Noble Demonstration State Forest
Noble Demonstration State Forest (NDSF) became state property on December 7, 2022, as a result of a settlement agreement from PG&E in 2001. CAL FIRE received the Noble Demonstration State Forest as well as Miller Demonstration State Forest, Big Bend Demonstration State Forest, and other properties across the state as part of the same settlement.
Forest resources include mixed conifer forest consisting of ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, Douglas-fir, grey pine, California black oak, canyon-live oak, and blue oak. A diverse shrub component includes dense patches of Himalayan blackberry, poison oak, willows, Oregon grape, manzanita, and scattered California buckeye. The property also features annual grasslands and open meadows.
Historical evidence from the Gold Rush era and the large emigrant movement to California has been documented on NDSF. Because the Nobles’ 1851 Emigrant Trail passes near the vicinity of the forest, it is possible that resources associated with that period may have been deposited within the boundaries of NDSF.
This property lies within the ancestral territory of the Central Yana people. The forest was named after Hamden Holmes Noble who left a lasting impression on the community’s past. Noble is noted for establishing the Keswick Electric Power Company in 1900 which provided hydroelectric power to the Iron Mountain Copper Company’s smelter. The hydroelectric project required the construction of both Grace and Nora Lakes (named for Noble’s daughters). Noble’s Bungalow (also known as Castle in the Sky or Noble’s Castle) was built on the property in 1903 but was destroyed by a wildland fire in 1917. A plaque was dedicated in 1988 to memorialize its location.
The property has been owned by PG&E and its precursor power companies since 1900.