USA > California > El Dorado County > Historical souvenir of El Dorado County, California : with illustrations and biographical setches of its prominent men & pioneers > Part 39
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A second big fire visited Georgetown on July 7th, 1856, the day after Placerville had been destroyed by a big blaze. It originated in the rear of what was known as Pat. Lynch's saloon, midway on Main street
*On March Ist, 1855, there were nine large grocery stores, two banking establishments, two express companies, three drug stores, two jewe'ry stores, one jewelry mannfactory, one ladies' furnishing store, one book and sta. tionary depot, eight clothing stores, one tinshop, one soda factory, one tannery, etc., one saw-mill in the valley, one saddle and harness shop, one merchant tailor, four restaurants, three hotels, two bakeries, four car- ' penter shops, two cabinet making shops, one paint shop, four blacksmith shops, two boct and shoe shops, two meat markets, one dagnerrean, one cigar store, three livery stabies, three billiard and two bowling alley saloons, one Masonic Hall, one hall Sons of Temperance, one church, one theatre, one Town Hall, one school.
RES. & STORE OF EDWARD . H . SMITH . DEERVALLEY. ELDORADO CO · CAL.
· GREENVALLEY RANCH RES. & HOTEL OF FRED . ENCESSER . ELDORO. CO. CAL.
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LOCAL HISTORY.
the flames spread with such rapidity that scarcely anything could be saved. Stores, hotels and dwell- ing houses on Main street, melted away like snow before the sun, and only by almost superhuman efforts was it possible to save the rear portion of the western part of town. But again the indomitable spirit of the people arose in triumph over their misfortune, and, phoenix-like, from its ashes a new town sprang up. Again on the 16th of August, 1858, the principal business portion of the town was destroyed by fire ; the greatest damage was done on the east side of Main street, which was only partially rebuilt. The last time Georgetown has been visited by the fire fiend was on May 28th, 1869 ; the fire was discovered in the old Miners' Hotel, on Main street, shortly after midnight, and the flames spread with such rapidity that the proprietor ot the hotel, Mr. Stahlman, barely escaped out over the roofs with his eldest child ; but his wife, three children and Miss' Stanton perished in the flames. The west side of Main street was partial- ly destroyed, also the Catholic church and the Town Hall. Stahlman, suspected of arson, was on trial in the County Court before Judge Chas. F. Irwin, on July 13th, 1869. G. J. Carpenter and Geo. E. Wil- liams appeared for the people, John Bush and J. W. Coffroth for the defendant. The trial lasted for two days, and the jury being unable to agree was dis- charged, and the case set for rehearing September 2 ISt. Finally the trial came up again on February 1st, 1870, and the jury deliberately gave a verdict of not guilty. Notwithstanding these several conflagra- tions and the changes which followed each of these catastrophes, the town at the present writing will com- pare favorably with any of the old mining towns of early days.
Mining in this district was first confined to the canyons and gulches, and to the bars on the Middle Fork of the American river. Then came the " Hill diggings," worked by drifting. The first strike was made at "Bottle Hill," which was opened up in 1851, Mameluke Hill followed in 1852, and even richer deposits were discovered in 1853 and '54 at Cement and Jones' Hill. At each of these mining camps thriving towns were built up, and regular stage and telegraphic communications with Georgetown es- tablished. But the days of wild excitement have passed by, and an era of permanency apparently has followed with a more general disposition to settle down and work in earnest and thoroughly what has been left from the period of the first excitement and rapid exhaustion, which soon scattered those engaged in working there, and the houses, left without proprie- tors, one after the other disappeared, until after a few years hardly a building remained.
