Southwest Sierra #124 – The Emporium

This week’s article is about a place near Alleghany that has provided a form of recycling for many years: the dump! For over 50 years, first the landfill, then the transfer station, have been located near the junction of Forest City Road (aka Mountain House) and Alleghany Star Route (aka Ridge Road). In the past, many of the locals jokingly referred to it as “The Emporium.” As the saying goes: “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” I don’t know exactly when the landfill was converted into a transfer station; probably close to 40 years ago. Both before and after it was converted into a transfer station, the place wasn’t fenced or gated and there was no attendant.

During the time of no attendant, many of us would “dumpster dive” if we saw something that we wanted or that might be useful. Many people also set things that might be desired by others near the dumpster rather than in it. My favorite “score” was a 1950’s era black bathing suit in perfect condition and just my size. (I was smaller then!) Historical documents, clothes, books, dishes, appliances that still worked, you name it, we would find it. Underground Gold Miners Museum has at least two collections of photos that were found at the dump.

One of the early transfer station attendants, a man named Ivar mentioned in “Mountain Children” (SS#67) continued the practice of putting reusable things to the side of the dumpster rather than in it. The tradition continues to this day. Our transfer station even has a “library” section with books and DVDs. Friends from Nevada County tell me that the McCourtney Road Transfer Station in Grass Valley is ahead of the curve on this concept. They have sheds and buildings for all kinds of things that are pulled from the “garbage”. On a visit to their transfer station, one can shop for used building supplies, various types of hardware, gardening supplies, and more.

Just as “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” So too is “One man’s mess another man’s treasure trove.” In the past, I’ve heard of rumblings to “clean up that mess!” In my opinion, this sort of recycling is something that the County should encourage in any way possible. What better way to reduce the number of dumpsters that must be shipped to Nevada than to decrease the amount of stuff that goes into them? This saves money and resources all around.