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 parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Alpine 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 ...

, 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 Samuel S. Brannan (March 2, 1819 – May 5, 1889) was an American settler, businessman, journalist, and prominent Mormon who founded the '' California Star'', the first newspaper in San Francisco, California. He is also considered the first to ...

left supplies near a spring here in 1847 on his way to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, 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 between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

on April 4, 1860, when

Warren Upson Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * Warren ...

scaled the mountains in a blinding snowstorm, reached Woodfords from

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

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

Carson City Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, 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 6th most populous city in the state. The m ...

. 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 an State highway#United States, state highway in western Douglas County, Nevada, Douglas County, Nevada, United States. Commonly known as the Kingsbury Grade, it is one of three Nevada highways that connect the ...

. The remount station is now

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

#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