Next came what has been termed "seams diggings," a peculiararity of the vicinity of Georgetown, worked principally by the hydraulic process ; with great promise in the constancy of their character. The " Beatty Seams Claim," at Georgia Slide, for instance, was opened in 1854, and has been permanently worked to the present time. Nearly all the small divides between the canyons and gulches contain deposits of this description, and constitute most of the mining that is done at present. Very little, however, has been done at developing the numerous quartz lodes which are known to exist in the district: The Woodside mine, located within the town limits, was worked to the depth of 225 feet, and the amount taken out of the mine was over $50,000. The Eureka had a shaft sunk to the depth of 230 feet and work was going to be resumed in it this season. The Taylor mine was a good paying property some years ago, but no work has been done since, and quartz mining, in which the permanency of a mining community exists safely, awaits from the future what the present still denies. Numerous canyons as: West, Illinois, Oregon, North and Dark canyons have their heads almost within the townsite, emptying into Canyon creek, and thence in to the Middle Fork, while Empire, Manhattan, Bad- ger, Iowa and Rock canyons find their outlet into the South Fork of the American river. Thus showing that the location of Georgetown is on the regular divide, being the water shed of the two rivers. But it also is located on an underground divide, the cement deposits of the underlaying channels empty- ing into the Middle Fork ends right here ; no cement being found south from here.
The water of the Georgetown divide is controlled for the most part by the "California Water Company," their main supply is a system of lakes situated at a high altitude in the eastern portion of the county, having an aggregate of 300 miles of ditches, flumes and iron pipes. Two large reservoirs are located almost in town, and one of the main ditches runs through town, providing it with a beautiful stream of good mountain water.
The agricultural resources of the vicinity of George- town, either for field or garden, are somewhat limited, there is no increase in farming visible since 1860 ; some parts rather show some perceptible decrease. From Coloma up to the summit there is no farming done that would be worth mentioning, notwithstand- ing the abundant water facilities, and the farming land did not make any increase in value either. Some attention has been given to the raising of various kinds of fruit, and excellent results procured, con- cerning quality as well as quantity. But the lack of sufficient home consumption and the distance from
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
other market places, together with the want of quick transportation, offers little inducement for extensive fruit culture. The farming entirely depends on the mines ; from 1849 to '60 were the "flush times " of the mines, producing largely, then money was plenti- ful and spent lavishly, thus making Georgetown and surrounding country the liveliest spot of ground, and to repeat such times, to a certain extent, the mineral wealth of the land has to be disclosed ; there are thousands of acres of mineral land unprospected, and the remainder is not prospected deep enough to give an estimate.
Georgetown has given to the county of El Dorado many officers, to the Halls of Legislature assembly- men and senators; one of her citizens became United States Senator, another the unsuccessful can- didate for Governor, but all of whom-with only two exceptions-retired to other solitudes upon the expir- ation of their terms of office ; the citizens of George- town have never been active in political affairs. outside of the local questions. The removal of the county seat from Coloma to Placerville was not acceptable to them, and instigated by some old wire pullers they entered the arena for the agitation, first, to have the County Court seat of El Dorado county removed to Georgetown, this was in 1854, and afterwards in 1857; when they expressed to be in favor of a division of the county of El Dorado, making Georgetown the county seat of the new county of " Eureka," for which was intended all the country bounded by the Middle and South Forks of the American River, and falling through with this plan they never have taken a hand in politics again, and were quite contented with no other officers in town besides Justice of the Peace, Constable and School Trustees .-- Of important men who lived here we have to name : United States Senator Cornelius Cole, who was mining here in 1849 and '50 ; John Conness, of the firm of Conness & Reed, merchants, who lived here from 1849 to '64, was State Senator first and afterwards elected United States Senator ; J. W. McClury, ex-United States Representative and afterwards Governor of Missouri, kept a general merchandise store here in 1851 and ,
52, and several others.
Incidents of an exciting character have been quite rare at Georgetown, though the town has been notor- ious for stage robberies and burglaries-on account of which Wells, Fargo & Co., discontinued their office in town-at an immense cost to the county in not con- victing. Judge. I ynch held a carnival here two or three times, only once with fatal precision :
THE HANGING OF DEVINE.
In the fall of 1850, for shooting and killing his wife
while in a drunken frenzy. Devine was an English- man, a deserter from the English army ; he came to California in 1849, and used to live on Oregon can- yon in 1850, at that time belonging more to the town. Mrs. Devine was a woman of fine presence, dignified and somewhat reserved, kind and thoughtful to those arround her, in marked contrast with the course and, as the sequel proved, brutal disposition of her hus- band. There were only two women in town at that time. He had threatened her before already, and when he reached for his gun, she attempted to escape and was shot when passing out of the door in the rear of the building. One Joe Brown, a noted char- acter, and a few other persons determined that Devine was guilty of murder, and that justice would only be satisfied by life for life ; consequently he was hung by this mob from the limb of an oak tree on the hill, south side of the head-waters of Empire canyon, op- posite the old town. The tree still stands there, a monument to the so-called justice. In April 1851, Wm. Allen, of Missouri, shot Chas. Roux in Oregon canyon on account of personal affairs; Allen gave bonds and fled the country.
