In 1849 Mary Jane Walker Caples, along with her brother, husband James, and baby daughter Isabella, traveled overland by wagon to the gold fields of California. The Caples went to "Hangtown," (Placerville,CA) to seek their fortune. James became ill in the cold damp conditions, forcing Mary Jane to support the family for awhile. She baked pies in two Dutch ovens to sell to the miners. She charged $1.00 per pie and sold as many as 100 pies in one day. When the gold fever passed, the family settled in the Sacramento Valley to raise cattle.
On the journey west in 1849, the Caples spent one night at "Summit Lake" before crossing the Second Summit into California - the First Summit being what we now call Carson Pass. Mary Jane and James remembered how beautiful Summit Lake Valley was and not long after settling in the Sacramento Valley they decided to return to Summit Lake to make their summer home for 30 years. We now call Summit Lake, Caples Lake.
In the summer of 1864, tragedy took their two-year-old infant son. Harry was buried at the edge of Summit Lake (now about 100 yards out into the water). The grave of little Harry was moved to higher ground when Pacific Gas and Electric dammed Caples Creek in 1922.
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