Mineral King, Another Person’s Story

Today we have the pleasure of a guest post, something I have never had in 12 years of blogging! Sharon Devol is a real life friend, and the most regular commenter on this blog. She always has something interesting to add, and when I half-jokingly suggested she write a guest post, she was graciously eager.

This is Sharon’s personal story of her family’s Mineral King cabin.

My family connection to Mineral King starts in 1930 when my grandparents, Van and Mary Dixon, visited Faculty Flat (JB here – Faculty Flat is about a mile below the end of the Mineral King Road, so called because it was first settled by educators from Southern California) on the invitation of faculty colleague, Dr. Bates of the Bates-Bell Cabin.  For the next 20 years Van and Mary and their two daughters, Diane and Shirley, used the Bates-Bell Cabin until the cabin built in 1926 by Lou and Mary Lou Coole came up for sale. Despite its primitive condition, the daughters begged Daddy to buy it, and the Dixon family set to work to clean and improve the cabin.

I first visited our cabin when I was one year old, and time at Mineral King has been a part of my summer ever since. 

Coole Cabin as built in 1926
2020, same cabin

Quite an improvement made by a physics professor married to a home economics teacher with elbow grease provided by various family members.  And we descendants of Van and Mary Dixon so appreciate their love, care, and hard work to make our family a warm and inviting place to visit each summer.

P.S. by Jana – A few years ago, I got the chance to update the drawing I did of Sharon’s cabin in 1992, because I draw better now. Goodness, an artist would certainly hope so. (Nope, not going to show you the first version because I deleted it, so there.) 

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7 Comments

  1. Fun memory! It made me remember visiting with Van and Mary.

    • Welcome, Mari! Van and Mary were delightful, knowledgeable, and just felt solid and safe.

      • My dear grandparents truly were Mineral King pioneers, loved by one and all. Our family misses them terribly!

  2. Nice addition, Jana and Sharon!

    • Louise, we really went out there on the edge, eh? 😎

  3. If I could upload an image, I would add a big, red THANK-YOU heart for the privilege of being your first guest blogger!

    Jana turned her beautiful drawing into notecards which I use frequently for hand-written notes. Yes, some of us old-timers still hand-write thank you cards and notes of encouragement!

    P.S. I believe I have your 1992 drawing around here somewhere, and no, I am not going to post it!

    • Sharon, I can’t think of anyone I would trust more to share this space with!


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