"Orville Brown, the long-time Forest Service land surveyor, told me years ago that his family lived in the little house at the junction of Bucks Lake Road and Spanish Ranch Road, where the Pineleaf [creek] intersection comes in. His family moved the well house from the property on the rise above or across from their place, and attached it to their house for his bedroom. The left-behind well must have been covered over with planks, or some such. The location of this abandoned well is between the Wilson place and the road to town. It makes sense that that this well should be excavated."
link- see the comments at bottom
My point is Mark lived on rural property, and the well was on property between his home and the main road. It was probably a daily routine to cut across the property to hit the bus stop, which would have been located on the same main road where he intended to hitch into town (Bucks Lake Rd, now also known as the Oroville-Quincy Hwy). From the above-quoted description, the well and Wilson property was north of the
junction pinpointed here. If so, it meant he had to cross the creek
at this rural bridge to reach Bucks Lake Rd.
I just realized this morning a very good friend of mine has been friends with Mark's mom for decades, so I hope to soon know much more about where the property and well are, and other details pertinent to Mark's case.