The article was published in the January 30, 1975 edition of the Pine Mountain Lake News.

WANDERING THOUGH DEER FLAT VALLEY
ByJean McClish

Leaving Groveland behind, we turn right onto the Groveland-Deer Flat Road. Within two-tenths of a mile we can begin to see into the Deer Flat Valley.

As the road turns left here, the old De Ferrari ranch is to the right out Degnan Road. It was inhabited by generations of the Deer Flat De Ferrari's until 1941. The ranch house was subsequently the retirement home (until his death in 1973) of Dr. John Degnan, physician in Groveland during and after the Hetch Hetchy heydays.
 
 

As we proceed along the Groveland-Deer Flat Road the hills and gullies to our left conceal gold mines and shafts, some sealed off, other not. Jeep trails traverse the area. We bounced along on several in a Volkswagen adroitly and efficiently maneuvered.

The Groveland-Deer Flat Road dead-ends into Wards Ferry Road in about one mile. We will turn left, traveling back toward Big Oak Flat. However, we pause for a moment to consider what lies beyond a turn to the right, a trip we will probably make with you in the spring. (Four of us with four small children in two Volkswagens made the trip to Sonora via this route late in November and found the road adequately passable, breath taking to be sure. We suggest that winter is not the ideal time to go this way).

A short side trip of a half-mile or so, however, would include a number of barns and the old Deer Flat schoolhouse. If time is not too short, a drive as far as Thiel Road and back would add enjoyment to the trip.

Just south of the intersection of Wards Ferry Road and Groveland-Deer Flat Road are the homes of the Kembles, Mudersback and Gustafson's. There are sheep grazing here and a horse wandering near the old barn. This was the Longfellow Ranch where Dearborn Longfellow raised cattle and racehorses in the late 1800's. The trees of the ranch's orchard still stand, but their productive years have passed. Longfellow, a native of Maine, married 14-year old Louisa Wootten when he was 29. They had five children, losing two to the 1879 influenza epidemic. After the death of Longfellow in 1898, the ranch passed to Lulu Longfellow Cassaretto and her husband Frank who ran the freight line from Chinese Camp to Groveland in the days of six- and ten-horse teams required to carry loads up Priest Hill, and later was proprietor of Cassaretto Store.

Southward on Wards Ferry Road is the O'Neil home, boarded up and overgrown, uninhabited. The orchard in the back yard still bears fruit, which, unpicked, has fallen to the ground. At the front corner of the house a rosebush blooms valiantly with huge rose hips and overblown pink roses.
The Corcoran-Gray road leads off to the right here, and we will take it to the end (approximately five miles round trip.) Several families live along this road and cattle graze on either side. Cattle guards contain the stock and not all ranges are fenced. We passed one young cow standing on the shoulder of the road, and when we returned along the same track she hadn't moved a muscle except her ruminating jaw, absently unresponsive to our passing.

There is a muddy yard full of growing young pigs. The barn on the far side of the pen says, appropriately, SWINE. In the yard of this small ranch is an old spring wagon, probably originally from the Gray ranch toward which we are traveling.

Soon we can see out across the valley and several mountain ranges beyond. A smoke plume reveals a distant sawmill.

The road separates at Dopple Meyer Road, and we continue along the Corcoran Gray road to the end at the Gray ranch house. From there a dirt track disappears off into the rangeland. No one lives at the ranch anymore, although farm machinery lying about the place and the water dripping into the cistern mistakenly indicate that the rancher might return at any moment. The house is boarded up with sheets of corrugated metal and the big barn is empty. Storage buildings and the outhouse are behind the locked fence and we do not enter. The ranch has been in the continual ownership of the Gray family since the first John Gray moved there with his bride before 1875. Now it is used only as a hunting reserve by members of the Gray family and is posted against intruders.

Heading back toward Wards Ferry Road, shortly after crossing the cattle guard, the old Corcoran ranch house and barns come into view. The house was built by John Corcoran. He and his wife Catherine raised their family here, and two of the sons followed in the ranching tradition. One son, Daniel, left home to work at Priest Hotel when he was sixteen. In later years he married Mrs. Priest's niece, Jessie Carlaw who had come from Scotland. Following Mrs. Priest's death in 1905, he became proprietor if Priest Hotel.

The Corcoran ranch was purchased in 1942 by Dopple Meyer, who is remembered as tramping about in high rubber boots, summer and winter. The ranch now belongs to the Otto Gisele's who occupy the attractive home high on the hill to the left of the ranch buildings. Dopple Myer Road dead-ends at the old barn. Cattle graze on the hills and around the pond beside the lower barn.

As we continue on the return trip we see the snow peaks of the Sierra as our road crests here and there. When we pass the cattle chutes and the pig ranch we can see mine tailings on the left of the road.

After we pass the O'Neil house the road begins to climb back over the ridge to Big Oak Flat. When we get to the crest and begin the descent into the settlement we are surprised there are so many homes.

Wards Ferry Road turns right at the Baptist Church. At the Y we take the left fork onto Scofield Road, which brings us to Highway 120.

We jog to the left on 120 and enter Black Street, passing the crumbling roofless brick building with the iron doors. This was originally a general merchandise store owned by Michael Nozelia but was later converted to a smithy by James Mecartea, who worked hard to fashion enough implements and ox shoes to support his family of 13 children. One of the youngest sons, Austin, continued the business in 1889 when his father died and maintained it until the automobile replaced horse-drawn vehicles.
Within one-tenth of a mile we turn left onto Harper Road. We pass several old homes and buildings, then gradually climb over the ridge to the south side into a one-time productive mining area. More than $25 million in gold was mined in the Big Oak Flat-Groveland district in earlier years. Mines near the road we are now traveling included the Mohrman, Cline & Jackson, Bourne, Cosmopolite, Violet, Big Oak Flat No. 1 and Bicknell. We can see evidences of mine structures on our left.
 

On the right, shortly after passing the large Turner house and swimming pool we see the remains of a rock fireplace, only partially still standing. Several 8x8 footings, cut off at ground level, indicate the dimensions of the home that enclosed the fireplace. Inquiry has not elicited the origin on this dwelling, only that this was Harper property and the house burned down long ago.
 
We are approaching Yosemite Highlands and find ourselves on Merrill Road, named for Millard C. Merrill, Justice of the Peace of Groveland in 1925 and later Tuolumne County supervisor. We now drop down to Highway 120, passing several homes and the State Forestry Division property. Our adventure is over.