USA > California > El Dorado County > Historical souvenir of El Dorado County, California : with illustrations and biographical setches of its prominent men & pioneers > Part 38
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" MURDERER'S BAR;"
By which the spot has ever since been known. But Merritt and Buckner did not deem it prudent to remain there. They preferred to camp in some more open spot less liable to be approached by the Indians under cover, and crossing the river in a dug-out canoe, they established themselves with animals and para- phernalia upon the Placer county side of the Middle Fork at Buckner's Bar, with the river between them- selves and their dangerous foe. Who the men killed were, has never been satisfactorily determined. They probably met their fate late in the fall of 1848; and Mr. Buckner is of the opinion that there were three of them, two of them Wood and Graham, who came into the country with him in Capt. Martin's party of Oregonians."
There were some companies of miners working on this bar in the summer of 1849, but most of them left on account of the commencing raining season, only five men built cabins on the bank, as they thought sufficiently high up to be out of the reach of the high water; but were surprised by the rising of the water on January 9th, 1850, which drove them as fast as they were able higher up on the hill, without giving them time to save anything out of the cabins, the waters of the river, rising sixty feet in one day, took away all their property.
In 1850, the miners of Murderer's Bar, for the pur- pose of working on a large fluming process, consoli- dated with the miners of New York Bar, Vermont, Buckner's Bar and Sailors Claim, to join flumes and
work alltogether on shares: Stephen Tyler and Lef- ingwell, of Murderer's Bar, took the contract to build the flume of twelve feet wide by three feet high, and over a mile in length, and a very busy time began in the canyon of the Middle Fork of the American river. There were not less than six hundred men engaged in different kinds of work on those five river bars, in- cluding the construction, etc., of the big flume, and about one half of them accounted for Murderer's Bar. A ferry had been built the same year and the roads to make the ferry useful led up through Cave valley towards Pilot Hill, and on the Placer county side towards Yankee Jim's, becoming quite a trav- eled road from Sacramento to all the mining camps in this part of Placer county.
The miners cabins built up quite a little village in 1850; only five men had decided to remain on the bar the fall before. The first stores in the village were kept by E. C. Cromwell, from Michigan, and Moss, from St. Joseph, Missouri. Some difficulties about a mining claim between one Beck and one Walker, in 1850, led to an earnest hostility and ended in the murder of Beck, who was shot by Walker w th a shot- gun across the river, Walker was on the EI Dorado county side, while Beck stood on Placer county side. The first white woman in the village was Mrs. A. Har- ris, now of Greenwood Township, El Dorado county-
The population of Murderer's Bar was growing constantly ; in 1855 the town had over five hundred inhabitants, and always represented one of the live- liest mining camps up to the year of 1858 or 1860. Lee and Marshall's National circus made an excursion down into the canyon once, and gave exhibitions here and at Rattlesnake Bar. The gold found at this and the neighboring bars was all fine scale gold of very rich quality ; never was any large pieces found. Of first settlers at Murderer's Bar may be mentioned ; E. C. Cromwell; Jim Stewart ; Geo. Melville ; Col. Potter; Wm. Harris who discovered the back part of it ; Phil. Herbert ; Judge Hammond ; Kerup Anderson ; Bur- ton
Bros. Walker Bros. Jim Beckwoulth and Shabanau; Geo. Schofield ; Col. Kipp; Hugh J. Glenn, late of Colusa county. Jno. Percival, known as "Cranky Jack ;" Dave Helmes ; Clerk Helmes and two others died violent death's here. C. Cooledge, kept store and hotel at this Bar up to 1854 or 1855.
SPANISH DRY DIGGINGS.
Is situated in the northern part of El Dorado county, on the summit of the hill above the Middle Fork of the American river, five miles from Georgetown, four miles from Greenwood, Spanish Bar, El Dorado Slide, Dutch Bar, Rocky Chucky Canyon Creek and
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LOCAL HISTORY.
other noted localities of early mining days are within a short distance.
In 1848, Don Andreas Pico, brother of ex-Governor Pio Pico, organized a company of Mexican miners, chiefly Sonorians, for the purpose of a prospecting tour through the Sierras, to test the extent of Marshall's discovery of gold. The company thus organized under the leadership of Don Andreas, proceeded north to the Yuba river, and from thence south to the Stanislaus, traversing and superficially prospecting all the since celebrated mineral belt known to the world as California's richest placer diggings.
