USA > California > El Dorado County > Historical souvenir of El Dorado County, California : with illustrations and biographical setches of its prominent men & pioneers > Part 27
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CHAPTER XXV.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, BRIDGES, ETC.
The many streams of perennial running water, having their sources high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, as we have seen before, for a few months in the year only enable a fording at one or another spot, while for the greater part of the year the high stand and the rapid flow of their waters necessitate some other means to carry the travel across. The pioneer emi- grant road of El Dorado county winding itself down from the mountains, following the divide between the Middle Fork of the American river and the head-
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
waters of the North Fork of the Cosumnes, piloted through by the Mormon Hunt, is the only road that avoids all the larger streams and enables a trip from Silver Lake down to Sacramento without crossing one stream of water that amounts to anything. Traveling on all the branch and cross-roads, leading off the for- mer on both sides, however, causes traversing one or another of the larger or smaller rivers that roll their waves down through this county finally to empty into the Sacramento river.
As the first device, to assist the traveling people on said roads across the natural waterways, ferries of the most primitive make up and clumsiest construction and shape were in use; old ship's boats of all sizes had been pressed into the service or an ingenious fellow had accomplished the same purpose by transforming some old emigrant wagon-beds that had come all the way across the continent, while the first were brought up the Sacramento river. Even the simple form of a raft not seldom had to fulfill the programme; until the owners of the place could afford to build a scow of sufficient capacity, to replace the former. Thus continuously laboring against perfecting the system not only as far as the ferryboat itself was concerned, but the better fa- cilities in its motion and the arrangement of the cross- cable also. Such ferries existed from the earliest time at Coloma, at Uniontown, at Chili Bar on the South Fork of the American river, and at Condemned Bar, at Beal's Bar, at Rattlesnake Bar, at Oregon Bar and Murderer's Bar on the American river and the Middle Fork of the same stream. And all these fer- ries had been built in private enterprise and with con- siderable expense, on account that the ferry owner had to build in connection with his ferry the graded road upon both river-banks, until it would join other roads, as an invitation to make the travel go that way, and subsequently to the owner of the ferry was granted the undisputed right to levy a considerable toll on all who took the chance of his privilege. By that means some of the most traveled crossings became quite profitable business places and the sources of riches of their owners ; to this class belonged the fer- ries at Coloma and Uniontown, both connecting the smaller Northern part of the county with thecounty seat, and that one at Murderer's Bar, which from the earliest times carried the travel from Sacramento across here to all the bars on the north bank of the Middle fork and further on to Yankee Jim's, Michigan Bluff's, Iowa Hill, etc.
It is impossible now to decide which one of these ferries in El Dorado county was built first, but after all probability we dare to say, that to the Coloma ferry belongs very likely the predicament as the pioneer ferry, because it formed the connecting link in one of
the oldest and very much traveled roads-Sacramento, Coloma, Georgetown, by the way of Alabama Flat and Johntown.
The emigration, however, kept on to arrive rather in growing proportion from year to year, and as a mat- ter of course, the local as well as the through travel in El Dorado county had to grow in equal proportions, making the demand loud for better and easier means to cross her streams. Men with means did not hesi- tate to answer this just demand by going on to build bridges in opposition to the ferries, or the owners of the latter, to keep up with the time, undertook the erection of some bridge structure in place of the ferry, or in addition to the ferry either. The first bridge thus built in this county was
THE COLOMA BRIDGE,
a wooden structure crossing the South fork of the American river from Coloma to the village of North Coloma, on the opposite bank of the river. John T. Little, now of San Francisco, was the proprietor of the ferry at this crossing ; he sold his interest to E. T. Raun, who immediately, in February, 1851, went to work and put up here a common truss structure of three spans and sixteen feet breadth. This bridge, though rough, was quite substantial built and stood the floods of several years; but anticipating that it would not stand a higher freshet without some larger repair- ing, Mr. Raun preferred to build a new, bridge right away. This second structure was then erected in the Fall of 1855; it had the same proportions in the main parts, but was stronger and more substantial than the old one, and was set up on a much higher foundation. The general belief was, that this bridge was safe against any flood; in spite of this belief, however, it was de- stroyed by the Spring flood of 1862, which swept away most all the bridges in the country. Mr. Raun in the meantime, 1856, had sold out his interest in this and other bridges, to R. A. Pearris and A. H. Richards, who in the Fall of 1862 built another bridge on the same spot, which was finished in December the same year. And after, this was swept away also, no more attempt has been made to span the river for the ac- commodation of wagons, the travel, influenced by the railroad and other motives, has changed into other channels, and at present the frail construction of a nar- row wire suspension bridge or walk, only for footmen, is leading across the South fork from Coloma to the North side.
