Moccasin, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Moccasin, California
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Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct at Moccasin in 2022
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 Moccasin, California
Location in California
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Tuolumne |
| Elevation | 935 ft (285 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
95347
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| Area code | 209 |
| FIPS code | 06-48326 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1659150 |
Moccasin is a small community in Tuolumne County, California. It's not an official city, but a place where people live. You can find it where two main roads, State Route 49 and State Route 120, meet. Moccasin sits by the Moccasin Reservoir, which is close to Lake Don Pedro. This community is also home to a fish hatchery run by the State of California.
In July 2006, a large fire burned about 1,998 acres (8.09 km²) near the Moccasin Powerhouse. The California Department of Forestry worked hard to put out the fire. Many fire engines, helicopters, and bulldozers were used to control it.
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Moccasin's Connection to Hetch Hetchy
Moccasin is mostly owned by the City and County of San Francisco. It's like a "company town." This means that most of the homes are for employees who work on the Hetch Hetchy Water & Power system. Because of this, many buildings are painted the same color, and the homes look similar. You won't find any stores or gas stations in Moccasin.
Building the Powerhouse
Work on the first Moccasin Powerhouse began in late 1921. It was designed by an architect named Henry A. Minton. The powerhouse was finished and started making electricity on August 14, 1925.
Paul James Ost was an important electrical engineer for the Hetch Hetchy project. He was in charge of setting up the power operations. He gathered all the parts for the Moccasin Powerhouse from different companies. He also personally guided the building of the electrical parts. Some people even called it the "Ost Powerhouse" for a while. The original powerhouse stopped working on February 7, 1969.
The New Powerhouse
The current Moccasin Powerhouse was completed and started working on January 27, 1969. It can produce a lot of electricity, about 100,000 kVA. There's also a smaller generator, built in 1986, called the Moccasin Low Head Generating Plant. Moccasin is a very important part of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct system, which brings water to San Francisco.
Moccasin's Past
During the Gold Rush days, Moccasin was a busy stop for stagecoaches. It was located on the Big Oak Flat Road. A covered bridge was built there so people could cross Moccasin Creek safely when the water was high. There was also a mining camp nearby along Moccasin Creek. Because gold miners were successful, robberies were common in the area during those years.
Driving Priest Grade
Just east of Moccasin, State Route 120 starts to climb steeply. It goes from about 910 feet (277 meters) high to about 2,450 feet (747 meters) high in just 4.5 miles (7.2 km).
Old Priest Grade
There's an even older, narrower road called Old Priest Grade. It covers the same big change in height over a shorter distance, about 1.8 miles (2.9 km). Drivers often have to be careful when going down this old road because their brakes can get very hot.
In the summer, temperatures can reach 90-100 °F (32-38 °C). In this heat, many cars can overheat when climbing the old grade. You might even see bottles of water at pull-off spots along Old Priest Grade for drivers to use in their overheating vehicles. A sign on Highway 120 also tells drivers to turn off their car's air conditioning when climbing to prevent overheating.
Locals share stories about cars that had trouble on the old road and went off the path. The hillsides are covered in thick plants, making the area very rugged. Starting in July 2010, construction began to make the curves wider and add guard rails to improve safety.
