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| Dingus Milktoast | The Glascock Brothers - a history | |
Voted 10/10 | Posted with permission from Andrew Fulks, Yolohiker.org: Glascock Mountain Names of places are a window into our history, and understanding the story behind place names gives a deeper view of our bioregion. One of my favorite hikes and locations is Glascock Mountain, in Northwestern Yolo County. A little over 3,200 acres of BLM-managed public lands, the mountain was legally or physically inaccessible until 2001, when the BLM purchased a parcel further up Highway 16, giving public access to the public lands via the ‘Billy’s Hill’ route. About the same time, I was contacted by the great-great-great-granddaughter of Spencer Glascock. She had never seen photos of their namesake mountain before, and was thrilled to see it on the Yolohiker.org website. She also shared with me a great deal of local history regarding the Glascock family, and the relationship to the mountain that bears their name. In 1850, Spencer Glascock came to Yolo County from Marion County, Missouri, to take part in the Gold Rush. In 1852, he returned to Missouri to bring his wife, Sarah, and their children to the Capay Valley to settle on a Donation land claim. Together they had eleven children. Two of the children, Daniel (aka. Tucker), and Clinton, started a gang of well-known horse thieves. Demand for horses was high in Mendocino County. This demand prompted the duo to steal horses from neighboring counties, bring them up the Capay Valley, then lay over until the re-branded horses healed. The gang’s headquarters was on the top of present-day Glascock Mountain. The location was supposedly marked “with a skull and crossbones carved in a tree”. When visiting Glascock Mountain today, it is easy to see why this would have been a perfect headquarters for a gang of horse thieves. Offering a broad view of the Capay Valley and Cache Creek Canyon, one could immediately see anyone coming to make an arrest and would allow ample time to flee down the ridge. Ada Merhoff’s book, “Capay valley: the land, the people”, relates stories about the gang as told by locals. Her book states that Clinton was blind, and Tucker was hanged after being caught stealing horses in Tulare County. In reality, Clinton wasn’t blind, and Tucker was never hanged. In fact, after Spencer and Sarah Glascock passed away, Clinton and Tucker Glascock gave up their outlaw lifestyles and rode to Weiser, Idaho, to start new lives. Both Tucker and Clinton went on to become honest, respectable men and Clinton became a scout for the Army in Idaho. They did leave Yolo County on a high note; the horses they rode out on were stolen. To climb Glascock Mountain, take Highway 16 through the Capay Valley, past Rumsey, and cross into Colusa County. Park at the large dirt pullout on the left hand side of the Highway, between Colusa County post-mile markers 6.00 and 5.84. Cross Highway 16 and enter the public lands through the small opening in the gate on the other side of the road. Billy's Hill is fairly obvious, since it is the oak and grassland covered hill directly in front of the gate. The best way up is to switchback up the side of the hill, until you reach an old fire road that will ascend the rest of the way to Cortina Ridge. From the gate to the fire road is cross-country, with no marked trail. Once you are on Cortina Ridge, you will find a fire road that traverses the entire length of the ridge. If you head East, you can hike all the way to Glascock Mtn, for fabulous views of Cache Creek Canyon and Fiske Peak. Be warned, the hike out and back to Glascock Mountain is a 10-mile round trip, with a 1700-foot elevation gain in the first two miles. Starting your own horse thief headquarters is optional. ---------- Andrew Fulks is the Secretary for Tuleyome, and the creator of the Yolohiker.org website. With present-day Capay Valley walnut grower Sam Bledsoe, they lead hikes twice a month in the Putah and Cache Creek watersheds through the Capay Valley Hiking Club. They climb Glascock Mountain at least once a year as part of the hike series. They have never stolen any horses. | |
| Posted Jan 6, 2009 8:12 pm | ||
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| Jonodo | Re: The Glascock Brothers - a history | |
Hasn't voted | Great addition. I tried to get some history from the BLM folks when I set up the page but they were no help. Thanks for taking the time. | |
| Posted Jan 12, 2009 11:30 pm | ||
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