At .Uniontown the first bridge was erected in 1851; it was built on a subscription of sixty shares and run in opposition to the ferry. This bridge was renewed by Pogue, Ingelsby and Roubant in 1855, and after the flood of 1862 washed away the approaches, these
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INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. BRIDGES, ETC.
latter have been renewed again. The middle span, supported by heavy wooden girders of eighty feet in length, on account of the high bank on the north side of the river is set up so high above the water that no flood could injure it. The present owners are Messrs. Pogue Bros. and Oliver Merrill, John Covington is their agent. Tolls on this bridge ran as high as $600 and $800 a month; to collect $25, in a single hour, was not considered anything too extraordinary.
A few miles further down the same stream was Rock Bridge, so-called on account of the natural abutments found there in early days for the construction of a bridge. Wm. Gaylord was the first man who fully rec- ognized this opportunity and took advantage of it by building a bridge across, which together with the con- necting road for a long while served as a thorough- fare between Georgetown and Sacramento. The travel on this road, together with the facilities offered for diggings in the river bed, started quite a lively mining camp here around the bridge, and the popula- tion for years was large enough to keep up two stores. The first store was owned by James Wing, and was used as an election poll until 1874 or 1875. Another store was kept by W. H. Matherly. The village, how- ever, has disappeared, the site of it makes now a part of Mr. G. Bassi's dairy ranch.
The main traveled road between Sacramento and Georgetown, by the way of Pilot Hill or Centerville, crossed the South Fork of the American river at Salmon Falls. The first bridge here was built in 1853, and changing hands became the property of E. T. Raun, the owner of the Coloma bridge, now in San Francisco. Early in 1855 this bridge was washed away by the flood, but was replaced the same year by a first-class structure with wooden girder trusses. In 1856 it was sold, together with the Coloma bridge, to R. A. Pearris and A. H. Richards, and like this sister bridge it was carried away by the flood in 1862, not to be built up after that, and this road, once one of the most traveled in the county, is only passable in the latter part of the year, when the river can be forded.
E. and H. George, in 1853, undertook to build in- stead of their ferry a strong and substantial bridge, at Chili Bar, which became a very important improve- ment on the road from Placerville to Georgetown, by way of Kelsey and Spanish Flat. This bridge was open for foot and horsemen, as well as pack trains, on the 1st of December, of said year, while the grades up and down the mountains on both sides, for the passage of wagons, were not finished before May or June of 1854. With the opening of this bridge the Pioneer stage line, running between Placerville and George- town, had its stages running over this route and bridge, and when the line was extended from Georgetown,
across the Middle Fork of the American river at Spanish Bar to Paradise, North Star house, Todd's valley and Yankee Jim's, a bridge like the Coloma bridge was built across the Middle fork at Spanish Bar, by E. T. Raun of Coloma, which in 1857 came into the possession of Mr. Richards. On the road from Work's ranch to Mount Gregory, in Georgetown town- ship, a toll bridge crossing the waters of Otter creek was built in the year of 1854 or 1855, McCoy & Co. were the proprietors. Among other smaller bridges in the county we mention Morrill's bridge on the main Placerville and Sacramento road, between Placerville and Diamond Springs, crossing Weber creek, and George Out's bridge on the turnpike road between Placerville and El Dorado, across the same creek. The latter was built on shares in the fall of 1855, and the stockholders of the road and bridge were : G. A. Cook, John L. Shober, S. Lion, Alfred Bell, W. J. Burwell, P. Quinlin, A. Clark, and Wm. and George Stewart. Near Buck's Bar, on the North Fork of the Cosumnes river, was Buzan's bridge crossing that river, one of the first bridges built in this section of the county. The same has to be said about S. E. Huse's bridge at Yeomet, carrying the travel along the road that connected the Northern and Southern mines across the Cosumnes river. The same river, some time later, became spanned by a wooden truss girder bridge, also at Wisconsin Bar.
