Upper Lake, California
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Upper Lake is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in Lake County,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, United States. Upper Lake is located north of Lakeport, at an elevation of . The population was 1,095 at the 2020 census, up from 1,052 at the 2010 census. The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake are headquartered here.Clear Lake's First People.
(pdf file) ''Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake.'' (retrieved 27 Feb 2009)


Etymology

This community was formerly named Upper Clear Lake and Upperlake. The Upper Clear Lake post office opened in 1871, changed its name to Upper Lake in 1875, to Upperlake in 1905, and then back to Upper Lake in 1906.


History

The settlement began in 1854 or 1856, when William B. Elliott opened a blacksmith's shop. About ten years later, in 1866, a man named Bukofsky built a store, followed by another blacksmith shop built by Caspar Sweikert. A hotel was started by Henry Taylor. A
grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
was built in 1858 and closed in 1867. A second grist mill was built in 1875. The community grew as cattle stock,
alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...
and bean canneries became the main economic draws. Upper Lake was a hub of most activities in the northern part of Lake County. In 1860, when Upper Lake was known as Upper Clear Lake, there existed a toll road between the town and Lower Lake which routed through Lakeport. In 1865, the "Blue Lakes Wagon Road Co." completed a toll road which connected Upper Lake to Ukiah. In 1872 the Upper Lake & Clover Valley Toll Road Co." built an improved route that connected Bartlett Springs. Bartlett Springs sat in the high mountains east of Upper Lake and had a toll road running east into the Sacramento valley. These toll roads became the major route to move people in and out of Lake County. Folks from around the world could take a train to Hopland, then take a stagecoach to Lakeport. From Lakeport they would take a steamboat across Clear Lake to Bartlett Landing. The Wharf was located along the shoreline just east of Upper Lake. From there they would take a stagecoach via Upper Lake up to Bartlett Springs Resort. Travelers could also take a train from the San Francisco Bay area into the Sacramento Valley and then take a stage into Lake County via Bartlett Springs and Upper Lake. By the early 1890s, all major routes into and out of Lake County were toll roads.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , of which over 99% is land. At the 2000 census, according to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP had a total area of , of which of it was land and of it (3.33%) was water. The Hayville Sulphur Spring, formerly used medicinally, is located northwest.


Climate

Upper Lake has a
Hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(''Csa'') according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system.


Demographics


2020

Upper Lake first appeared as a
census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in the 2000 U.S. Census. The 2020 United States census reported that Upper Lake had a population of 1,095. The population density was . The racial makeup of Upper Lake was 64.4%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.3%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 5.1% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 14.5% from other races, and 15.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.1% of the population. The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households and 0.5% were institutionalized. There were 400 households, out of which 26.3% included children under the age of 18, 37.0% were married-couple households, 12.0% were
cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...
couple households, 26.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 24.3% had a male householder with no partner present. 31.2% of households were one person, and 18.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 224
families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(56.0% of all households). The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% aged 18 to 24, 28.6% aged 25 to 44, 25.8% aged 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 38.4years. For every 100 females, there were 111.0 males. There were 454 housing units at an average density of , of which 400 (88.1%) were occupied. Of these, 72.8% were owner-occupied, and 27.3% were occupied by renters.


Economy


Viticulture

The Upper Lake area emerged as a wine-growing region in the 1880s, counting among his earliest viticulturists
Serranus Clinton Hastings Serranus Clinton Hastings (November 22, 1814 – February 18, 1893) was an American politician, rancher and lawyer in California. He studied law as a young man and moved to the Iowa District in 1837 to open a law office. Iowa became a territory ...
, who farmed of vineyards and had a winery and distillery built, operating until 1900. Charles M. Hammond planted a 25-acre vineyard in the late 19th century which was still thriving in 1914. Viticulture and winemaking activities were wiped out by
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
, and vineyards were abandoned or replanted with orchards, most notably
walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
s, which remain a key crop in the area. Some vineyards were replanted starting in the 1970s, and as of 2022 there were about planted under vines. The Upper Lake Valley American Viticultural Area was recognized in 2022.


Canning

The early economy of Upper Lake comprised canning beans, growing
alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...
and raising cattle. During the late 19th century, canned beans developed into the primary economy for Upper Lake in the mid-20th century. The first
cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although unde ...
, which employed 400 people annually, was built in 1897 by A. Mendenhall. The first cannery was actually built by Mr. Henry Van Wambold. He built his "Blue Lakes Cannery" in 1895 and Mr. Mendenhall followed with his "Clear Lake Cannery" in 1897. This information is found in the State of California archives which show the application paperwork along with the trademark labels that were issued by California for each of these canneries. The name "Blue Lake" green bean was developed near the shores of the Blue Lakes of Lake County, near Upper Lake. Both these canneries were bought out in 1927 and were then renamed the "Lake County Cannery". The Lake County Cannery continued in operation until 1968.


Government

In the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Upper Lake is in , and in . In the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Upper Lake is in .


Education

One of the first schools in Lake County was located in Upper Lake. The first teacher was J.W. Mackall, a former cashier at Farmers' Savings Bank.


Notable people

Benjamin Dewell, a member of the
Bear Flag Rebellion The California Republic, or Bear Flag Republic, was an unrecognized breakaway state from Mexico, that existed from June 14, 1846 to July 9, 1846. It militarily controlled an area north of San Francisco, in and around what is now Sonoma Co ...
, settled in Upper Lake, becoming the first permanent white settler, along with his wife Celia, in 1854.


References


External links


Information webpage on Upper Lake, California
{{authority control Census-designated places in Lake County, California Populated places established in 1856 Census-designated places in California