Smith Canyon

On June 28th my post was titled "Fire, Fire, Fire" .  In that post I talked about the Seeley Fire burning in Huntington Canyon.  I posted pictures that was taken from our house in Miller Creek that showed the smoke in Smith Canyon.  Finally, today, four months later we made a trip up to Smith Canyon to see what kind of damage was done to the old homestead.  Here are a few of the pictures that was taken today.

This picture shows the very top of Smith Canyon.  The mountain has no trees or living vegetation on it.  On the left hand side you can see the burned trees in what remains of the first snow fall of this year.

It appears that the rock cliffs half way down the mountain saved the rest of the trees and vegetation because everything below the cliffs is still green.

This is the most interesting part of the trip.  In this photo we are parked on the old railroad grade looking up Smith Canyon.  To the right of this picture is the spot of the old Smith homestead.  The area we are looking at used to be a nice grassy valley.  It is now covered with dead trees, logs and debris that have been swept down the valley during the rainstorms.  This is the result of the fires.

This photo shows the area of the old Smith homestead.  Homesteaded by Joseph  and Estella Holt Smith.

Here's another shot of the logs, branches and debris.

In this photo you can see all the trees along the ridge of the mountain are burned.

This picture is being taken from Christmas Tree Road.  Our families old sledding hill is behind me.  We are looking down on the old railroad track road that I was standing on for the previous photos.  If you look in the center of the photo you can see the logs and debris that have come down the canyon during the rainstorms.


Here are just a few more photos that were taken today in and around Smith Canyon and Wattis.

Van's favorite tree.

This old car looks 100 years older than it did the last time we seen it.  

We don't remember a tree growing so close to it and even 

wondered if the car has been moved since we saw it last.

A couple years ago Van's brother, Ray and his wife Allison, sent us this 

photo of their children taken many years ago in the same car.  

There is a tree growing right behind the car so I'm guessing the 

car hasn't moved anywhere for many years.

The concrete structure on the left, at the center is the old tipple for the Wattis Coal Company.  The top of the mountain is part of the old Smith homestead and Smith Canyon is on the other side of this ridge.  

This concludes your tour of Wattis and Smith Canyon for today.  Tune in again soon for part two of today's adventures: North Springs gun range.