Celebrated in Ceremony Held at Famed Brookdale Resort
By Lori Suzanne Holetz-Notley
Dateline: March 6th, 1938
Three generations of marriage were celebrated beneath the redwoods at the famous resort in Brookdale, California. Mr. and Mrs. George Notley Sr. of Boulder Creek observed their golden anniversary; Mr. and Mrs. George Notley Jr. of Redding honored their silver anniversary; and the granddaughter of Notley Sr., Joy, was married to Clyde Wirgler Sr. of San Mateo in the gorgeous main dining room, complete with cascading creek and lush ferns to decorate the lavish party.
The wedding of Miss Notley and Mr. Wirgler transpired on the bridge in the main dining room over the waterfall. Following an elegant dinner, the reception was held in the Lodge lobby to accommodate over 100 guests in attendance from all over the bay area.
Mr. George Notley Sr. came to Boulder Creek with his parents in 1871 when he was six years old. Their homestead grant was given to Mr. George Notley’s mother, Mrs. Francis Notley, by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1876.
Mr. Notley and his three brothers operated a mill for redwood ties, posts, and pickets. Mill products were loaded onto ships at Notleys Landing on Highway One just south of Rocky Point in Carmel on the Big Sur coast. A later business operated the Shelter Cove Ranch in Humboldt County. The Notleys opened the first Nickelodeon in Santa Cruz and minted their own in-trade coins. Mr. George Notley’s brother, John Notley, went to Hawaii and married the Princess Kamehameha, becoming part of the Hawaiian Royal Family.
Mr. and Mrs. George Notley, Sr. made their home on three acres of the original land grant just north of Boulder Creek proper. The original Notley homestead remains in the family on Juanita Woods Road, now of seven generations. Great, Great Granddaughter, Lori Suzanne Holetz-Notley and her husband Gregory Barker are restoring the old cabin and efforts to designate the site historic are in the works. Unique hand-forged pack irons from the workings at the Timber Mill are on display in the San Lorenzo Valley Museum in Boulder Creek.