Sixteen and five-eighths miles east of Placerville, where the Johnson's Cut-off road crossed the South Fork of the American river, was Bartlett's bridge, car- rying a great part of the emigrant travel across the rapid stream. It was a heavy wooden structure, but could not resist the force of the high water which came down in torrents on March 7th, 1855, and was swept away. The communication thus interrupted for a while, caused the travel to go the other route. Then B. Brockless took up the idea given by Sherman Day, who some time previous, surveying on the State road line, had designated a point, a few miles further up, as the place where the road ought to cross the river. Here a bridge was soon built, known as Brockless bridge.
The North Fork of the American river, from theearli- est time, was spanned with bridges at several places, on account of the travel between Sacramento and the mining camps and towns in the adjoining counties, then going all through El Dorado county. Besides those already mentioned bridges, at Condemned Bar, Whisky Bar and Oregon Bar, the river had one more crossing at Wild Goose flat ; this bridge, together with the connecting turnpike road, was owned by the Horse- shoe Bar and Pilot Hill Turnpike company, D. A. Rice, secretary.
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
The first " Wire-rope Suspension Bridge " that was ever built in this county, is said to have been the one erected by N. H. Smith, crossing the Middle Fork of the American river at Murderer's bar, built in 1854. The suspension bridge at Whisky Bar, below the junc- tion on the same stream, was built the year after, in 1855, by a company; Abraham Bronk, being one of the company, was superintending the work, and after his deposition the structure was completed for the sum of $50,000. Mr. Bronk also contracted and superintended the wire-rope suspension bridge across the American river at Folsom.
At Mormon Island was the first bridge built in 1851, by J. W. Shaw; this was a wooden structure after the common American truss system, and after the high water, in the Spring of 1855, had washed it away, Mr. Shaw immediately decided to have a wire- rope bridge put up on the same place, which was erected during the following summer, and carried the travel here across the South fork of the American river until 1862, when the high flood in January swept it unmercifully away. The travel was then suspended for a while, but with untired energy Mr. Shaw rebuilt the bridge soon after, and took precau- tion to set it up on a higher point of the bank, where it stood the floods for more than twenty years. The span of this bridge is roo yards, and its entire breadth 20 feet. It was erected at a cost of $15,000, and always was a fine paying property. J. W. Shaw sold his interest to L. M. Russell and R. P. Culver, who continued to collect the toll until a few years ago, when it was sold by them to El Dorado and Sacra- mento counties, in equal parts ; since then the super- visors of this county declared it a free bridge.
of two and a-half and three miles in length respec- tively, were passable for all kinds of wagons in Sep- tember of the same year.
Patrick Gordon, in 1859, built another wire-rope suspension bridge across the Middle fork of the Amer- ican river at Volcano Bar. And still another bridge of the same construction crosses the South fork of the American river on the road from Placerville to Mosquito valley.
STAGE LINES.
The discovery of gold at Coloma and the rush of gold-hunters of early days, who all had the idea that this new El Dorado was concentrated to the very spot of Coloma, turned the entire travel of 1848 and '49 from Sacramento up over the road that Capt. Sut- ter piloted through the woods of the foot-hills, for the communication between the fort of New Helvetia and his sawmill ; and periodically this road was perhaps the most traveled road in the United States, being crowded day and night in the periods that followed the arrival of each steamer or larger vessels in the harbor of San Francisco. But conveyances were scarce in California at that time, all traveling being made on horseback. The Oregonians were the first to bring their big wagons into California and El Do- ¡rado, and these became the first means and the ma- terial with which to undertake the first change in the transportation of passengers and freight from horse- back to a wagon seat, a kind of fast-freight. The first regular stage line was established between Sacra- mento and Coloma, and about the same time Graham, of Georgetown, run a stage from Coloma to George- town, which was united, however, with the former line soon after. Another line of stages owned and man- aged by Dr. Thomas and James Burch, established as the "California Stage Company" in 1851, running from Georgetown by the way of Pilot Hill and Salmon Falls to Sacramento, with a branch line from Salmon Falls to Auburn. When the Sacramento Valley Rail- road was finished to Folsom this stage line run to con- nect with the railroad at Folsom, and was sold to Wellington ; he sold to Thos. Orr. The United States Mail contract was then awarded to H. F. Page, now United States Senator, and Bart. Morgan, who sold to Lewis & Houchin, the latter selling out his half interest to Lovejoy, leaving the property in the possession of Lovejoy and J. L. Lewis, who run two lines of daily stages now from Auburn to Georgetown and Placerville both ways.