In the course of his trip Don Andreas passed through what is known as Spanish Dry Diggings. Resting a short time here, the most experienced of his men, detailed for prospecting, were at work in the ravines, obtained rich prospects in coarse gold of a quartz nature.
In 1849, the report of Don Andreas having be- come generally known among the Mexicans, others of that nationality became in many instances the pio- neers in mining settlements. Thus it was here, the first settlers were of Spanish-American origin. Soon after came Americans, Germans and others. The name of the first trading-post, or permanent settle- ment was Dutchtown, after which the name of the village was changed to correspond with that by which the mines in the vicinity were known, and thus came the name of Spanish Dry Diggings.
In 1854, the first quartz-seam diggings were dis- covered here, which has since resulted in the develop- ment and working of many valuable mines, the most celebrated ot which are the Grit, Barr, Short Handle, Cherry Hill, Summit, Davis, Taylor, and others of less note. The amount of gold taken from these claims has been very large, the best authority of the place estimating the Grit and Barr claims alone to have yielded $500.000 and $300,000 respectively .*
Aside from these seam diggings there is the cele- brated Sliger quartz claim, a true and well-defined quartz lode, owned and worked by Messrs. Hunter, Wade, Roush, Simpers, Hines and Grinnell ; a claim, undoubtedly among the best in the county if not in the State. The owners are content to themselves, quietly working their claim without the aid of outside capital, which fact of itself is the best recommenda- tion. About one mile north of the Sliger mine, and
on the same lode is the claim of Messrs. Hines & Co., worked continuously and profitably.
Among the earliest and best known citizens are Messrs. W. R. Davis, John Hines and T. M. Buckner '49 ers. Messrs. G. W. Hunter, G. W. Simpers, A. Rooke, James K. Easterbrook, Trueworthy Durgan and Andrew Deller still reside here. The present population approximates about a hundred souls, liv- ing in comfortable residences with beautiful surround- ings which will stand comparison with any one of the sister mining towns in the county. The town com- prises now only one store ; the first store in town was kept by Folger, now of San Francisco, about a quarter of a mile below where the present store stands, and also a good school house.
GREENWOOD, OR GREENWOOD VALLEY
Was originally called "Long Valley," and a trading post opened there sometime either in 1848 or the Spring of 1849, by John Greenwood ; the first general store there was opened by Lewis B. Myers, Nathan Fairbanks and Louis Lane. Lane died soon and the business was continued by Fairbanks and Myers, but when, sometime after, they added a butcher shop to their business, Wm. P. Crone was taken as a partner. On the 25th of March, 1850, a son was born to Lewis B. Myers, and the town was called Lewisville after the first-born child in the township, if not in the county also. The name, however, was changed when a Post office was established, on account of there be- ing another Louisville in the county, and Greenwood Valley substituted therefore. It is located in one of the loveliest little valleys of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada ; about five miles south of Georgetown, on the highway from Cave Valley to Georgetown. Here in early days a nice and lively village developed in a considerable short time, with a good society, in number as well as in kind, and as a proof for this as- sertion may be stated that the young men of the place once erected a theater with all conveniences and comforts, which was well supported by the people of town and the surrounding mining camps. The peo- ple of this town had even higher aspirations. In 1854, when the fight for the change of the county seat of El Dorado first commenced, Greenwood Val- ley concurred in the agitation and made quite a good race. There existed quite a number of large mer- cantile houses kept by : John Allen, from Ohio; Har- rison Hilton & Cohea, John and Robert Sharp, Leeds & Bartlett, H. Lower, Ridgeway, George and Jacob Dunn. The first hotel was kept by a man by the name of Rosteen, called the " Buckeye House." Bloom & Partner kept the Illinois Exchange, after- wards the Nation. Mr. Bloom was the first Post
* In these diggings the proceeds were almost all profits. O. B. Powell, of Quincy, Illinois, in one day in October, 1854, together with his partner M. Orr, took out 26 pounds of gold. In November 1854, in eleven days, 110 pounds of gold were taken out of what was known as the Kelsey claim by W. D. Vincent, A. Barth, M, Orr, O Powell, S. Searles, D. Ellis, S. P. Nye and John E Stover. Mr. Crawford says he has seen it to be carried out by water pailsfull. Also, large nuggets have been found occasion- ally, the largest one was of 16 pounds weight.
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY. CALIFORNIA.
