September 11, 1899 is special day for me. It was on the date my grandmother Lola Lily Murrer was born in Willow Creek Valley, the eldest child of Edward and Mary (Knoch). Murrer. She had special affinity for photography. I am grateful for the photographs she took of Eagle Lake during its high water levels of the mid 1910s and of the Bly Tunnel construction. The Murrer Ranch was great hub activity during the tunnel construction. The tunnel outlet abutted the Murrer ranch. According to family lore, my grandfather, John Tanner, briefly worked as a teamster hauling supplies to the tunnel works and is how the two met. He had a ranch in the Standish district where they raised their family.

The family sold the ranch in 2025. While going through ranch house prior to the sale, her great-great grandson located three boxes of her photographs. Most of thee are from the 1930s onward and I have not had an opportunity to inspect them. Whether there are early day Eagle Lake photographs I do not know. Whatever the case may be, if there are any interesting photographs, I will let the readers know.

Tim