Caples Lake & Child’s Grave

Caples Lake is a beautiful alpine lake in the Sierra over Highway 88. It is known for its historic resort, beautiful lake and fishing. Caples Lake has its roots in the gold rush. Dr. Caples spent summers at the lake and owned a trading post. Sadly, his son Harry L. Caples died there, and they buried him in a grave at the lake.

Carson River Route

After the horrors the Donner-Reed party faced crossing the Sierra Nevadas in the winter of 1846-7, explorers searched for an alternative to the Truckee River Route. In 1848, the members of the Mormon Battalion, returning from the Mexican-American War, prepared to leave California for Salt Lake City. They learned of an Indian trail about 25 miles south of Donner Pass. On July 3, forty-five men, one woman, 150 oxen and 150 horses and mules, 17 wagons, and two cannons began their eastward journey hoping to find a better way across the Sierra.

In the first year of the Carson River Route, 500-700 emigrants traveled the new path westward as the trail became known. Quickly it became the principal route across the Sierra. For the next three years, 20,000-50,000 “49ers” traveled over Carson Pass to the Gold Country each year.

In 1859, prospectors discovered gold and silver in Dayton, Nevada Territory, and the tide turned again with fortune-seekers headed east from California to the Comstock. Enterprising developers improved the Carson River Route into the Amador-Carson Valley Wagon Road. The Pony Express used a part of the trail to Woodfords for five weeks in 1860. The Carson River Route remained heavily used for several years until the Henness Route supplanted it through Verdi.

Caples Lake

The lake at the top of the summit was popular with the Washoe Indian tribe for fishing, hunting and gathering. They referred to the lake as “Twin Lakes” as there were two adjacent shallow lakes. The lake was also known as Summit Lake.

In 1922, a dam combined the two lakes, creating Caples Lake.

Dr. James Caples

Dr. Caples was born on November 29, 1823, to Charles Wesley and Matilda Elenore Tracy Caples. The family had five children and moved from Ohio to Missouri when Dr. Caples was fifteen. In 1857, he moved to Hancock County, Illinois, to open a practice as a physician. On October 1847, he married Mary Jane Walker, born January 10, 1831. The couple had ten children.

Dr. Caples and his wife gave up the comforts of city living to emigrate to the gold fields of California. On March 21, 1849, they departed with a wagon and three oxen. The couple arrived in Hangtown (now Placerville), California, on August 28, 1849. In 1879, he was a member of the State Constitutional Convention in Sacramento and one of the framers of the present California State Consitution. 

Dr. Caples passed Twin Lakes on his journey to the Gold Country. He remembered the beautiful lake and purchased the area in the early 1850s for a homestead and summer retreat. They raised cattle and started a trading post named Caples Crossing for travelers. The station grew to include a hotel, and was open only in the summer months when travel of the Sierra was possible.

The family built a blockhouse; timbers were cut and interlocked at the corners, similar to Kirkwood Inn. The foundation was approximately twenty by fifteen feet. A barn was nearby. In 2008, Caples Lake waters were low enough to reveal the foundation. A hearthstone was found and reclaimed.

The trading post served patrons for three decades before Dr. Caples moved outside Elk Grove in 1882.

Harry L. Caples

Sadly, one of the couple’s children died at Caples Lake. Harry L. was born in 1861 and died in 1864.

Harry was buried in a meadow by the lake. The dam created rising lake levels which would have flooded the grave, so it was moved to higher ground.

Our LIttle

Harry L.

son of

J. & M. Caples

died May 25, 1864

Aged 2 yrs. & 9 mos.

Suffer little chilren to come unto me and forbid them not for of (Ineligable)

The bottom inscription is a variation from Matthew 19:14. “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”

A memorial to Harry is on a family headstone at the Elk Grove Cosumnes-Cemetery.

Caples Lake Resort

The Caples trading post became a summer resort. In 1948, Ray Koeing built the current structures. The resort was only open in summer as the road was snowed shut. With the opening of Kirkwood Ski Resort in 1972, Highway 88 was open year-round, allowing Caples Lake Resort to remain open in winter.

Caples Lake Resort is a popular destination for tourists and fishermen. They offer accommodations, including rooms, cabins and campsites. The marina has a small store with essentials, fishing supplies and boat rentals. New owners purchased the resort in 2023. They are updating the property and adding new amenities, including a restaurant planned to open this winter.

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References

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References

• Find a grave: James Caples
• Historial Marker Database: Caples Lake
• Somerville, June Wood. A Legend of a Road. A witness to the exploration and emigration on the road above Silver Lake and beyond. June Wood Somerville, 2014. Pages 63-69.
• Tortorich, Frank Jr. Gold Rush Trail: A guide to the Carson River Route of the Emigrant Trail. Wagon Wheel Tours, 1998. Page 51.
• Wikipedia: Caples Lake

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