The USS PUGET SOUND in Hong Kong and THE CHINA MIRAGE

This is not the first time I've reposted this image or the information with it, but this is the first time I've been able to say something that makes me smile this much. This photo has been used on the book jacket of best-selling author James Bradley's new book The China Mirage. Today my father had the honor of meeting Mr. Bradley and getting his book signed at a fascinating speaking engagement. I think my dad and I are going to be fighting over who gets to read the book first.

Mr. Bradley clearly connected the dots of so many things I found confusing in history about the US and China when I was growing up. The misperception we have been taught about China and where it came from made me think of the same craziness that is going on today. We're just as gullible today listening to politicians and much of the media. In some respects it feels a little hopeless, but where there's logic I think freedom follows.

Anyway, this was one of those days that I'll always remember my dad's smile. And when we left the event I said to my dad, "That was so very cool!" My dad responded with, "Yes, that was very very cool." I don't think I've ever heard my dad say "cool" before.
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This is a reposting of an image and information originally posted November 22, 2010. You can click on the link to go back and read some of the comments from people who remember the carrier.

My reason for reposting this is because of information that has been provided to me about what finally became of the USS Puget Sound. You can read it at the end of this post as an update. Thank you Gavin Cheng for contacting me!
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Here's something a little different. This is from my father's collection of photos taken when he was in Hong Kong following the end of World War II.

Click on image to see it larger.

This is the USS Puget Sound(CVE 113) at anchor in Hong Kong harbor, December 1945.

USS Puget Sound (CVE-113)

Builder: Todd Pacific Shipyards
Laid down: 12 May 1944
Launched: 20 September 1944
Commissioned: 18 June 1945
Decommissioned: 18 October 1946
Reclassified: Helicopter Carrier, CVHE-113 on 12 June 1955, Cargo Ship and Aircraft Ferry, AKV-13
Struck: 1 June 1960
Fate: Sold 10 January 1962, and scrapped in Hong Kong 1962

General Characteristics
Class and type: Commencement Bay-class escort carrier
Displacement: 10,900 long tons (11,100 t), 24,100 long tons (24,500 t) full load
Length: 557 ft (170 m)
Beam: 75 ft (23 m)
Draft: 32 ft (9.8 m)
Propulsion: 2-shaft Allis-Chambers geared turbines, 16,000 shp
Speed: 19 knots (22 mph; 35 km/h)
Complement: 1,066
Armament: 2 × 5 in (130 mm) guns (2×1), 36 × 40 mm AA guns
Aircraft carried: 34

Service Record
Part of: US Pacific Fleet (1945-1946), Pacific Reserve Fleet (1946-1960)
Operations: Operation Magic Carpet

USS Puget Sound (CVE–113) was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier of the United States Navy.

She was laid down on 12 May 1944 at Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, Washington; launched on 20 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Bert A. Teats of Sheridan, Oreg.; and commissioned on 18 June 1945 at Tacoma, Captain Charles F. Coe in command.

Service History
After trials and fitting out in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound steamed south on 6 July 1945 for shakedown out of San Diego, Calif., where she embarked Marine Air Group 6. She departed San Diego on 8 September for brief training in the Hawaiian Islands before proceeding to support the occupation of Japan.

Puget Sound entered Tokyo Bay on 14 October 1945. Her aircraft joined in the show of strength and conducted antimine patrols in support of the landings of the 10th Army at Matsuyama and Nagoya. Thence tactical training took her to the Philippines, Hong Kong, and the Marianas. Loading surplus aircraft in Apra Harbor, Guam, she put to sea on 6 January 1946 en route to Pearl Harbor, where she offloaded the surplus aircraft. At San Diego on 23 January, Marine Air Group 6 was detached and Puget Sound prepared to serve as a "Magic Carpet" home for Pacific war veterans.

From February-May 1946, Puget Sound made two "Magic Carpet" runs between San Diego and Pearl Harbor and one between Alameda, California and Okinawa, transporting 1,200 troops and surplus aircraft.