Master, and being himself quite illiterate, he used to look at one or a couple of letters and after that would ask the caller to look for himself ; this, however, was no hindrance to his endeavor for a seat in the State Legislature which he was running for. Dr. Nelson was first physician. The first white woman in town was Mrs. Gates, Mrs. Powell and Mrs. Rosteen next. The first marriage in town was that of Mr. Ros- teen, and the first-born child, as mentioned already, Lewis L. Myers, son of Lewis B. Myers. Wmn. Leed of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, died here in 1851, he had been a veteran of the Mexican war, and was the first to be burried in the regular burying-ground. Wm. Crone was the pioneer agriculturist of this township; he broke ground and sowed barley, on what is now Mr. Terry's ranch, in 1851. A saw-mill was erected near Greenwood Valley in 1851, by Wm. Harris in co-partnership with Stephen Tyler, C. Fos- ter and John Gleason. The Penobscott House, one of the oldest public houses and stopping places in the township, owned by L. Myers, from 1851 to 1854, sold to l'age & Lovejoy, who also bought Doctor Thomas' line of stages from Georgetown to Sacra- mento by way of Pilot Hill and Salmon Falls. Mr. Lovejoy is still interested in the stage business. Mr. Page's aspirations were running faster than the stage trot and higher than the highest stage seat, and did not let him rest until he succeeded with a seat in the Hall of Legislature. He of late was the representa- tive of the second California congressional district at Washington. Page's Hotel belongs to those things that "have been."
Judge Lynch on several occasions made his appear- ance in the community of Greenwood Valley : the first was in 1851, when James Graham, a Baltimorean, had shot an old well respected gentleman by the name of Lesly, on a prospecting trip, and after the deed was done he fled. Lesly, however, crawled to Tom Burche's cabin where he gave the alarm ; the assassin was caught at Uniontown, brought back, tried before a jury of twelve men, found guilty and hung to an oak tree on a lot in the town of Greenwood Valley, now owned by Mr. Ricci. The next occasion this very same oak tree had to play an active part in the life of a person, was on July 23d, 1854. William Shay an in- offensive gentleman was murdered in the most brutal manner by one Samuel Allen, who knocked him down, stamped on him until he was quite dead and then pounded his head with stones crushing it to a jelly. Allen was arrested, taken before Justice Stoddard for examination and ordered to jail, but forcibly taken away from the officer by a large and excited crowd, who had decided about the prisoner's guiltiness, and an hour afterwards the dead body of Allen swung from | B. Myers, of the Chimney Rock ranch ; and Wm.
the same oak tree limb where Graham had ended his treacherous life. In consequence of the assassination of Mr. Harrison Hilton by Henry Miller, on Sep- tember Ist, 1857, a meeting of the citizens was called at the Buckeye Hotel; the meeting was called to or- der by L. B. Curtis, Esq., Justice A. A. Stoddard was elected Chairman, and S. S. Buckeley Secretary ; a committee was appointed to draft resolutions ex- pressive of the feeling entertained towards the de- ceased, on account of his untimely death, recognized his zealous, worthy and enterprising character, his moral character being above reproach, and his absence from society hardly to be filled as he had but few his equals as a citizen and friend. Finally, expressing their sympathy with the relatives in the Atlantic States: which resolutions were unanimously adopted. Dr. Nelson got and preserved the head of a Swede, who had been hung here, which had been separated after- wards from the body with a spade.
Greenwood Valley was by far more fortunate than its sister mining town, as far as the destruction by fire is concerned ; the first fire of any magnitude origi- nated in Charles Nagler's house, where it was caused by an ash barrel standing at the corner of the house, and laid the entire business part of the town in ashes, in 1858. On February 3d, 1876, at an early hour, a box filled with combustibles etc., was discovered on fire placed to the front of Felice Ricci's store, and had it not been for Chas. Nagler's watchdog, whose restless noise alarmed the clerk sleeping in the store, there would have been a big blaze, but under the circum- stances it only could be called a close call, as the flames were subdued in time with the assistance of some neighbors. Nothing could be found out about the originator, and whether it was done with the in- tent to burn the town and get a chance for robbing or to gratify a personal grudge against Ricci. There speaks a great probability for the latter argument, however, if we consider the circumstances under which the premises of Messrs. Nagler and Ricci were set on fire June 3d, 1878 ; about two years afterwards, and residences, stores etc., with all contents were totally destroyed ; hardly anything could be saved. The fire evidently was the work of an incendiary. Loss $16,000.
Greenwood Valley is one of those mining towns that have understood to preserve quite a lively appearance, though not many of the old timers are left here. There is Orlando Shepherd, a native of Chilicoth e county, Ohio, who came to California in 1850, and to Greenwood on March 31st, 1851 ; Jno. Daniels, better known as "Scotty," a native of Scotland, who came to California on board of a vessel in 1839, Lewis
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LOCAL HISTORY.
