Loomis Library & Community Learning Center

08/28/2026

LOOMIS BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIEY’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Frederick Birdsall

Last week’s Flashback Friday on Orange Valley generated several comments and questions. Auburn area historians are well-acquainted with the name Fred Birdsall for his development of Auburn’s water supply system and his Aeolia Heights olive orchard, but they were unaware he also planted a large orange grove in Granite Bay. Granite Bay residents want to know more about the history of the orange orchards and the land they occupied.

The following brief biography on Frederick Birdsall is from the History of Placer and Nevada Counties (page 647), published in 1924. With no mention of his Orange Grove Plantation in Granite Bay, the biography makes it clear that this enterprising man left his mark on Placer County history, from the Foresthill Divide to the Loomis Basin:

Fred Birdsall was a native of New York and his wife Ether Stratton was a native of New Jersey. Fred came to California in 1851, dividing his time after his arrival between Sacramento and Placer County. He built and owned a store at Paradise in the Foresthill Divide, Placer County; and operated a reduction mill for silver at Dayton, Nevada.

Fred Birdsall’s name will ever be connected with the history of irrigation in Placer County. The old Bear River Ditch was originally built for the purpose of furnishing water for hydraulic mining. Mr. Birdsall took it over, enlarged it, and brought it down to near Loomis, for agricultural purposes, developing it into an irrigation system. This was the first large irrigation project in Placer County. He later constructed the Auburn water-supply system, building the reservoir on the hill which is still used for Auburn City’s water supply.

This enterprising pioneer also set out an olive orchard on the hillside northeast of Auburn, which is now within the city limits, seventy acres of the property in the Aeolia Heights section.

Five children were born to Fred and Esther Birdsall.

Stay tuned for more about the owners of Orange Grove Plantation next week. . .

08/28/2026

Database of the Week: ByGosh

byGosh is a free, full-text archive of a large selection of public domain literature available in one place! Use the search button at the top of the page to look for classic poems, children's classics, or adult novels like The Great Gatsby. A "Listen To This Page" audio version is available for select titles.

08/27/2026

08/21/2026

Database of the Week!

TeachingBooks is an online database that adds a multimedia dimension to the reading experiences of children's and young adult books. The website includes thousands of resources about fiction and nonfiction books used in the K-12 environment.

Features on TeachingBooks:
-Search for a title and find resources to enhance the reading experience including author interviews, book guides, lesson plans, vocabulary lists, annotations, and related booklists
-View Meet-the-Author movies
-Find out how an author's name is pronounced
-Watch book trailers
-Check out book lists to find your next read

To use TeachingBooks through the library, please go to the Research and Learning tab on the top of the Loomis Library homepage, then scroll down to TeachingBooks on our database list.

08/21/2026

LOOMIS BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Orange Valley

The orchard industry that is so closely associated with the history of the Loomis Basin brings to mind a vision of endless vistas of deciduous fruit trees – plums, peaches, pears, cherries, nectarines, persimmons, apricots. Citrus orchards on any kind of grand scale were a less common sight beyond J.P. Whitney’s Spring Valley Ranch and his failed Placer County Citrus Colony. Yet, nearly forgotten, on the other side of the Basin was Orange Valley.

This beautiful little valley was described as situated between Secret and Miners ravines, on the old Auburn road just beyond the Fountain House, three miles from Rocklin, five miles from Roseville and six miles from Folsom. “The scenery surrounding it is perfectly grand -- large sloping hills clothed in nature’s most enchanting hue greet the eye on either side, with thousands of lowing herds which feed thereupon to gladden the hearts of the farmer.”

Orange Valley took its name in 1880 from the large number of orange trees set out at Orange Grove Plantation, a 320-acre ranch owned by Messrs. Birdsall of Sacramento, “gentlemen of wealth, enterprise and ability who, in a few years, can boast the largest and most beautiful orange plantation in the world.” They planted 25,000 trees to “waft their tender tops to the swaying breeze.”

D.B. Clark, an experienced orange horticulturalist from Los Angeles, superintended the modeling of the grounds. “The place is beautifully laid out with avenues and groves, and a large and handsome avenue will girdle the entire plantation.” Costly rabbit-proof fences surrounded the ranch, and water was supplied by two large ditches, one from the American River and the other from the Bear River. Sixty to sixty-five men were employed, earning fair wages of $30 per month.

By 1883, the Orange Valley ranch totaled 480 acres, with 150 acres in vines and several acres in fruit trees. Newton Booth, former governor and U.S. senator from California, purchased it in June. He resold it almost immediately to Captain E.L. Hawk and Owen D. Hawk. The ranch was located at present-day Cavitt Stallman and Barton roads.

08/14/2026

AR BookFinder is a simple, straightforward database used to identify the Accelerated Reader or Lexile level of a book to help guide students towards books that land in their current reading level. If your child's school does not use AR levels, Lexile levels are also included.
You may also use the Advanced Search feature to look for books within a particular interest level or book level.

To use AR BookFinder through the library, please go to the Research and Learning tab on the top of the Loomis Library homepage, then scroll down to AR BookFinder on our database list.

08/14/2026

LOOMIS BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Dangers of the Day -- 101 Years Ago

News from the Sacramento Union, August 5, 1925:

PENRYN, Aug. 5 -- T.L. Herbert narrowly escaped injury today while trying to start the motor of his automobile by letting the machine roll down the steep incline in the rear of the depot. After the motor started, Herbert was unable to jump into the car. It later came to a stop when it ran into the bank.

PENRYN, Aug. 4. -- Returning from the home of a neighbor, where she had been ironing, Mrs. Williams today found her small niece slowly chewing on a tube of rat poison. Holes chewed in the metal container by the child permitted the poison to ooze out. Dr. Fay of Auburn was summoned, and while he does not consider the baby to be in any great danger, a careful watch is being maintained as it requires several hours for the symptoms of poisoning of this nature to develop.

PENRYN, Aug 4 -- Frank Alves, two-year-old son of Mauel Alves of this city, is in the Krull hospital in Sacramento, hovering between life and death as the result of having a small bean lodged in his lung for several days. One day last week the baby, who was playing with a jar of beans, put some in his mouth and swallowed some. A short time later he vomited some of the beans, but one remained lodged in his lung. A doctor was called in several hours later and immediately rushed the child to the hospital in Sacramento where today the baby coughed up the pellet. He now is suffering from pneumonia brought on by the irritation.

NEWCASTLE, Aug 4 -- Funeral services were held in Auburn yesterday for LaVerne Binkard, 18-year-old son of Mr. And Mrs. George Binkard of this city. Interment was in the Auburn cemetery. Binkard’s death was caused by blood poison, brought on by his picking a mole on his chin with his fingernail.