Camp Meeker, California

Camp Meeker, California
unincorporated community village
Welcome arch on Bohemian Highway
Camp Meeker, California Location within the state of California
Coordinates: 38°25′31″N 122°57′34″W / 38.42528°N 122.95944°W / 38.42528; -122.95944Coordinates: 38°25′31″N 122°57′34″W / 38.42528°N 122.95944°W / 38.42528; -122.95944
Country	United States
State	California
County	Sonoma
Elevation^[1]	331 ft (101 m)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95419
Area code(s)	707
FIPS code	06-10466
GNIS feature ID	1658200
Website	http://www.campmeeker.org/

Camp Meeker is an unincorporated community, Sonoma County, United States, located on the Bohemian Highway, between Occidental and Monte Rio. It has approximately 350 homes on properties ranging from a couple thousand square feet to many acres, some flat and sunny, some on steep narrow gauge railroad type one-way streets. The population hovers around 425.^[2]

Set amidst redwoods directly on Dutch Bill Creek, it gets an average of 55 inches of rainfall spread over about 69 average days during the winter season.

History

Camp Meeker takes its name from Melvin Cyrus Meeker, a lumber baron who established several mills in the area circa 1866.

Located on the North Pacific Coast Railroad (since abandoned), Camp Meeker was a center for logging the coast redwoods that built and then rebuilt San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. After logging the trees, Meeker subdivided Camp Meeker in 1898, and lots (each 25 feet (7.6 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m) with a one-room cabin) sold for $75. Around 1900, it was primarily a vacation place for people from San Francisco.

Facilities

Camp Meeker is the home of St. Dorothy's Rest, a retreat center and summer camp.

Fire protection is provided by the Camp Meeker Volunteer Fire Department. In 2003, the department claimed that Camp Meeker was the only place in Sonoma County which places fire hydrants every 500 ft (150 m).^[3]

As of December 2001, one-year class wild coho salmon were spawning in Dutch Bill Creek. In 2002 Dutch Bill Creek was part of the captive broadstock program, and since 2006 juvenile coho have been released in the creek as a part of this program.^[4]

In November 2009, Camp Meeker revamped its recreational park on Dutch Bill Creek by removing a WPA-era dam and installing a bridge in its place. The entire area was rebuilt by PCI, Inc. under contract with the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District after years of study.^[5]

Once home to the now legendary Camp Meeker Players who played at the outdoor stage and the "barn", both venues having returned to nature.

Before becoming a "village" Camp Meeker was a lumber "town" followed by a summer enclave with the "year rounders' and the "summer folk".

Prior to the Camp Meeker Players; locals and summer folk, put on extremely entertaining talent shows. Summer resident, Marian Laber; owner of a studio in San Francisco, choreographed Saturday night performances at the "Stage". Marion's work included but was not limited to; rehearsals, assembling and producing costumes, music and lighting. Logs provided seating for the shows. On occasion gentlemen from Bohemian Grove would take in our local performances.

After the shows, most would stop at the "shack" or store for light refreshments and beverages. Then head over to the "barn" for barn dances. Music was provided by our local musicians playing accordion, piano, drums (dependent upon who was in Camp). There were always polkas, the Bunny Hop and the evening always ended with Good Night Ladies.

Long before hosting his own late night television show, "The Zany World of Joey Bavaresco. Joseph Joe" Bavaresco lead teen activities in Camp Meeker. Most memorable was the aquacade spectacular he orchestrated many years prior to the removal of the WPA-dam on Dutch Bill Creek.