She steamed north on 24 May 1946 to prepare for inactivation, entering Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 1 June. Decommissioning there on 18 October, she entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Tacoma. Her hull classification and number were changed to CVHE–113, effective 12 June 1955, and then to AKV–13, cargo ship and aircraft ferry. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1960, she was sold for scrap on 10 January 1962 to Nicholai Joffee Corp. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

As to the boat in the foreground, that is a Chinese Junk:

A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages. They were found, and in lesser numbers are still found, throughout South-East Asia and India, but primarily in China, perhaps most famously in Hong Kong. Found more broadly today is a growing number of modern recreational junk-rigged sailboats. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

To read more about the history of the Chinese Junk click here.

UPDATE:  from Gavin Cheng

I found out about this ship interviewing my Uncle, who took delivery of the USS Puget Sound and USS Cyprus in San Diego in the 60's in order to take them back (strangely enough) to Hong Kong, where our family business included salvage and processing. Absolutely every part of the ship was made use of, the steel was used to form rebars which were used in the rebuilding and expansion of Hong Kong.

My Uncle, and engineering major at UC Berkley, was tasked with figuring out how to convert the aircraft launchers into an aluminum extrusion presses after his father noticed the similarities in design.

The family company, Chiap Hua, was involved in all manner of industry pre and post war. As a company philosophy they limited all military supply production to defensive and community based product such as helmets, water canteens etc.

Despite this, the founding brothers received word that the Japanese command planned to incarcerate them due to their having "aided the British", resulting in a flight by foot from Hong Kong all the way back to Chiu Chau in China where they stayed until the end of the war.

As the war was wrapping up, they returned to Hong Kong, re-instated the factories, and joined efforts to rebuild the city. At that time the Hong Kong harbour was unusable for commerce due to the massive number of bombed and sunken ships. Seeing an opportunity, my grandfather and grand uncles were able to secure a contract with the government to clear the harbour. They were paid by the ship, and the government provided free storage for the wrecks.

Under maritime law, the salvage belonged to them. As the company completed the harbour clearing, Hong Kong was able to be opened as a shipping port again, but there was a steel shortage. Steel was previously supplied by Japan, which was in desolation. Chiap Hua began converting the steel in the ships to rebars, crucial to the rebuilding of Hong Kong. My Uncle recalls trucks lined up with fists of cash buying the rebars as soon as they rolled out of the factory.

The interesting cycle is that after being driven out by the Japanese occupation, they were able to not only clear the harbour for commerce, but used the materials from the ships to rebuild the city.

The image of the USS Puget Sound was taken at almost the same time this was taking place, so it is interesting that in the fullness of time it found its way back to Hong Kong.

HUNGRY HORSE DAM under construction

Looking for an image for this weeks Sepia Saturday had me thinking I’d have nothing. I don’t have any vintage photos of caves unless I drag out some old Viewmaster slides of Carlsbad Caverns. That was tempting until I remembered this photo. Now is the perfect time to post this vintage snapshot.


Click on image to see it larger.

Looks like nothing more than an old car on a snowy mountain road, but then the title had me searching for something more.

This image shows the Hungry Horse Dam under construction in Montana. I'm guessing it was a Christmas card for the workers to send back home.


Click on image to see it larger.

Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. state of Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest, in Flathead County, about 15 miles (24 km) south of the west entrance to Glacier National Park, 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Columbia Falls, and 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Kalispell. The Hungry Horse project, dam, and powerplant are operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation.

At 564 feet (172 m) in height, the dam was the third largest dam, and second highest concrete dam, in the world at the time of its completion in 1953, with a volume of 3,100,000 cubic yards (2,400,000 m3). The dam's spillway is the highest morning glory structure in the world. The spillway is controlled by a 64-by-12-foot (20 by 3.7 m) ring gate.

Construction of Hungry Horse Dam was authorized by the Act of June 5, 1944 (58 Stat. 270, Public Law 78-329). Construction began in April 1948 and was completed on July 16, 1953. The purpose of the Hungry Horse Project, authorized by law, are irrigation, flood control, navigation, streamflow regulation, hydroelectric generation, and other beneficial uses such as recreation. However, no irrigation facilities were built and the project has no irrigation obligations. Hydroelectric power generation is the primary purpose of the dam today. Flood control is the dam's other main purpose. The dam, reservoir, and surrounding area are used for recreation. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Click on image to see it larger.

