Loomis Library & Community Learning Center

09/04/2026

LOOMIS BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIEY’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Capt. E. L. Hawk

Capt. E.L. Hawk was small of stature, standing just 5 feet 3 inches, but he was a man of prominence -- military veteran, real estate investor, politician, and Placer County orchardist.

Elbridge Lafayette Hawk was born in McArthur, Ohio, in 1841. His great-grandfather was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

In April 1861, Hawk followed in his ancestor’s footsteps, enlisting in the Union Army to serve his country during time of war. He served in the 18th Ohio Volunteers, playing in the band. In 1862, his regiment reorganized and he was elected 1st Lieutenant of Co. F, 114th Ohio Infantry. Soon, he was promoted to captain. He served the duration of the Civil War, mustering out in August 1865.

After the war, Capt. Hawk moved to Garnett, Kansas, where he worked as a store clerk. Moving again, he arrived in Sacramento in 1873, seeking his fortune. He worked a three-month stint with the Pacific Ice Company. Then, he worked as a bookkeeper for a candy shop and restaurant. Next, he was a bank clerk. He made his way up in the world, establishing a real estate business in 1881.

In 1883, Captain Hawk purchased the 480-acre Orange Valley Ranch in the Allens District (now Granite Bay) in Placer County. He moved to Allens and, for several years, he devoted his time to farming. In 1896, he returned to Sacramento and the real estate business, establishing the company of Hawk and Carly.

Capt. Hawk was an active figure in local business and civic affairs. He played a conspicuous part in political activities and served a term in the State Assembly. While a legislator, he authored the Lincoln Day bill. In 1908, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention where William Howard Taft was nominated for president.

Capt. Hawk acquired extensive ranch holdings in northern California, owning property in Sacramento, Placer, Sutter, and San Joaquin counties. At the time of his death, he owned several farms in Placer County and a large ranch near Yuba City.

He died August 13, 1930, at the Old Soldiers Home in Yountville, Napa County. A director of the Home, he had gone there to attend a board meeting.

09/04/2026

Database of the Week: CultureGrams

CultureGrams from ProQuest is your source for concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on countries of the world. Also included are facts and figures, plus an insider's perspective on the history, daily life, and customs.

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

Salutations September!
What to Plant in September: Calendula, Cyclamen, Pansy, Primrose, Snapdragon, Stock.

-Fertilize fruit trees after harvest and top dress planted beds with compost.
-Compost disease-free annual and vegetable crops that have finished producing.
-Reduce irrigation times as days shorten.
-Fertilize indoor plants.
-Clear dead brush and grass away from structures for fire safety.
-Add compost to the soil for fall and winter vegetables and annuals.
-Dig, divide, and replant overgrown perennials, as they finish blooming. W**d and amend bed before replanting.
-Attend native plant sales to select plants for planting next month.
-If not purchased pre-chilled put tulip, narcissus, and hyacinth bulbs in the refrigerator for 6 Weeks prior to planting.
-Consider California native plants like Ceanothus and California goldenrod to attract pollinators, and other beneficial insects.
-Sow native bunch grass seed on bare slopes to prevent erosion.

08/28/2026

LOOMIS BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIEY’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Frederick Birdsall

Last week’s Flashback Friday on Orange Valley generated several comments and questions. Auburn area historians are well-acquainted with the name Fred Birdsall for his development of Auburn’s water supply system and his Aeolia Heights olive orchard, but they were unaware he also planted a large orange grove in Granite Bay. Granite Bay residents want to know more about the history of the orange orchards and the land they occupied.

The following brief biography on Frederick Birdsall is from the History of Placer and Nevada Counties (page 647), published in 1924. With no mention of his Orange Grove Plantation in Granite Bay, the biography makes it clear that this enterprising man left his mark on Placer County history, from the Foresthill Divide to the Loomis Basin:

Fred Birdsall was a native of New York and his wife Ether Stratton was a native of New Jersey. Fred came to California in 1851, dividing his time after his arrival between Sacramento and Placer County. He built and owned a store at Paradise in the Foresthill Divide, Placer County; and operated a reduction mill for silver at Dayton, Nevada.

Fred Birdsall’s name will ever be connected with the history of irrigation in Placer County. The old Bear River Ditch was originally built for the purpose of furnishing water for hydraulic mining. Mr. Birdsall took it over, enlarged it, and brought it down to near Loomis, for agricultural purposes, developing it into an irrigation system. This was the first large irrigation project in Placer County. He later constructed the Auburn water-supply system, building the reservoir on the hill which is still used for Auburn City’s water supply.

This enterprising pioneer also set out an olive orchard on the hillside northeast of Auburn, which is now within the city limits, seventy acres of the property in the Aeolia Heights section.

Five children were born to Fred and Esther Birdsall.

Stay tuned for more about the owners of Orange Grove Plantation next week. . .

08/28/2026

Database of the Week: ByGosh

byGosh is a free, full-text archive of a large selection of public domain literature available in one place! Use the search button at the top of the page to look for classic poems, children's classics, or adult novels like The Great Gatsby. A "Listen To This Page" audio version is available for select titles.

08/21/2026

Database of the Week!

TeachingBooks is an online database that adds a multimedia dimension to the reading experiences of children's and young adult books. The website includes thousands of resources about fiction and nonfiction books used in the K-12 environment.

Features on TeachingBooks:
-Search for a title and find resources to enhance the reading experience including author interviews, book guides, lesson plans, vocabulary lists, annotations, and related booklists
-View Meet-the-Author movies
-Find out how an author's name is pronounced
-Watch book trailers
-Check out book lists to find your next read

To use TeachingBooks through the library, please go to the Research and Learning tab on the top of the Loomis Library homepage, then scroll down to TeachingBooks on our database list.

08/21/2026

LOOMIS BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Orange Valley

The orchard industry that is so closely associated with the history of the Loomis Basin brings to mind a vision of endless vistas of deciduous fruit trees – plums, peaches, pears, cherries, nectarines, persimmons, apricots. Citrus orchards on any kind of grand scale were a less common sight beyond J.P. Whitney’s Spring Valley Ranch and his failed Placer County Citrus Colony. Yet, nearly forgotten, on the other side of the Basin was Orange Valley.

This beautiful little valley was described as situated between Secret and Miners ravines, on the old Auburn road just beyond the Fountain House, three miles from Rocklin, five miles from Roseville and six miles from Folsom. “The scenery surrounding it is perfectly grand -- large sloping hills clothed in nature’s most enchanting hue greet the eye on either side, with thousands of lowing herds which feed thereupon to gladden the hearts of the farmer.”

Orange Valley took its name in 1880 from the large number of orange trees set out at Orange Grove Plantation, a 320-acre ranch owned by Messrs. Birdsall of Sacramento, “gentlemen of wealth, enterprise and ability who, in a few years, can boast the largest and most beautiful orange plantation in the world.” They planted 25,000 trees to “waft their tender tops to the swaying breeze.”

D.B. Clark, an experienced orange horticulturalist from Los Angeles, superintended the modeling of the grounds. “The place is beautifully laid out with avenues and groves, and a large and handsome avenue will girdle the entire plantation.” Costly rabbit-proof fences surrounded the ranch, and water was supplied by two large ditches, one from the American River and the other from the Bear River. Sixty to sixty-five men were employed, earning fair wages of $30 per month.

By 1883, the Orange Valley ranch totaled 480 acres, with 150 acres in vines and several acres in fruit trees. Newton Booth, former governor and U.S. senator from California, purchased it in June. He resold it almost immediately to Captain E.L. Hawk and Owen D. Hawk. The ranch was located at present-day Cavitt Stallman and Barton roads.