quite a pioneer and entrepreneur and started several businesses, all in one small building called the Trading Post. Sometimes he had a grocery store, a restaurant, a soda fountain, a meat market, a post office and a gas station. The trading post is still a restaurant and bar and is a favorite of both locals and holidaymakers.
John and his wife Velma greeted a large property on the lakeshore about 2 miles from Lake Baver in the city center. He was known as Johnny at Point. True to form, John founded a restaurant, bar, gas station, grocery store, rental cabins, boat dock and boat rental. It was the first marina on Lake Razor. John built a floating dock, setting logs on top of 55 gallons. It was a large party barge and was tied to the bottom so that it remained in place. Water skiers fly away and spend time chatting. Soon the second barge appeared, and then on the pontoons. There was a boat for a pontoon party. Currently, there are dozens of pontoon boats on the lake on the lake - some are private, but most of them are leased by two berths on the lake. They range in size from a 16-foot base 4-passenger boat with a 20 hp engine. up to 12 luxury passengers on 24 feet, 50 hp engine, soft seats, towing and a gas barbecue on board.
Logging and dam construction were very large commercial enterprises in the area and for many years distributed large sums of money to the local economy. The work of logging and stockbreeding will be discussed in upcoming articles, but for now we see how the three pioneers Eastwood, Razor and Harshman played an important role in shaping the character and culture of this area. Today, we can take advantage of our vision and hard work, as we do a lot of outdoor activities.
So the secret is revealed. In Shaver Lake there is something for everyone, be it in summer or winter. Out of season - May, June, September and October - offer their own special attractions, such as wildflowers and waterfalls in spring, bright colors in autumn, without crowds and extremely peaceful surroundings. Holidaymakers who take advantage of the lake Razor recreation opportunities will not be disappointed at any time of the year.