So how did the place get the name Hungry Horse?

The severe 1900-01 winter left two freight horses lost and starved in the rugged Flathead River wilderness. Found a month later, their owners nursed them back to health. "Hungry Horse" became the name of a nearby mountain and creek and, later, this Reclamation project.

The first permanent settlers entered the Flathead Valley in 1860. As the Flathead Valley grew in the new century, so did the belief that a new dam could reduce flooding and harness the river's force to produce electricity. Montana citizens worked for 30 years toward bringing this belief to life. Federal agencies surveyed lands and began efforts toward Congressional approval to build a large water project. (SOURCE: US Bureau of Reclamation)

To read more about the history of the area click here.

And this is what the dam looks like today.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Rice field in Waikiki

I actually have no idea where this photo was taken in Hawaii, but when shown to my father he said he remembers areas of Waikiki looking like this when he visited in 1945. No matter where it was actually shot, it's the Hawaii of long ago.


Click on image to see it larger.

On the far right there appears to possibly be railroad tracks with a car. Could this be part of the old Oahu Railway and Land Company?

This Company is now running trains to Waianae, 33% miles from Honolulu, the new Extension of fifteen miles beyond Ewa Plantation having been completed July 1, 1895. The equipment of the road is first-class in every particular. Excursion rates are maintained from Saturday morning till Monday of each week. A first-class hotel is in course of erection at Waianae, and will afford unequalled bathing facilities. A delightful ride through varied and unsurpassed scenery, a day of rest and pleasure at Waianae, make an excursion on the Oahu Railway one of the most attractive features of the Islands, not only to tourists, but to residents of Honolulu as well.

Pearl City, located on the famous Pearl Harbor, the proposed naval and coaling station of the United States, has been, laid out in streets, provided with a complete system of water works, picnic grounds, dancing pavilion, boat houses, etc. Over $100,000 in lots have been sold to 150 different purchasers, and a number of residences erected; a few very desirable lots may yet be had on very reasonable terms.

With a perfect climate and the pure air from mountain and sea, no other spot on earth can equal this as a health resort. Dr. P. S. Kellogg, of Battle Creek, Mich., says of this locality in a recent letter: "When we had reached a height of 1,000 feet, we could observe a marked difference in the atmosphere; so cool, pure and bracing was it that we were impressed with the thought that here, removed from the con-laminating influences of unsanitary surroundings, was an ideal spot for the invalid to find rest for body and mind." (SOURCE: History of Later Years of the Hawaiian Monarchy)

This is the last image I have from this series. I can only hope to someday find more.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Nuʻuanu Pali

One of my fondest memories of going over the Nu'uanu Pali was stopping at the banana stand at the bottom. It was thick with banana groves and the best tasting bananas I've ever had. Sweet small apple bananas. We'd buy several bunches and they'd never make it home.


Click on image to see it larger.

On the other hand, my father has memories of riding in a bus over the Pali in the 1940s. He said it was a hair raising experience.

The Nuʻuanu Pali has been a vital pass from ancient times to the present because it is a low, traversable section of the Koʻolau mountain range that connects the leeward side of the mountains, Honolulu to the windward side, Kailua and Kāneʻohe. The route drew settlers who formed villages in the area and populated Nuʻuanu Valley for a thousand years.

The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuʻuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I sailed from his home island of Hawaiʻi with an army of 10,000 warriors, including a handful of non-Hawaiian foreigners. After conquering the islands of Maui and Molokaʻi, he moved on to Oʻahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nuʻuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oʻahu, led by Kalanikūpule, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. More than 400 of Kalanikūpule's soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below.

In 1845 the first road was built over the Nuʻuanu Pali to connect Windward Oʻahu with Honolulu. In 1898 this road was developed into a highway which during construction 800 skulls were found believed to be the remains of the warriors that fell to their deaths from the cliff above.[5] This road was later replaced by the Pali Highway and the Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnels in 1959 which is the route used today.

The now extinct bird, the Oʻahu nukupuʻu, was last collected in this valley. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930S: The Kodak Hula Show

Anyone who visited Oahu, Hawaii, between 1937 and 2002 had the chance each day to visit a free and wonderful hula show in Kapiolani Park. Between 1937 and 1999 it was sponsored by Kodak, and for good reason. It was a beautifully colorful show with the palm trees and the Pacific Ocean as it's backdrop. I have slides and an old 8mm film my dad shot.

