October 8, 2019 – The Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission is pleased to announce the installation and dedication of a plaque honoring the Wolf Post Office on Sunday, October 6, 2019.
Ranchers and farmers began to settle the historic agricultural community of Wolf in the 1860s. William Sweet arrived in Wolf in 1869, immigrating from Cornwall, and purchased 200 acres before his wife and children joined him in 1871.
On August 24, 1888, a post office was established for the growing population of Wolf. John Sweet, one of William’s sons, ran the post office from the living room of his ranch house and it soon became a community center and gathering place for approximately 75 residents of Wolf.
It is believed that John Sweet was the longest serving U.S. Postmaster, continually running the Wolf Post Office for 52 years until his nephew W. B. Sweet took over on February 19, 1940. W. B. moved the Post Office from his uncle’s home to a small building close by and served the Wolf community until 1956 when the post office was decommissioned with only 2 residents utilizing the service.
The dedication and celebration of the landmark plaque was attended by approximately 60 people as well as Supervisor Ed Scofield, members of the Commission, and members of the Sweet family. Commission Chair, Bernie Zimmerman, gave a brief presentation on the history of the area and Post Office, and both Supervisor Scofield and Don Sweet spoke and thanked the crowd for attending.
To read more about this and other historical landmarks in Nevada County use the Commission’s interactive map which can be found on its website nevadacountylandmarks.com, or its ebook, Exploring Nevada County, available from ibooks or Amazon.
The purpose of the Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission is to promote the general welfare of Nevada County and its citizens through official recognition, recording, marking, preserving, and promoting the historical resources of Nevada County.