Almost everyone I talk to asks, “What will you do when you retire?” Thanks for asking, and I already answered that in What Will You Do Now, and a Mayor's Accomplishments and Regrets, November 5, 2022. When I cease being mayor on January 10, 2023, I will get about 20-30 hours a week back in my life to do whatever I want to.

One of those “whatever I want to” includes spending more time in and exploring the “Lost Sierra,” or what I call the “Un-Tahoe,” an obscure and thinly populated region in the California Sierra Gold Country along and northeast of the east end of Highway 49 that includes the Lakes Basin and historical towns of Graeagle, Downieville, Blairsden, Portola, Quincy, Loyalton, Sierraville, and other Gold Rush settlements in Sierra and Plumas counties that endure as mostly sleepy villages and summer resorts. Over the years, we have camped in and hiked the area, and I have made several sketches of old Gold Rush era buildings.

This year, on a whim, our family purchased a historic building in Sierra City, a former school that was built in either 1868 or 1883, depending on the information source. It served as the Sierra City public school until 1954, then it became a building supply store and later a private home where the previous owner was raised. Fifteen years ago, the seller’s parents died, and it became an art gallery and a short-term rental for a while. In recent years, it was substantially rehabilitated but remained mostly unoccupied.

Figure 1 - Sketch of 203 Main Street and Sorracco’s Saloon, reputedly the oldest building in Sierra City, dating from 1850

Figure 2 - Sketch of the Busch-Heringlake (Wells Fargo Express) Building builkt in 1871
We were intrigued by the unusual configuration of the Old Schoolhouse that included a largely intact portion of the original schoolroom even with blackboards and schoolbooks still on the shelves dating back to the 1930s but also a complete two-bedroom apartment at the other end. You could easily pile several families into it for a vacation and have room to spare. One intriguing aspect of the design are exterior corridors and doors on both sides of the building. We were told that the boys had the enter from one side and the girls from the other.

Figure 3 - The main room is the former schoolroom

Figure 4 - The Old Sierra City Schoolhouse in 2022. At some time after 1952, the middle window was replaced by a sliding barn door, probably to facilitate its use as a building supply store, and the door on the right was removed.

Figure 5 - The Old Schoolhouse from Highway 49

Figure 6 - In 1952, an avalanche smashed the front wall of the school

Figure 7 - The Sierra City School back in the day (photo is undated but probably early 20th Century)

Figure 8 - Note that the middle twin windows have been replaced by triple windows. This may be a reconstruction after the 1952 avalanche damage.

Figure 9 - Interior of Sierra City School (undated)
Sierra City is an unincorporated town in Sierra County with a 2020 Census population of 84. There are more houses than people in Sierra City because most are used only as vacation homes. The entire population of Sierra County is only 3,283. About 1,500 people countywide voted in the 2022 election, and county supervisors are elected with about 150 to 200 votes.

In the winter, Sierra City is pretty much deserted. There is one café, the Red Moose, open four days a week for breakfast and lunch, and one saloon, Sirrocco’s, open four evenings a week. There is also a Country Store that it hardly ever open. You can walk down the middle of Main Street (Highway 49) without worrying about getting hit by a vehicle. There are several “resorts” with cabin rentals.

The building housing the Red Moose and the café is for sale for $550,000, and includes 2 rental rooms (in high demand from Pacific Coast Trail hikers) and a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment. The building housing Sirrocco’s Saloon is for sale for $895,000 and includes 8 bedrooms and 2 baths. It has some pretty nice interiors.

Figure 10 - The Red Moose Café

Figure 11 - Shirley and granddaughter Gigi

Figure 12 - 224 Main Street for sale for $550,000

Figure 13 - 203 Main Street for sale for $895,000

Figure 14 - Champagne at 51st anniversary at Sirrocco's Saloon
In the summer, life in Sierra City picks up considerably. The Sierra Pines Resort opens its restaurant, and people start filling up vacation homes and an RV park in the middle of town. Swimming and fishing in the North Yuba River are popular. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses Highway 49 on the edge of town, and Sierra City is a popular place for hikers to reprovision and check their email.

Figure 15 - Shirley and Gigi on Main Street (Highway 49)
The real draw, however, is the outdoors. The Sierra Buttes loom just above Sierra City, and dozens of lakes and hiking trails are only minutes away.

Figure 16 - Sierra Buttes

Figure 17 - Pacific Crest Trail where it crosses the North Yuba River

Figure 18 - Sardine Lake, a 5-mile round trip hike through the snow from Highway 49

Figure 19 - The trail to Sierra Buttes Lookout

Figure 20 - The road to Sardine lake closed for the season