Kodak pulled out their sponsorship in 1999. The Hogan Family Foundation took over and kept it going until 2002. I haven't been able to find anything definitive to say if the show has been resumed. It's a shame to think it's gone.

Below is a shot taken in the 1930s. I wish I could identify the performers. Perhaps, someday, someone will spot this and step forward to say, "That's my tutu (grandmother) dancing!" That would be nice.


Click on image to see it larger.

You can see other vintage Hawaiian snapshots from this series by clicking on "Hawaii" in the labels below.

SISTER WIVES and the horse

As soon as my best friend saw this vintage snapshot she said, "Sister wives!" I think she's right. This image is calling out for a short story. Should you write one send me a copy to post. There's more going on here than what we see.

Click on image to see the whole gang bigger.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday this week.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: The Moana Hotel

The third image from the vintage snapshots of Hawaii I recently found, the Moana Hotel. I find it fascinating how empty it appears. One lone person standing in front of it. No cars. No tourists. No life. A grand building with nothing particularly grand going on.


Click on image to see it larger.

Today the large park like lawn is gone, replaced by busy Kalakaua Avenue. Try to imagine a hotel like this being built today. Instead of spreading out they all go up and up and...look down on the hotels from long ago. Click here to see an old image of the beach side.

The Moana Hotel, also known as the First Lady of Waikīkī, is a famous historic hotel on the island of Oʻahu, located at 2365 Kalākaua Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is today one of three buildings that make up the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa. Built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki, the Moana opened its doors to guests in 1901, becoming the first large hotel in Waikīkī. The Moana Hotel is regarded as the flagship in Hawaiʻi tourism, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In Hawaiian, moana means "open sea" or "ocean."

The wealthy Honolulu landowner, Walter Chamberlain Peacock, in an effort to establish a fine resort in the previously neglected Waikiki area of Honolulu, incorporated the Moana Hotel Company in 1896. Working with a design by architect Oliver G. Traphagen and $150,000 in capital, The Lucas Brothers contractors completed the structure in 1901. Construction of The Moana marked the beginning of tourism in Waikiki, becoming the first hotel amidst the bungalows and beach houses.

The Moana's architecture was influenced by European styles popular at the time, with Ionic columns and intricate woodwork and plaster detailing throughout the building. The Moana was designed with a grand porte cochere on the street side and wide lānais on the ocean side. Some of the 75 guest rooms had telephones and bathrooms (unusual at the time), and the hotel featured a billiard room, saloon, main parlor, reception area, and library. Peacock installed the first electric-powered elevator in the islands at the Moana, which is still in use today.

Design features of the original structure that survive to this day include extra-wide hallways (to accommodate steamer trunks), high ceilings, and cross-ventilation windows (to cool the rooms prior to air conditioning).

The Moana officially opened on March 11, 1901. Its first guests were a group of Shriners, who paid $1.50 per night for their rooms. Peacock did not find success with his endeavor, and sold the hotel to Alexander Young, a prominent businessman with other hotel holdings. The Young estate operated the hotel until the Matson Navigation Company bought the property in 1932 for $1.6 million.

Over the course of Matson's ownership of the Moana, it grew along with the popularity of Hawaiian tourism. Two floors were added in 1928 along with Italian Renaissance-styled concrete wings on each side of the hotel, creating its H shape seen today.

The hotel's outward appearance was altered slightly over the years, including "updates" to such designs as Art Deco in the 30's and Bauhaus in the 50's.

From 1935 to 1975, the Moana's courtyard hosted the Hawaii Calls live radio broadcast. Legend has it that listeners mistook the hiss of the radio transmission as the waves breaking on the beach. When learning of this, the host instructed the soundman to run down to the waterfront to actually record the sound, which became a staple of the show. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Waikiki Beach

Another image from 1930s Hawaii.


Click on image to see it larger.