St. Rita's was the other women's club. Catholic Church held services there on Sundays. For a quick get away after services teens assembled on the porch. St. Rita's club held weekly Whist games and occasional auctions. ^[6]

References

↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Camp Meeker
↑ Camp Meeker
↑ "Hydrant Update: Camp Meeker Volunteer Fire Department". Retrieved 2007-12-09.
↑ CA Dept of Fish, & Game (2000). "Department of Fish and Game Coho Recovery Report". Retrieved 2008-12-07.
↑ "Dutch Bill Creek Watershed Fish Barrier Elimination Program" (PDF). Retrieved July 30, 2010.
↑ ...see Press Democrat Archives

External links

Municipalities and communities of Sonoma County, California, United States

County seat: Santa Rosa

Cities and towns	Cloverdale Cotati Healdsburg Petaluma Rohnert Park Santa Rosa Sebastopol Sonoma Windsor

CDPs	Bloomfield Bodega Bodega Bay Boyes Hot Springs Carmet Cazadero El Verano Eldridge Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente Forestville Fulton Geyserville Glen Ellen Graton Guerneville Jenner Kenwood Larkfield-Wikiup Monte Rio Occidental Penngrove Roseland Salmon Creek Sea Ranch Sereno del Mar Temelec Timber Cove Valley Ford

Unincorporated communities	Annapolis Asti Camp Meeker Duncans Mills Freestone Guernewood Park Korbel Lakeville Mark West Mark West Springs Rio Dell Rio Nido Schellville Stewarts Point Two Rock Venado Villa Grande Vineburg

Indian reservations	Dry Creek Rancheria Graton Rancheria Stewarts Point Rancheria

San Francisco Bay Area

Bodies of water	Bodega Bay Carquinez Strait Clifton Forebay Golden Gate Grizzly Bay Guadalupe River Half Moon Bay Lake Berryessa Napa River Oakland Estuary Petaluma River Richardson Bay Richmond Inner Harbor Russian River Sacramento River San Francisco Bay San Leandro Bay San Pablo Bay Sonoma Creek Suisun Bay Tomales Bay

Counties	Alameda Contra Costa Marin Napa San Francisco San Mateo Santa Clara Solano Sonoma

Major cities	San Jose San Francisco Oakland

Cities and towns 100k–250k	Antioch Berkeley Concord Daly City Fairfield Fremont Hayward Richmond Santa Clara Santa Rosa Sunnyvale Vallejo

Cities and towns 50k–99k	Alameda Brentwood Castro Valley Cupertino Livermore Milpitas Mountain View Napa Novato Palo Alto Petaluma Pittsburg Pleasanton Redwood City San Leandro San Mateo San Rafael San Ramon South San Francisco Union City Vacaville Walnut Creek

Cities and towns 25k-50k	Belmont Benicia Burlingame Campbell Danville Dublin East Palo Alto Foster City Gilroy Los Altos Los Gatos Martinez Menlo Park Morgan Hill Newark Oakley Pacifica Pleasant Hill Rohnert Park San Bruno San Carlos San Pablo Saratoga Suisun City Windsor

Cities and towns 10k–25k	Alamo Albany Alum Rock American Canyon Ashland Bay Point Cherryland Clayton Discovery Bay Dixon El Cerrito El Sobrante Emeryville Fairview Half Moon Bay Healdsburg Hercules Hillsborough Lafayette Larkspur Millbrae Mill Valley Moraga North Fair Oaks Orinda Piedmont Pinole San Anselmo San Lorenzo Sonoma Stanford Tamalpais-Homestead Valley

Sub-regions	East Bay North Bay San Francisco Peninsula Silicon Valley South Bay

Transportation Sports

Russian River Watershed

Tributaries	Atascadero Creek Austin Creek Big Sulphur Creek Blucher Creek Brush Creek Copeland Creek Crane Creek Dry Creek Dutch Bill Creek Five Creek Foss Creek Green Valley Creek Hinebaugh Creek Laguna de Santa Rosa Maacama Creek Mark West Creek Matanzas Creek Piner Creek Santa Rosa Creek Spring Creek Washoe Creek Windsor Creek

Communities	Asti Calpella Camp Meeker Cazadero Cloverdale Cotati Duncans Mills Forestville Fulton Geyserville Graton Guerneville Guernewood Park Healdsburg Hopland Jenner Korbel Mark West Mark West Springs Monte Rio Occidental Potter Valley Redwood Valley Rio Nido Rohnert Park Santa Rosa Sebastopol Talmage Ukiah Windsor

Landmarks	Annadel State Park Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve Austin Creek State Recreation Area Frog Woman Rock Highway 101 Lake Mendocino Lake Sonoma Northwestern Pacific Railroad

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