Lyon's bridge, on the toll road from Auburn station to Cave valley, is a wire suspension bridge of about 85 yards span, swinging across the North Fork of the American river directly below the junction of the North and Middle forks. The construction of this bridge was accomplished during the summer of 1865. W. C. Lyon, the principal owner of this bridge, in 1856, had erected a suspension bridge across the same stream at Condemned Bar, and when the travel at the latter place began to slack down, he took the bridge down and removed such parts as were practicable to the site of his present bridge. It is the most important link in the thoroughfare between El Dorado and Placer counties, connecting those towns in the north- ern part of the former county-Georgetown, Green- wood valley, Cave valley, Pilot Hill, Coloma, etc., A stage line was established also in early days be- with the railroad at Auburn station ; forming one of tween Sacramento and Placerville via Diamond the few outlets for market products of the county. The Springs, and soon after, in 1851, Stevens & Co. com- menced to run an opposition line, the older line, bridge was completed and nearly ready for the passage of foot and horsemen on July 7th, 1866 ; the grades | however, sold out and the latter had its own way,
.. .
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INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. BRIDGES, ETC.
running two cars daily in each direction, until an- other opposition turned up on December 19th, 1854. Bill Williams set the fare down to $5.00; and kept up with the opposition for several years, but finally succumbed. Stevens' line, called the "Pioneer Stage Line," with Alex. Hunter as agent, on July 3d, 1854, added a line of stages to run between Placerville and Georgetown, by the way of Kelsey and Spanish Flat to connect at Placerville with their main line from Sacramento, and continued from Georgetown by the way of Spanish Bar across the Middle Fork of the American river. In April, 1855, another branch line commenced running between Fiddletown and Mud Springs, connecting with the Sacramento stage at the latter place. With the activity of the railroad, this stage line had to accommodate itself to the terminus of the railroad, thus changing its course from Sacra- mento to Folsom, to Latrobe, to Shingle Springs. The coaches of this line are still running between Shingle Springs and Placerville, and Placerville and George- town.
Messrs. Condee & Co., the owners of a stage run- ning between Placerville and Coloma since 1851 or '52, on August Ist, 1854, inaugurated a new tri-weekly stage from Placerville to Drytown, Amador county, by the way of Diamond Springs, Mud Springs, Log- town and the Forks of the Cosumnes, (Yeomet) con- necting with stage lines running to the Southern mines, and changed on April Ist, 1855, into a daily stage with very good result. The consequence of this result was that a party of Drytown denizens started an opposition stage line on the same route, which commenced running in the middle of March, 1856, tri-weekly, with Mr. Asa D. Waugaman of the Orleans Hotel, as resident agent at Placerville. The same gentleman was agent for a stage line established about the same time, the Spring of 1856, running tri- weekly between Placerville and Indian Diggings, own- ed by Messrs. Geo. C. Hanclin & Co., which line also had for some time an opposition running against it. Of other minor stage routes we shall only men- tion Mr. Henry Larkin's Omnibus stage line, es- tablished March 24, 1857, making two daily trips between Placerville and El Dorado.
In June, 1857, when the first work for improving the Johnson's Cut-off road, across the Sierra Nevada from Placerville to Carson valley, was just commenc- ing, the Board of wagon road directors made an inspecting trip over the said road, on which occasion the pioneer stage-man of the Pacific slope, Col. J. B. Crandall, took one of his six-horse Concord stages over the mountains, with the intention to start a weekly stage between Placerville and Genoa, which was altered to a semi-weekly stage line on May 18, Genoa and Mormon station.
1858, running as an overland mail line from Placerville to Genoa, Carson valley, Sink of the Humboldt and Salt Lake City. The passenger fare from Placerville to Salt Lake City amounted to $125.00. This, how- ever, was only the embryo of the great
OVERLAND MAIL LINE,
Which was established from the Atlantic to the Pa- cific States soon after. The first overland through mail coach from the East successfully arrived at Placerville on July 19, 1858, over this first continen- tal mail route, and was continued regularly for nearly ten years, up to the time when the Central Pacific Railroad commenced to run regular trains to Cisco, when the stages were taken over there.
EXPRESS COMPANIES.