All of the image is wonderful, but the Mainlanders on the beach at Waikiki in their street clothes are priceless. It would still be years before male tourists would be spotted in Aloha shirts, saggy butt shorts, black socks, and wing tips.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Aloha Tower

A few months ago I had a moment in an antique store where my eyes bugged out and I held my breath. I'd found vintage snapshots of Hawaii in the 1930s. Oh heart be still. A few minutes passed before I realized they were actually commercially produced shots that were probably sold at the Moana Hotel and the Royal Hawaiian in the 1930s to tourists who visited the islands via the Matson Lines. Perhaps they were even sold aboard the ships in the gift shop.

Each image is numbered and I have no idea how many were in the set. I imagine there are still quite a few old photo albums that contain sets of these from grands and great-grands that visited the exotic isles of Hawaii long ago. How nice it would be to find a complete set.

We'll start off with the Aloha Tower which was where you docked when you first arrived on Oahu.

The Aloha Tower is a lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926 at a then astronomical cost of $160,000, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. It has and continues to be a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to the City and County of Honolulu. Just as the Statue of Liberty greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet (56 m) of height topped with 40 feet (12 m) of flag mast, for four decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It was built in the Hawaiian Gothic architectural style. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Fond memories of that tower and the Matson Liners coming and going. I've talked about this in the past.

Click on image to see it larger.

HOW FAR WOULD YOU DRIVE for this photo?

I ask you that in all seriousness. How far would you drive for this photo? A quarter mile? Mile and a half? Six miles? I did at least over thirty. That's two round trips to an antique store.

I must have been out of my mind.

Actually, there's a simple explanation. I found this in a bin and grabbed it because it made me laugh. It's very small and seriously, who else would buy it but me? I knew it would never find a home. I mean, even I threw it back in a few times before reeling it in again. Fifty cents. It was marked fifty cents. Even I knew it was overpriced, but I've yet to find anybody selling photos, no matter how small, for a penny.

And so I went to the clerk to pay and walked back to the car excited to get my finds home and on the scanner. But then "oh no!" The tiny scrap was not in the bag that I dumped upon my desk. It was missing. I'd paid fifty cents and I didn't get it. You have no idea how cheap I am, but fifty cents is fifty cents. I once passed up a parking lot in England at a small nice hotel because they wanted 6p. Mind you that 6p was to be split three ways. "NO," I said. "I shan't pay it!"

So now I had to call the store and tell them I didn't receive my ridiculous little piece of brightly colored paper that I'd paid fifty cents for. The man on the other end of the line seemed somewhat confused as I tried to explain what he was to look for. I mean, it's tiny; it could easily get stuck to someone's shoe and be traipsed through the entire store with no one being the wiser. With a bit of searching he said he'd found it. I told him to hold it under my name and I'd be back on the weekend for it.

So off I go on a Sunday, a day I normally avoid antique stores, to get my tiny badly tinted photo. I go to the clerk and say my name along with, "I'm here to pick up a photo I bought the other day which wasn't put in my bag." The woman looked around and finally came up with the photo and a post card. I said, "Yes, that's it, but the post card isn't mine." This seemed to make her sad. Apparently someone else did not get all they'd purchased, but I'm guessing they never called in to claim it. They probably had enough sense to know it wasn't worth the fuel to drive back and get it. But ah ha!!! This is where I was the wiser. I drive a hybrid! So I had driven to the store very slowly, attempting to make sure I drove on electric most of the way. So my actual cost of fuel was...okay, probably over fifty cents. But then just think, if I hadn't retrieved it you would have never had this wonderful moment of feeling superior to me.

And oh, by the way, my second trip back cost me a lot more than fifty cents by the time I was through browsing again.

CREEPING GREEN!

Some people just didn't quite finesse the art of hand tinting photos. Slap the colors on with a roller instead of a fine brush. But it's an original. There isn't another one exactly like it anywhere...and I think we're probably all grateful for that.

Click anywhere in the green to see this larger.

Leave Your HAT ON

I have no information about this tattered photo, but I can make up a lot of stories.


Click on image to see it larger.

Obviously this wasn't taken during colonial times so we can perhaps surmise this lady was dressed up for a play during the past century and someone decided to take her photo and then tart her up a bit. Now, whether or not they intentionally made her look like she'd been drinking from a jug of cheap wine I don't know.