The lower or southern part of the town was a com- munity in itself, they claimed to be the first settlers and the only connecting link with the old George's town. The denizens were called the growlers, and they .accepted the name: from thence that portion was called
GROWLERSBURG,
Which, though depopulated, retains its name if not its reputation.
How one after another all the old relics of early days are going shows the old Marion England place, north of town, owned by T'. Lebouf, and of late occu- pied as the residence of M. P. Baldwin. This house was built by B. C. Currier and party in December, 1849, and probably was the oldest house on the Georgetown divide. Originally it had been a log cabin, but was remodeled in 1852, by leaving the old logs as they were first placed; and notwithstanding its thirty-three years of service, was yet a substantial building, when litely in the absence of the occupying family it was consumed by fire, with all its contents. Near the house was a remarkable fine specimen of ar- bor vitae tree, Californian cedar, measuring one foot six inches in circumference in 1849, and nine feet six inches in 1879, a growth of eight feet round in thirty years.
BOTTLE HILL DIGGINGS.
Were first discovered by one Ayers in Spring of 1851, there being many bottles laying around, where the place derived its name from. These diggings proved
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LOCAL HISTORY.
exceedingly rich and became a great attraction between the miners of early days. The St. Louis Tunnel Co., a company of eight men, took out in one week in 1854, ninety-four pounds of fine specimen gold. Bottle Hill was incorporated as a town in 1854, its streets bearing the names; Main street, Forrest street, Bottle Hill street and Georgetown street.
MAMELUKE HILL.
The derivation of the name is uncertain ; some take it from a book that miners of the earliest times were reading, others say its origin is to be looked for in " Mama look," the expression of a child to its mama. The diggings were discovered by Messrs. Klepstein and Keiser in 1851 ; Henry Garay came in 1852.
GEORGIA SLIDE,
Originally called Georgia Flat, was worked as early as 1 849, by a party of Georgia miners, some time later a big slide came in, which caused the change of the name in Georgia Slide. In 1850, a party of Oregonians were known to be engaged on Canyon creek and the slide, but they were very secret workers and, though they had a rich thing, they would not let on, contrary did every thing not to excite any attraction. Wm. Hughes from New York, who came to California with Stevenson's regiment, claims that he saw in passing by here, what he could estimate, about two hundred pounds of gold spread for drying on blankets. Yan- kee Sullivan used to live here in 1850, keeping bar at the time. It was then and for years afterwards a wild and rough place, no other travel except on pack mules was possible. The first store in the place was owned by B. Spencer, a brother to Pat. Spencer of George- town, in 1851 and 1852, and, after changes, came, in 1859, into the possession of G. F. Barklage. The lar- gest piece of gold that was taken out here, as far as Mr. Beatty knows from, was weighing sixty ounces.
JONES HILL.
Was named after its locator, James Edward Jones, of Hannibal, Missouri.
KELSEY.
The old town of Kelsey is located about seven miles in a northwesterly direction from Placerville, occupying an elevated plateau on the higher side of the South Fork of the American river. In the flush times of placer mining it was the business center for an extensive and a wonderfully rich mining district, embracing a large number of creeks, ravines, gulches, flats, etc. In those days the old town supported twelve stores, perhaps twice that number of saloons and gambling houses, half a dozen hotels and hay-yards, and other places of business in proportion. As be- fore remarked, the placer mines of this district were
wonderfully rich; ' it was characteristic of the gold taken from these gulches, ravines or flats, perhaps in a greater degree than that from any other mine in this State, that it was rough, and in a large proportion had small fragments of quartz attached to the particles of gold, indicating to thoughtful observers, that the places where it was found, were not far remote from its original place of repose in a quartz ledge. But in large proportion the old brood of placer miners were not the men to follow up such indications. With them it had become a habit, which gradually assumed the character of second nature, that they could not wait longer than a week to "clean up" and realize the result of their labor. Rather than follow the indica- tions that led to a quartz ledge, though close at hand, they would wander off to Frazier river, Kern river. Skagitt, or some other distant field in which rich pla- cer mines were reported. And so it happened that with the exhaustion of the placer mines about Kelsey district there was observable a similar exhaustion in energy, spirit and enterprise of the mining and busi- ness community, until latterly the old town has dwin- dled and is comprising but one boarding-house, one saloon, and three or four residences.
