Formation The
Hume-Bennett Lumber Company was formed in 1905 when Thomas Hume and Ira B. Bennett purchased the
Sanger Lumber Company. Little uncut lumber remained in the vicinity of the mill in the
Converse Basin so a new location was sought closer to uncut stands of timber. First, it would provide storage for logs cut from surrounding virgin groves. From this body of water, floating logs could be drawn into an adjacent mill to be cut. Second, the rough cut lumber could then be transported out of the mountains in a
flume filled with water from the reservoir. To create this reservoir,
John S. Eastwood was hired in 1908 to construct a dam at Long Meadow. Logs were dumped into the reservoir by rail and floated to the dam where they were drawn up into the mill, cut and then dried in kilns next to the mill on the west bank of Tenmile Creek. From this location, lumber was floated to
Sanger, California, in a flume filled with water from the reservoir. The flume was the longest ever created, eventually stretching from Hume Lake to Sanger. Designed and built by James Carroll Goss, the flume was used by both the lumber company and tourists. Thrill seeking tourists would occasionally ride in the flume down from the Sierras in special boats designed with an open prow so that water would help keep the boats from flying off into the air. The flume was also reputedly utilized in 1893 by the bandit
Chris Evans, of the Evans-Sontag Gang of Train Robbers, who hid along the flume to evade capture after escaping from the Fresno County Jail with his accomplice
Ed Morrell. The dam and reservoir survive today little changed from their original appearance in 1908. The dam stands in height and extends in length. The dam is founded on granite bedrock and consists of twelve arches, which are supported by intervening
buttresses on the downstream side. The height was set at because of a tract of land
not owned by Hume-Bennet along the reservoir's edge that would have been inundated by water if the dam had been built any higher. The water level was maintained at a level slightly lower than it typically is today, through the use of spillway openings in the dam structure, which have since been filled. On April 8, 1935, the
United States Forest Service purchased the entire operation and its holdings, including the dam and forest surrounding Hume Lake, incorporating it into the
Sequoia National Forest.
Dam repairs From 1953 to 1954, the lake was drained for a safety inspection. During the inspection, it was apparent the dam was unfit and the lake would remain empty. The board of
Hume Lake Christian Camps approached the
California Fish and Game Department suggesting the dam be resurfaced. A six-inch cement coating was applied to the front face of the dam. The repairs were completed in 80 days and the lake was refilled. == Current use ==