Sepia Saturday for this week is of a very nice looking lady, a real lady, adorned in her finery. Mine looks a bit like her finery has seen better days. Actress or working girl? We'll never know.

LITTLE HOUSES are making a comeback, but...

Click on image to see it larger.

I don't hold much hope for the horse and buggy.

The LITTLE HOUSE in the TINY FOREST

Click on image to see it larger.

"Are you comin' in for supper? 

Or are you goin' to stay outside all night playin' with 

that dang camera?"

Kelly & Davis, LICENSED EMBALMERS

In some professions you have to hit the pavement and hunt for work because you never know where the next client/customer will be. In the case of this fellow, he only need stand at the front door and wait. If you build it they will come. They have no choice.

Click on image to see it larger.

Apparently standing at the door wasn't enough to drum up business for Kelly & Davis in Pontiac, Michigan. They signed on as a business providing a hymn book, Praises by E. O. Excell, to the First Congregational Church of Pontiac. There they are, on the first page, followed by the lovely title page. Their ad appears towards the back of the book.

Funeral Directors. It's a category. I have a feeling this will be the only one in my collection.

WAR baby

Offhand I can't think of any images that I own that would be similar to the Sepia Saturday prompt this week. I have to go with the backstory of the image, which is war.

I have no idea when this vintage snapshot was taken, but I can imagine it being during World War II when a young mother wanted desperately for her family to once again be together.

AMERICAN GOTHIC meets the Butler Family

American Gothic is such an iconic image. It's been used over and over again as a jumping off point for artists, advertisers, comedians, you name it. Even I once did a knock off showing a man and his dog.

Once in a while when sorting through old snapshots I find something that makes me think of the iconic image. There's just something in the photo that captures a bit of one interpretation of the painting; usually the oddness of it. Such is the case of this photo of the Butler family. It struck me as soon as I saw it, but once home and scanned I was surprised to see the resemblance to Grant Wood.

Think of this as just a study for the painting; the idea not yet fully fleshed out.

I give you the Butler family.

Mother Butler


Father Butler


Daughter Butler...

a Grant Wood lookalike?

Click on image to see it larger.

There is just something wonderfully odd about this family "portrait."

Take the FERRY ACROSS CLEAR LAKE in 1909

Clear Lake is in Northern California, the county just north of Napa County. This vintage snapshot dates from 1909 when apparently there was a ferry running on the lake. I don't know of any ferries running there now.






Click on any image to see it larger.

Clear Lake is a natural freshwater lake in Lake County, California and is fed by runoff flowing into many streams as well as springs in Soda Bay. Its sole outlet is Cache Creek.

Clear Lake is believed to be one of the oldest lakes in North America, due to a geological fluke. The lake sits on a huge block of stone which slowly tilts in the northern direction at the same rate as the lake fills in with sediment, thus keeping the water at roughly the same depth. Core samples of the lake's sediments, taken by U.S. Geological Survey geologists in 1973 and 1980, indicate that the lake is at least 480,000 years old. Some experts feel that Mono Lake, to the east of the Sierra Nevada in California, is older than Clear Lake. However, the sedimentary history of Clear Lake is unbroken, while Mono Lake's sediments have been disturbed by past eruptions of the Long Valley Caldera and associated volcanoes.

The geology of Clear Lake is chaotic, with numerous small faults being present in the south end of the lake as well as many old volcanoes, the largest being Mount Konocti, sitting at the middle of the lake's south shore. 

Area: 69.5 sq miles (180 km²)

Surface elevation: 1,329' (405 m)

Length: 19.01 miles (30.6 km)

Fish: Largemouth bass, Channel catfish, Brown bullhead, Lavinia exilicauda, Ictalurus catus

Islands: Rattlesnake Island, Weekend Island, Fruit Island, Garner Island, Tule Island, Slater Island, Indian Island, Anderson Island

Cities: Lakeport, Clearlake, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Nice (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

When I think of Clear Lake I think of hot summer days. Very hot summer days.

To read about a tragedy against the Pomo people that occurred at Clear Lake on May 15, 1850 click here.

NOT a Theater Troupe. They are a...

group of family members here for a visit?

friends who stopped over to say hello?

No. They're "A bunch from Seattle."


Click on image to see them better.