The HouseYou'll find it on maps and on U.S. Forest Service records as the Hour House, a former stage stop located in Sierra County, California. Many oldtimers, including prospectors, called it the Our House. Mr. Harris, the former owner and a congenial fellow, like to call it "Our House" and welcomed travelers with open arms. The old horse-drawn stage drivers called it the "Hour House", since it was one hour from Emory's Ford and also one hour from Freeman's Crossing. The Downieville Messenger, a weekly publication, ran several articles pro and con, and finally sided with the "Our House" group. The Forest Service had a fenced experimental grazing plot with a sign reading "Hour House Range". The last time I saw it, the 'H' in "Hour" was gone. This had changed several times before. The author is tempted to try and settle the dispute - if it weren't for the law on mutilation of government property - and substitute a "Y" calling it "Your House".  (1979) The following is the text of a letter from Judge Acton Cleveland about the House, quoted in The Tarweed Kid. "Now, where are we at with further reference to the proper name of the Hour House? Being a younger man, I do not quote myself as being an authority on such matters. However, as a basis for what I've written on this subject for your paper, I've taken some of the best authorities on pioneer history in this section, and I still want proof from the other side to convince me that I am wrong... I take this opportunity to quote my grandfather who packed groceries to this roadhouse 65 years ago that there was a big sign painted on the end of the buildings and another over the gate reading "Hour House". At one time he asked the proprietor if it was "Our House" and he replied, "N0!This is MY house. Can't you read? The sign is on the gate!" "It was not impossible for horses to make the trip in one hour. To verify this, seventy years ago, a stagecoach with nineteen passengers made the trip from Virginia City to Nevada City in 13 1/2 hours. H.S. Tibby, pioneer editor of the Mountain Messenger, also verifies the original name of the "Hour House". For those who have never seen the name written, it may sound like "our house," but in actual history, it is referred to as a stopping place named "Hour House". And so it should be called today. Very truly yours, A.M. Cleveland" |