Lora Kyburz Blair

Lora Kyburz was born on the Clarksville ranch of her late pioneer grandfather, Samuel Kyburz, in 1877. Though they were working-class dairy farmers, the Kyburz family was proud of their rich heritage in the state of California. Samuel was actually an assistant to John Sutter at his fort in Sacramento well before the start of the gold rush. Lora was raised understanding that to be a Kyburz was something to be proud of. Her father later bought a resort town near Silver Fork off modern Highway 50 and named it Kyburz in honor of his father (Lora’s grandfather), Samuel. Lora was an adventurous, hardworking, and lively young woman who enjoyed taking biking excursions around the county at a time when it wasn’t necessarily considered lady-like to do so. Around 1896, Lora acquired her teaching certificate, and for over a decade, she worked as a teacher in small schoolhouses throughout El Dorado County. She later married Matthew Blair, III. Lora and Matthew raised their family in the old Turner Residence off Upper-Main, where they would host Blair family watch parties during Wagon Train Days. Together they had four children, one of whom, Matthew Gordon Blair, would go on to become Mayor of Placerville and also joined with his cousins to establish the Blair Brothers Lumber Company. Lora died in 1957 and spent her entire life as a proud resident of El Dorado County.