(BE CAREFUL WITH CHILDREN, CARS GO FAST ALONG THIS ROAD!)
Named after two famous authors, Mark Twain and Bret Harte, who spent time in and wrote about California, Twain Harte is a summer and winter vacation community located at 3640' in elevation. Twain Harte has its own golf course, lake and multiple restaurants.
Twain Harte history (from www.twainhartecc.com), "In 1861, the U.S. Congress authorized construction of a road to run from the foot of Twain Harte Grade over Sonora Pass, connecting the growing commercial center of Sonora with the boom mining town of Aurora. A contractor named J. B. Carter was paid $400,000 to build the road, but when the sum proved inadequate, another company with private finances completed the construction. Two toll gates were put in to defray expenses, one at Twain Harte and one at Sugar Pine.
Alfred Fuller, an Ohioan who came to the area during the 1850’s, took a Mi-Wuk wife and lived near “The Rock” on what was then the Calder Ranch, was hired to operate the Twain Harte Toll Gate of the Sonora-Mono Toll Road. He continued in that job until the 1890’s when the county took over maintenance of the road.
In 1862, Patrick Williams acquired 540 acres of land, including the meadow where the Twain Harte Golf Course is now located. Williams planted apple and pear orchards, ran a few head of cattle and maintained a watering place for the freight wagons bound for the east slop mines. Williams water trough was located where El Dorado Savings Bank is today.
Williams’ son, John D. Williams, inherited the ranch at his father’s death, but in 1923 sold out to Keturah C. Wood. Wood subdivided the area in 1924 and and built Twain Harte Lodge Realty (a.k.a Twain Harte Development Company and Twain Harte Realty), naming it after two famous Mother Lode authors, Mark Twain and Bret Harte."