The place was named after a man by the name of Kelsey who also lent his name to the town of Kelsey- ville, Lake county. Samuel Smith, of Baltimore, who came to California in 1843, kept the first store, and Mr. Paul the first hotel. The first school in the dis- trict was taught by Mr. Pease, and Miss Slater, now Mrs. Shankland succeeding; the school house was lo- cated east of Jno. Poor's place. A Post Office was established here in 1856 or 1857, Jno. White, first Post Master, and an Express office was opened by Thos. McManus, which connected either way to Georgetown and Placerville, as the pioneer stage line run through town.
The town was destroyed by fire in 1853, and in 1856 Kelsey introduced the run of destructive fires of that year that visited Placerville, Diamond Springs, Georgetown, etc .; a big blaze originated in an old de- serted shanty, unoccupied for weeks, and destroyed a large part of the town on New Years day 1856.
Of all other mining places of early days in Kelsey township; Louisville, Columbia, Irish Creek, American Flat, Spanish Flat, Fleatown, Elizaville, Yankee Flat, Chicken Flat, Stag Flat, Barley Flat and Union Flat.
SPANISH FLAT
Has always been the most important; and while most all those above named are entirely gone or shrunk into one single settlement, Spanish Flat has preserved quite some townlike appearance. The town is located on the stage road from Placerville to
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Georgetown, about six miles south of the latter place. The richest diggings here were near the site of the vil- lage, first worked by the Spaniards, from whom the name was derived. This same claim was known af- terwards as the "Frazier Claim" or "Deep Hole," worked by M. S. Frazier & Co., consisting of Jno. Kennedy, Geo. Hunsucker, Amos Blundell and John Hunsucker, over $100,000 have been taken out of this claim. The first store in town was opened by Frank Johnson, from Missouri, in 1849, in a small log cabin. The first hotel of any note was built by one Parker, on the site of Mr. Roelke's present building; the house was kept by Parker and Perrins, Mrs. Parker being the first white woman in town. Of the prominent business men we give the names of : James Muncy, Jacoby, Capt. Henry Tucker, Glass- man & Forrester, Lausbaugh & Tobener, Stearn & Levy, C. S. Wattles and others. The first saloon was kept by Johnson in connection with his store; the round tent was a gambling establishment kept by Aleck. Alexandria.
There were two or three bakeries, two blacksmith shops, one kept by Worthen, besides a butcher shop, etc., in town, representing quite a nice and lively mining place. Dr. E. M. Alderman was the town physician ; and school was first taught here by Miss Sarah Tully. An order of Sons of Temperance was established in 1854. The Masons and Odd Fellows both had lodges here which were in a flourishing con- dition. Morning Light Lodge, No. 89, I. O. O. F. is still in possession of a two-story building located in the village.
No murder or lynching occurred here in early days; the resolute miners kept the Spaniards down, and other rogues away. M. S. Frazier, J. N. Laumann, H. Waldeck, Wm. Selby, Wm. F. Coe, G. H. Roelke and some others constitute the present population ; Roelke and Frazier are the oldest settlers.