Harris. The present population numbers about two hundred, supports three stores, two hotels ; one black- smith shop, butcher shop and one brewery; the first brewery was started by Jacob Winkleman.
The farming done in the township is not considera- ble and consists to the greater part in hay making. The principal support consists in mining, and there are the richest mining claims close onto town. The Nagler or French claim, first discovered by Mr. Sheperd, is a seam mine, worked after the hydraulic process, de- veloping richer in greater depth. Mr. Desmarchais is the superintendent of the mine, with which a stamp mill is connected to crush the larger rock, and work the vaste pile of tailings over. North of the French claim there is the Bower mine, run by eastern capital and pushed with great vigor. A Chinese agent some years ago came up here from San Francisco, offering the sum of $100,000, for this property as it stood at the time, while about a year before that, it could have been bought for perhaps $15 or $20. The Chinese however were not the only ones who had found out the value of the mine, tests had been made to deter- mine its extent and value, which had proven satisfac- tory to the owners, who decided not to sell for the sum offered. The Argonaut mine, upon which as long as 1852 prospecting was done to a limited extent in search of the quartz ledges, as from surface workings coarse gold had been obtained in very paying quanti- ties for years past, was lately sold to San Francisco parties, who have undertaken to make a thorough prac- tical test of extent and value of the ledges of this mine, which, though most gratifying indications are given, as yet did not expose no well defined lode upon which to settle for working.
GEORGETOWN.
Georgetown in early days was the prettiest town in the mountains, and up to this day, notwithstanding it can not be compared to what it once has been, is a very pleasant mountain town on account of its loca- tion at the summit of a high elevation, (contrary to most other mining towns, which all occupy the bottom of canyons or gulches) overlooking a wide expanse of country in every direction except towards the east, where the gradual rise of the mountains starts too close to town, thus hiding the sight, The altitude of George- town is 2700 feet above sea level. Georgetown is and always will be a mining town in the full sense of the word, the high elevation as well as the character of the country don't recommend it for an agricultural centre, though there always has been raised a superior kind of fruit, particularly of the harder varieties. The first mining work on this divide was done by a party of Oregonians under the leadership of Hudson; they
were mining in what has since been known as "Oregon canyon" and "Hudson's gulch" in July 1849, but, though they took out a large amount of gold at both these places they did not stay, and left the vicinity. They were followed by a party of sailors, among whom was one George Phipps, who first pitched his tent near the head of what since has been called "Empire canyon," and from him derived the original name of George's town, just as John's town lower down in the same canyon, at its junction with Manhattan creek, was named after another man of the same party. The afterwards famous "Sailor Claim" in Oregon canyon, however, did not obtain its name from the Phipps party.
The first log house in the young George's town was erected about September 20th, 1849, by Graham and Hull, and the first store opened therein ; other buildings followed, and by January Ist, 1850, their number had increased to a dozen, occupied chiefly as stores, among whom were Graham and Hull ; John T. Little's branch of the Coloma store; old Tom Clegg ; Cushing and Grammer. Mr. Grammer also started the first letter express, and during the summer of 1850, Mr. Graham had a stage line running be- tween Georgetown and Coloma ; this however, finally emerged into a through line of stages to Sacramento City. The "Georgetown Cut-off" road opened in 1850, furnished a great opportunity to a portion of the overland emigration to reach the valley below by passing this way, and the location of the place proved to be a very favorable one, if not a necessity, as the highway junction for all those rich river bars on the Middle Fork of the American river ; as Ford's, Vol- cano, Big, Sandy, Junction, Gray Eagle and other bars, and the distributing point for supplies, etc., to those who were working on those bars and all those flats and other mining camps beyond Coloma.
