Old dams along Saratoga Creek

[Allen]

I took a hike along Saratoga Creek right off Sanborn Road and noticed the remains of at least a dozen small concrete dams in the creek. The dams, 3 to 6 feet high, look to be 80 to 100-years-old and are made with water-pipe reinforcing instead of standard reinforcing bars. Being an old ironworker, I surmise that these dams may have been made by local people to create pools for wading. Some of the dams had iron channels and wooden gates for controlling the flow of water.

I also saw a large fire hearth with a chimney about eight-feet tall in a clearing beside one large pool. The cooking? hearth, of brick and concrete, is of the same construction and age as the dams. Perhaps, these dams were made in connection with lumber, livestock or mining operations.

I have seen c1900 photos of well-dressed gentlemen and ladies in buggies picnicking in the canyons above Saratoga, but cannot locate the book now. Does anyone know the history of Saratoga Creek or have a source that I can look at? Thanks, Allen