MOSQUITO VALLEY,
A flourishing settlement, exists in Mosquito Valley, about six miles southeast from Garden Valley, or nine miles east from Placerville, having nearly the altitude of Georgetown. The visitor is astonished to find in this hidden place so many enterprising and well-to-do farmers, as may be seen without inquiry, observing the fine dwellings, large barns and thrifty fields of grain and clover ; the numerous cattle, sheep and hogs, and fine looking orchards. As early as 1849, mines were discovered in Mosquito canyon and the placers worked ; the population of early days settled in two different places or villages ; one called. Nelson- ville, and the other known as the Big House or Lower town, the latter was built and inhabited by
Spaniards principally. At Nelsonville two or three stores had a good trade, and one of them was kept by John D. Skinner untillater years, when it burned out. The mining paid well here in early days, and es- pecially Little Mosquito was noted for chunks of gold found there of from 2 oz. up to 100 dollars weight, by Mr. Dickinson and others. At the present day quartz mining is going on to some extent. To pro- vide the canyon with a stream of water a ditch had been built in 1853 or '54, at an expense of above $20,000, owned by the Mosquito Ditch Co., now the property of James Summerfield ; it is 16 miles in length and takes its water out of Slab creek. The water now is used to a great deal for irrigation of orchards and gardens. The first farm work in this district was done by Brown and Palmer, who grew the first crop of potatoes : this however, was only a first trial, but Mr. Dickinson in company with Peter Robinson took it up and to them is due the claim of being the first actual settlers and cultivators of garden and orchard ; their first attempt in agricultural work was made in 1853. And it is a well known fact that all standard fruits are doing very well in this canyon ; only a light snow is falling here in the winter. A saw-mill was built here in One Eye canyon, -- named after the first man engaged there being one-eyed,-in 1851 or '52, by Benjamin Summerfield and John Bennett.
The first school in the settlement was opened in 1862, by Oliver Chubb; he taught school first in a granary owned by John Cobb, on the place now owned by James Summerfield. A Public School district was established here together with a Post- office in 1881 ; the latter with Mrs. Dickinson as postmistress. Mrs. John Agnews from Sidney, Aus- tralia, was the first white woman in the canyon, and the first marriage was that of Waldo. Mosquito has always carried the name of being a quiet peaceful settlement, the record of crimes is very short, but notwithstanding it includes one case of Lynch law: A white man getting out shakes, in early days, had been killed by the Indians, one of the Indians was caught and hung by the excited population.
Mosquito is connected with Placerville by a good wagon-road and a suspension bridge across the South Fork of the American river, a trail is running in the direction of Kelsey, the township center. Dixon Summerfield, Adam Melchior, Christopher Finnan, John Selleck, Mrs. Couchlen and John Markel are the present inhabitants.
NEWTOWN.
In the summer of 1848 a party of Mormons, with a large number of horses and cattle, left California, en
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LOCAL HISTORY.
route for Salt Lake. Some of them had been mining for gold at Mormon Island, in the American river. They traveled up the dividing ridge between the waters of Weber creek and the Cosumnes river, about sixty-five miles from Sutter's Fort, to a valley lying north and south, about two miles long by one mile wide. This they called " Pleasant Valley." At the north end of the valley a part of them built a large corral for their stock, while the remaining part of the company went north over a low ridge, half a mile on to the south branch of Weber creek, and built another stock corral. The grass being good, they gave their stock the benefit of it, having discovered gold in a small ravine near their camp on the creek ; but being not provided with good tools, they made but slow progress in digging and washing the gold. After a stop of about three weeks, they crossed the Weber creek, and, taking up a spur of the ridge north to the divide between the waters of Weber creek and the American river, they traveled east to Carson Valley. Five of the party returned to Hangtown in February, 1849, and one of them spoke to a friend of their dis- coveries, giving the landmarks by which to find the place ; and in April, '49, O. Russell, with a party of six, started for the new diggings, taking their tools and four or five days' rations. Leaving Hangtown at mid- night, they had no trouble in finding the place. The Mormons had dug a cut about three hundred feet long, four feet wide and an average of two feet deep. In this place it was found that a man could average about eight dollars a day with a pan. Several ravines were prospected ; in all of them was found more or less gold. On the third day after the arrival of the party they were joined by thirty more prospectors from Hangtown, who had followed the trail of the first party. After prospecting a day or more, all came to the conclusion that the diggings here were not so good as those they had left, and all returned to Hang- town. Sometime in May some of the party procured animals to pack their grub and tools, and returned to the Mormon diggings, where they worked successfully until July, when the emigration came teaming down the Mormon trail by the hundred, scores of them stopping at the diggings. Some went to digging in the water about the small springs; others went to building log cabins, while others with teams went to Sacramento to buy goods and supplies and return. A cluster of cabins were erected on the low divide be- tween the Weber creeks. This was called "Iowaville." Another cluster of cabins was erected on the creek, at the Mormon corral. This place some wag christened " Dog Town," a name which stuck to it to the day of its death. A store was started here by a man named Smith, which afterwards was kept by Samuel Snow.
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