A Brief History of Finnon-

The land upon which Finnon Lake now lies was at one time a meadow area.  Depending on what research resource is used the land was either owned by brothers, last name of Finnon who were Scottish immigrants, or one Christopher Finnan, an Irishman.  The original property was used for farming/ranching and a saw mill was located there as well.  Whether Finnon or Finnan the land was eventually sold to a pair of famous California brothers, and their company.

THE ABOVE TOPO MAP COMES FROM THE HISTORICAL

ARCHIVES OF THE US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, DATED 1893.

THE AREA WITH THE RED X IS THE FUTURE LOCATION OF

FINNON LAKE.

Those brothers were Mortimer and Herbert Fleishhacker.  Born to a paper box manufacturer in San Francisco in the latter half of the 19^th century these two brothers would become financially and politically important.  If you’re old enough you may recall, or may have visited, the world famous Fleishhacker pool in San Francisco.  It was 1000 feet long, 150 feet wide and held 6 million gallons of sea water which was heated.  Supposedly the largest pool ever built and visible from space.  Life guards used row boats in their patrols.

In 1903 the Fleishhackers formed the American River Electric Company.  As their company grew and additional sources of hydroelectric power were needed the two brothers' company purchased, in 1905,  the property the Finnon brothers owned.  Soon thereafter the construction of the earthen dam began.

The water the dam held back was used to “power start” the powerhouse generator which was located at the confluence of Rock Creek and the South Fork of the American River.  Rock Creek was so named by Kit Carson as he explored the area in 1845. An earlier powerhouse was located at the same site in 1893, the Fleishhacker’s newer powerhouse went into operation in 1907 after completion of the dam and lake.

Water from the lake would flow into Jaybird Creek and into a penstock that would carry the water the nearly 1.75 miles to the powerhouse.

Shortly after this the American River Electric Company was bought  by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).  PG&E owned the Finnon Dam and Reservoir until 1956 at which time they sold it to the State of California. 

California’s Wildlife Conservation Board had the Finnon Lake area rejuvenated and in cooperation with El Dorado County a concession business began.  Fishing, boating and camping came into being.

Just prior to 1997 the dam was considered, by the State, to be unsafe in the event of a substantial earthquake.  As the State did not wish to expend the necessary funds to replace the dam they sold the property to the Mosquito Volunteer Fire Association (MVFA)  for $1.00. 

For several years the MVFA attempted to secure funding to have the dam replaced.  Fortunately for the MVFA they met one Mark Egbert.  Mr. Egbert is the District Manager for the El Dorado County and Georgetown Divide Resource Conservation Districts.  His perseverance, commitment , and knowledge, helped the MVFA obtain a grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to replace the dam.  More detailed information can be found on the RCD PROJECT INFO page.

Dam reconstruction / replacement began in June 2011 and was officially final January 4, 2012.  Although the dam is complete there is still plenty that has to be done.  The lake needs to be refilled, fish restocked, brush cleared, a possible boat ramp, the list goes on.  For additional information on the reconstruction project please view the Finnon Dam Project page and its subpages.

This website hosts photos and videos of the reconstruction process, and as information is provided, we shall inform our readers of the tasks to be addressed.  There’s still much work to be done, so keep coming back to check for updates on the next phases of the projects at hand.

The website also hosts pages for additional area history, activities, and information.  Once the campgrounds are reopened (tentatively late May, 2012) why not plan your next camping adventure at Finnon Lake.