Woodfords (formerly, Brannan Springs, Carey's Mill, Cary's Mills, Carys Mill, Carys Mills, Woodford's, Carey's Mills, and Woodford) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either ha ...

in Alpine County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

, near Markleeville. For census purposes, it is included in Alpine Village. It is located north-northwest of Markleeville, at .

History

Woodfords holds title as the oldest non-native settlement in the entire region. Sam Brannan left supplies near a spring here in 1847 on his way to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, and Brannan Springs, as it was then called, was ideally positioned to take advantage of traffic on the booming road to California. After a brief period during which the settlement was known as Carey's Mills, the Woodfords name came into common usage following the establishment of an official post office near a hotel by Daniel Woodford in 1849. A post office opened in Carey's Mills in 1858, the name was changed to Woodfords in 1869, and was closed in 1914; the post office was re-established in 1962, only to close for good in 1974. Woodfords became a remount station of the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pike ...

on April 4, 1860, when Warren Upson scaled the mountains in a blinding snowstorm, reached Woodfords from

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lak ...

via Luther Pass, and made his way down the eastern slope of the Sierra on his way to

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

. Five weeks later the Pony Express was rerouted by way of

Echo Summit Echo Summit is a mountain pass over the Sierra Nevada in the western United States, located in eastern El Dorado County, California. At above sea level, it is the highest point on U.S. Route 50 in California, which traverses it at postmile 6 ...

and the

Kingsbury Grade State Route 207 (SR 207) is a state highway in western Douglas County, Nevada, United States. Commonly known as the Kingsbury Grade, it is one of three Nevada highways that connect the western edge of the state to the Lake Tahoe region thr ...

. The remount station is now

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#805. Woodfords is home to about 150 full-time residents, while the Southern band of the Washo tribe has a small community in nearby Diamond Valley.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Alpine County, California Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States) California Historical Landmarks Pony Express stations Populated places established in 1847 1847 establishments in Alta California Unincorporated communities in California