Letts Valley

Jack and David Lett settled this high valley in 1855 and dug a tunnel to drain it. The valley is a Forest Service lake now, and its spillway runs where their drainage tunnel ran; the 2018 Ranch Fire left the dam unsound until it was repaired. Both brothers were killed here in 1877, on the ground that is now the campground. The 1960 bronze says they died in an attempt to prevent squatters from settling on their land, a sentence that never says whose attempt it was or who fired.

What the plaque says

Letts Valley This valley was settled in 1855 by Jack and David Lett. The present lake spillway is the site of a tunnel built by them to facilitate drainage. Both brothers were killed in 1877, at the site of the present camp grounds, in an attempt to prevent squatters from settling on their land. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 736 Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Colusa County Board of Supervisors and the Colusi Historical Society, August 21, 1960.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Bloody Island (Bo-no-po-ti) — 14 mi
• Sulphur Bank Mine — 20 mi
• Old Lake County Courthouse — 21 mi
• Swift's Stone Corral — 22 mi