RV Lifestyle Website: vogeltalksrving.com E-mail me at with your comments, issues and topics that you’d like to see addressed on this page. vogelontheroad@gmail.com Permanent towns developed in areas wheremore extensive operations spent decades tunnelling deep into the hills. Many of these historic and picturesque towns still exist, linked by California Highway 49, the Gold Rush Trail. The original mining-era buildings in these towns are now home to unique shops – but my interest lay elsewhere, in the gold mining history of these towns. Using Far Horizon 49er Village RV Resort in Plymouth and Jackson Rancheria RV Resort in Jackson as our home bases, we explored parts of El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties along State Highway 49. Throughout its length, the Gold Rush Trail winds through many of the towns that sprung up during the Gold Rush, twisting and climbing past panoramic vistas. Rocky meadows, oaks and white pine accent the hills, while tall firs, ponderosa pine and redwoods stud higher slopes. Dozens of lakes, rivers and streams complement the stunning background of rolling hills. We made stops in many old mining towns along the Trail. They retain their early architecture and charm – living reminders of the rich history of the Mother Lode. Placerville, Amador City, Sutter Creek, Jackson, Mokelumne Hill (Moke Hill), San Andreas, Angels Camp and Murphys all retain their 1850s flavor. Soon after the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, in nearby Coloma, the small town of Old Dry Diggings sprang up. This mining camp was named after the manner in which the miners moved cartloads of dry soil to running water to separate the gold from the soil. Later in 1849, the town earned its most common historical name, Hangtown, because of the hangings that had occurred there. According to archives at the El Dorado County Historical Society, there were only three hangings that took place after three men on horseback came into town with guns ablaze. The name stuck. In 1850, the temperance league and a few local churches began to campaign for a more friendly name to be bestowed upon the town. The name was not changed until 1854, when the City of Placerville was incorporated. Placerville was named after the placer deposits found in the river bed between Spanish Ravine and the town plaza. Story and photos by Rex Vogel The Bell Tower in Placerville At its incorporation, Placerville was the third-largest town in California after San Francisco and Sacramento. In 1857, the El Dorado County seat was moved from Coloma to Placerville, where it remains today. During the Gold Rush, Placerville became an important supply centre for the surrounding mining camps. The town provided many services, including transportation of people and goods, lodging, banking and general store. Today, the town is significantly tamer and its historic Main Street is an antique collector’s dream filled with stores carrying furniture, rusty oldmining tools and other products from bygone eras. Walking on Main Street, Placerville, we talked with the knowledgeable folks at the El Dorado County Historical Society. Built in 1852, the Historical Society is housed in the former Fountain & Tallman Soda Works, where miners would purchase bottled water from the fresh-water spring located behind the building. An important historic landmark that still remains on Main Street is the Bell Tower, standing as a monument to honour the city’s volunteer firemen. The Bell, placed in the tower in the plaza in 1865, was used as an alarm system to call out the firefighters. CSANews | SPRING 2016 | 23
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