The oldest express line in El Dorado county, which was run in connection with Stevens' Placerville and Sacramento stages, was established by Alex. Hunter, the agent of the California Stage line; this line con- nected with Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express office at Sacramento, and was kept up as an independent office for years, until in 1855 Mr. Hunter sold out to Wells, Fargo & Co., and became the resident agent of the company. Branch offices of Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express had been established at Diamond Springs, Mr. C. N. Noteware, agent ; Mud Springs, Mr. T. J Organ, agent, and at Fiddletown. Later on the express firm established offices at Georgetown, Greenwood valley, Pilot Hill and Latrobe; of these at the present day there are-only those of Placerville, Diamond Springs, El Dorado, Georgetown and Latrobe in activity. In connection with Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express office at Placerville, Harris' Express in 1854 started an express line from Placerville passing Co- loma, Greenwood valley, Georgetown, Spanish Dry Diggings, Spanish Bar bridge, Paradise, North Star house, Todd's valley and Yankee Jim's. Mr. Asa L. Waugaman, of Placerville, established an express line connecting with Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express offices at Placerville and Diamond Springs to Grizzly Flat, on May Ist, 1857. Redd's Express line was established in June, 1857, running daily from Placerville and con- necting with Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express, to Indian Diggings by way of Brownsville, Cedarville, Fairplay and Coxville. About the same time-middle of June, 1857-Mr. Theo. F. Tracy opened a tri-weekly ex- press line from Placerville to Genoa in Carson valley, connecting at Placerville with Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express and running with Crandall's stage line, just then started via Sportsman's Hall, Brockless' bridge, Silver creek, Lake valley, Hope valley, Cary's mill to
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
The banking and express firm of Adams & Co. had established an express line between San Francisco and Placerville some time in 1853, Mr. R. G. Noyes being the resident agent of the firm at Placerville. After the collapse of the firm in the Spring of 1855, Mr. Noyes was elected president of the succeeding Pacific Express Co., which opened business on July Ist, 1855, with Theo. F. Tracy agent at Placerville ; Charles P. Jackson agent at El Dorado, and J. D. Jackson agent at Diamond Springs.
In September, 1857, Messrs. Davis & Roy opened an express line between Placerville and San Francisco called "The Alta Express." This company, however, discontinued about the middle of November, 1858, to leave Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express the sole trader and monopolist.
Theo. F. Tracy, of Placerville, and J. J. Spear, Jr., of Georgetown, in the Spring of 1858, established the "Tracy & Spear's Express" between Placerville and Georgetown, via Kelsey and Spanish Flat, connecting at Georgetown with the Great Pioneer Express for Volcanoville, Last Chance, Ground Hog's Glory, Mount Gregory, Hell's Delight and Bogus Thunder.
The Central Overland Pony Express company started their "Letter Express " from San Francisco to New York through in nine days, on Tuesday, April 3d, 1860, Wm. W. Finney, agent. The charge for a letter, originally five dollars, was reduced for letters of one- fourth of an ounce weight to two dollars and a half.
Out of 217 post-offices in the State of California on January Ist, 1856, the following 17 had been estab- lished in El Dorado county : Cedarville, Clarksville, Cold Springs, Coloma, Diamond Springs, Fiddletown, Georgetown, Garden Valley, Grizzly Flat, Indian Dig- gings, Mud Springs, Newtown, Pilot Hill, Placerville, Salmon Falls, Spanish Flat and Yeomet.
Governor Brown, Post Master General, in 1858, established the following post-offices with the post- masters on the regular route between Placerville in California and Genoa in Carson valley :
At Lake Valley P. O., Martin Smith, P. M.
At Cary's Mill P. O., Samuel Ward, P. M.
At Job's store P. O., Moses Job, P. M.
At Daggett's Run P. O., Dr. Charles D. Daggett, P.M.
At present there are post-offices at the following named places in El Dorado county : Clarksville, Co- loma, Columbia Flat (St. Lawrence,) Diamond Springs, El Dorado (Mud Springs,) Fair Play, Fyffe, Garden Valley, Georgetown, Granite Hill, Green Valley, Greenwood, Kelsey, Lake Valley, Latrobe, Mendon, Nashville, Newtown, Pacific, Pilot Hill, Placerville, Pleasant Valley, Rowland's, Salmon Falls, Shingle Springs, Slippery Ford, Smith's Flat, Tallac House, Uniontown (Lotus.)
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