From New York in 1900 to California in the present day, this bell has been part of Vallecito’s history. In 1906, Beach Thompson, needing water for his hydraulic mining, and investors in San Francisco, needing electric power, came together to form the Union Construction Co. and the Stanislaus Electric Power Co. to build the Stanislaus Powerhouse, known as Camp Nine. In the early days, the cook used the bell to call workers to their morning and evening meals. In 1923, the bell was given to the town of Vallecito and hung in a locust tree on Main Street for 52 years. It served as a firebell and rang in the new year, beginning a tradition that continues today. In 1981, fearing for the bell’s safety, Dan Cooper, Dan Malatesta, and Jim Saunders rescued it. The Malatesta family donated the land for the Vallecito Volunteer Fire Department, where the bell stands today. The small cottage to the left served as Vallecito’s Post Office from 1891 to 1921, with Hattie Brockway as postmistress.