Groveland, California
This foothill community, located about 140 miles northwest of San Francisco, is on the western side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The elevation is about 3,000 feet above the San Joaquin Valley fog below the winter heave snow above.
The sun shines there about 300 days a year. The summer nights are cool, winter snows are very light, and you can enjoy the snow's beauty without having to deal with it.
Pine Mountain Lake has a rural airport with an airpark around the parameter of the airport. For drivers, the roads are open year-round. Daytime temperatures average in the 60s in the winter and the 80s in the summer. It is a dry climate with very little rain during the winter months.
Within the town of Groveland, there is a gated community called Pine Mountain Lake and the Pine Mountain Lake Airport. The airport is managed and owned by the County of Tuolumne is a public-use airport. In addition to the airport, the Pine Mountain Lake gated community has a lake, golf course, tennis courts, and horse stables for its members.
When coming from the San Francisco area, Highway 120 is the most convenient road to Groveland and is just 23 miles west of the entrance to Yosemite National Park.
The original settlers, the Miwok Indian, found abundance in the fertile valley near where our town of Groveland now stands. They lived in Groveland for nearly 6,000 years.
In 1849, this all changed with the discovery of gold. Like many of the gold rush towns in California, it was the gold that promoted settlement of the area by those who were not Miwoks.
Originally named Garrote, the miners first came to this area after gold was discovered in 1848 by James Savage. The town was named Savage's Diggings. However, it was renamed back to Groveland in 1849.
The Iron Door Salon is the oldest operating salon in California. The story goes that the bar was open even day during prohibition. The Feds had to come from Fresno to close it down. When the Feds left town, it reopened. The Feds got tired of this and just left them alone. Groveland had the only continuously operating bar during the 1920 prohibition days.
Garden Club Jail - Goveland, CA
The Groveland Jail is a historic jail located in Groveland, California, USA. It was built in 1915 and served as the town's jail until 1964. The jail is a small, two-story building made of concrete and stone, with iron bars on the windows.
The jail was originally used to house local criminals and those passing through the town who needed to be detained. It was also used as a holding cell for prisoners who were awaiting transfer to larger jails in nearby cities.
Today, the Groveland Jail is a popular tourist attraction and a historic landmark. The jail is no longer used as a functioning jail and has been preserved as a museum.