Meantime the town, imbeded in the native wilds of surrounding material wealth, made up of log cabins, shake houses and canvass tents, was growing until a traveling photographer, in his attempt to take a pho- tograph of a deceased miner, a native of the State of Maine, by accident set the frail building or tent on fire, July 14th, 1852. The fire originated in the "Round Tent," a gambling saloon kept by Pete Valery, where N. Lothian, formerly leader of the fa- mous Lothian Band, of New York, furnished the music. The flames spread with such rapidity that it was only under difficulties, that the corpse could be saved from cremation, and in one half hour the busi- ness portion of the town was almost entirely laid in ashes. Only Frances Graham's store at the west end and J. W. Slette's store at the extreme east end of town remained. Before the ashes had cooled, the
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
spirit of the California American arose like a star in the midst of her desolation; the residents of the town assembled and resolved to rebuild, and nobly was it seconded by the whole band of independent miners from Mameluke and Jones' Hill, from Georgia Slide, Oregon and South canyons, to change the site of town to the top of the ridge, north of the old site (where the town now stands). This was then covered by a magnificent growth of lofty sugar pines, but the pio- neer miners from the surrounding camps generously volunteering time and labor, came with axes and other implements, and under their heavy blows the pines fell with thundering crash and the thick under brush was cleared away. After a few days sufficient space had been cleared to lay out the town, with a street one hundred feet wide, in a few hours the work of re- building commenced, the first building completed was the Post Office. The building lots were drawn for, the old traders and hotel keepers having first choice, and every other man who desired had the next choice, and the new town soon assumed a substantial and beautiful appearance, and a most attractive mining town, justly called the
PRIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS.
The town then was in the most flourishing condi- tion, with rich placer mines surrounding it in every direction ; the crude surroundings of its birth place were fast thrown off and a better condition of society established, the church was built in 1853, the public school organized a short time after, and the place set- tled down to a steady and quiet existence ; but the whole change was due to the fire of July 14th, the fire was needed to raise the place out of its low and awkward location to the lofty, cheerful and healthy site it occupies since .*
The first marriage celebrated in Georgetown was that of Mr. Wm. T. Gibbs, now of Oakland, on No- vember 10th, 1851, to Mrs. Cynthia A. Turner, in the presence of nearly five hundred persons drawn to- gether by the novelty of the occasion from the sur- rounding mining camps. Gibbs had located in town in 1850, keeping a blacksmith shop, and his eight children were all born here. Mr. Gibbs is and al- ways has been an enterprising man, and a public
spirited character, his removel from Georgetown was highly regretted. Mr. Gibbs is the present President of the society of El Dorado Territorial Pioneers.
The first school in Georgetown was taught in a building saved from the fire of 1852, at the east end of the old town ; Mrs. Dr. Ray, a lady well known to all early residents of the place, had opened it, and it was continued at intervals by various others. The Board of Trustees, S. Knox, Wm. T. Gibbs and B. C. Currier, then on May 22d, 1854, instituted the first Public School in town with Miss Minerva A. Horsford as teacher. The following year Mr. John Waterhouse was made principal of the public school with Miss Horsford as assistant.
A Temple of Honor was organized at Georgetown on Saturday evening previous to November 30th, 1854, called Georgetown Temple of Honor No. 11, and the following were elected the first officers: Jas. A. Songer, W. C. T .; Wm. T. Gibbs, W. V. T .; A. J. Hill, W. R .; J. C. Simpson, W. A. R .; Jno. Shorp,. W. T. R .; M. A. Woodside, W. T .; H. M. Porter, W. U .; J. B. Warren, W. D. U .; Hiram Lines, W. G .; Joseph Olmstead, W. S.
E. CLAMPSUS VITUS.
A lodge of the ancient society of E. Clampsus Vitus was organized in Georgetown on March 15th, 1856, by E. H. Van Decor, P. N. G. H., and the fol- lowing "Knights," were chosen officers: John L. Boles, N. G. H. ; J. Turner, R. P .; J. Z. Kelly. C. P. ; J. C. Terrell, C. V .; H. C. Kelly, J. H .; J. J. Lewis, T. and O. H. ; H. Lines, G. R. F. and S. Sternfels, R. G. M.
The Odd Fellows established in early days already a lodge called : Memento Lodge No. 37, I. O. O. F., which is still in a good condition; their meeting day is Saturday.
Georgetown Lodge, No. 25, F. and A. M., shows the activity of the Masons at Georgetown ; they are meeting Saturday preceeding the full moon. Mr. T. W. Wilson is secretary of the lodge.
A military company was organized at Georgetown in August, 1859, called the Georgetown Blues. The fol- lowing were elected first officers: R. E. Phelps, Cap- tain; S. Doncaster, Ist Lieutenant; D. O. Deaves, 2d; C. B. Ferguson, 3d; L. B. McLain Ist Sergeant ; A. Porter, 2d; M. Knox, 3d; J. Durham, 4th; J. McCor- mick, Ist Corporal; Oliver Lear, 2d; J. Deaves, 3d; J. Vaughn, 4th; D. W. Bouker and S. A. Logan Musicians.
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