huntington lake
Jewel of the Sierra
Sat • August 3
Huntington Lake
Association Annual Meeting
9 am
(Location TBD)
2024 Calendar
Billy Creek Museum
The Museum will be open Saturdays and Sundays from July 6 through September 1, from noon to 4 pm.
Sunday • July 7
Huntington Lake
Volunteer Fire Dept.
Pancake Breakfast
8 - 11 am
(Location TBD)
2024
The historical Billy Creek Museum will open for the 2024 season on Saturday, July 6. Please check back in the coming days as we update this website.
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Historical Vignettes
The Beginning
Discovering A Jewel
The Huntington Lake Basin and the high Sierra were first populated by Native Americans and later with pioneers who became herders, loggers and visionaries for one of the world's foremost hydropower projects. Today's community boasts a rich legacy left by these early settlers, and a heritage that is unique and revered by all who visit and live in the area. Learn from the many displays and annual themed exhibits at the Billy Creek Museum.
The Big Creek Project
HydroPower Feeds The Valley
Construction of the Big Creek Project occurred in four phases. The first phase took place from 1911-1914, and in addition to creating Huntington Lake, it included construction of Big Creek Powerhouses No. 1 and No. 2 with two generating units each. The concrete foundations for the powerhouses were poured in the spring of 1913, and both were generating electricity by the end of the year. Come see the exhibits of this man-made wonder!
Sierra Summer School
Nature Study
For more than 30 years, Huntington Lake was the site of a very popular and unique summer school of college students. Fresno State College hosted a summer session that annually drew scores of students and faculty to the Sierra. It began as the Fresno Normal School at Big Creek with 50 young women during the summer of 1914. The campus moved to Huntington Lake in 1916 and flourished. Visit our Petticoat Lane!
A Camping We Will Go
A Recreational Playground
The new lake and its high-Sierra setting attracted many who established summer camps for young men, women and families. Before the Huntington Lake Lodge was built and other subsequent resorts were erected, Camp Edwards was established in 1912 at the south end of the lake between Dams 2 and 3. The tent cabins for visitors were the only alternative if one wasn't housed in a work camp or simply camping under the stars. Experience the "Jewel of the Sierra".
From The Sky
Loss of The Exterminator
On December 6, 1943, a B-24 Liberator took off from Hammer Field in Fresno in search of another B-24 reported as lost in the Sierra. Minutes into the flight the pilot yelled for the crew to abandon ship. The pilot attempted a wheels-up landing, spotting what he thought was a meadow. George Barulic and co-pilot Marion C. Settle parachuted to safety, but the six other crew members died in the lake. Visit the "Bomber Room" at the museum and the recovered artifacts.
A Family of Friends
Recreation
A common thread through the years is the gathering of families and friends renewing ties and traditions. Afternoons spent on the docks and on the shore, laughter coming from the nearby campground or cabin, sails flapping in the breeze, the quiet sound of a fisherman trolling in a cove, the stillness of the first snow, are all moments that have been experienced by each generation. Without this heritage each generation starts over.
