Jamesburg Hilton and Cachagua Ritz Carlton...

July 17, 2008 about 10:45 am...

If there were a Jamesburg Hilton and a Cachagua Cachagua Ritz Carlton, there, in the luxurious rooms, upon the exquisite though utilitarian desk, you would probably find "The Visitor's Guide to Jamesburg Cachagua."

Here are some excerpts from "The Visitor's Guide...":

The Cachagua Area was primarily settled in the latter part of the 1800's, but some settlement did occur in the earlier portion of that century. There were a variety of activities that occurred in the area from homesteading, to the construction of the Carmel River Dam (1883-84), to various mining activities.

The origin of the name 'Cachagua' is uncertain. Its use, however, goes back to the 1850’s with the spelling “Jasshagua” and is likely to have native Esselen or Spanish influences. In 1875 the area was referred to as “Jachagua” and by 1883 the creek was noted on official surveys as “Gacho Agua.” Although the etymology of the name and its meaning are lost to history, the community itself is well defined.

The Native American Esselen peoples were well established in the area, called Xasáuan, with several villages circa 1750. Padre Serra baptized the first Esselen here in 1775 and subsequent “conversions” and diseases decimated the population. The present day settlement was established in the 1880’s and remains to this day a remote and ruggedly independent community. (smiles from me... "oh, really??")

In 1948, the post-war boom in public works projects came to the remote settlement of Cachagua in the form of the Los Padres Dam. In addition to the dam, the California Water & Telegraph Co. built several river-rock structures to support the crews working on the dam. In 1965 the California-American Water Co. acquired the California Water & Telegraph Co. and with it, its property in Cachagua. Cal-Am used the site as a retreat for employees until the early 1980’s.

One of the oldest areas of community settlement in Cachagua is Jamesburg, named after John James, one of its first homesteaders. Jamesburg dates back to about 1885 and was relocated to the site of the present day Lambert Ranch House. Jamesburg developed as a stage stop to Tassajara Hot Springs and became the economic and social focus for area residents. 

A post office was established in 1886 (Mrs. Rose A. Lambert, who moved from Corral de Tierra to Jamesburg, became Postmaster here sometime after 1912). A school was established in 1891 and a branch of the County Library was established in 1914.

Other sites of historic value and interest... include: Tassajara Hot Springs, the Lambert Ranch House, the Scott Cabin and barn, China Camp, the Rock House and the Search Ranch House - which has been in continual use since the 1840's.

The Monterey County Planning Department has identifed some of the existing historic structures in Cachagua and Jamesburg, shown in Table 1, below. These structures will be considered by the Board of Supervisors for possible inclusion in the county register of historic structures.

Where's the key to the mini-bar, Martha???

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Hot off the presses...

July 17, 2008, about 11:20 am...

From USA Today about and hour and a half ago:

Bush set to survey Northern California wildfires

By Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO — The White House said President Bush will visit Northern California on Thursday to get a first-hand look at the wildfires that have ravaged hundreds of square miles and strained the state's firefighting resources.

Mandatory evacuation orders remained in place Wednesday for about 20 homes 

along the heavily wooded ridges near Carmel Valley, said Ruby Urueta, spokeswoman with the Monterey County Emergency Operations Center. Another 200 houses were emptied in the nearby rural community of Cachagua because of the fire danger.

Hey, I'm excited!!!! If Mr. Bush happens to work 'Cachagua' into a soundbyte, given his propensity for malapropisms, he might so mangle the pronunciation that it sounds just right!

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"You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers" department...

Some folks - usually the working press - have asked how to pronounce 'Cachagua.'  

We just got a call from President Bush's Press Secretary, Dana Perino, asking for the proper pronunciation of Jamesburg. I asked, "Do you mean, Cachagua"? 

She said, "What the hell, with his approval rating where it is now, it really doesn't matter which of the two he tries to pronounce... so, yeah, 'Cachagua' (she pronounced it "Catch a goo-uhh"... nice one, Dana!).

So, here's an attempt at phonetically-pronouncing 'Cachagua' for all of those who have questions:

Cussh - AHHHH - waaa

We Report, You Decide

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