The North Fork of the American River, now part of Folsom Lake, looks much different these days than it did prior to 1955. Now bulldozed, covered with rocks and gravel, flooded or otherwise forgotten were once homestead cabins, farms, vineyards, and mines. All of these required water, and the North Fork Ditch helped move water from the city of Auburn south to Beals Bar. Nowadays when Folsom Lake’s water level drops, portions of the North Fork Ditch are once again visible along the shore. We found these sections in the area of Horseshoe Bar last week.

We also stumbled across the western abutment of a former suspension bridge at the Narrows. Apparently this bridge once held a pipe that carried water across to what is now Anderson Island, to the location of the Zantgraf Mine. I don’t know much about this part of the lake, but if you’d like to read more and see some cool photos, check out this great blog post by Kevin Knauss, who has hiked extensively in the area.