A Brief History of "El Dorado County"
El Dorado: "The Gilded One" - (Spanish)
Travel to Northern California by sea began in San Francisco with the beauty of its Bay continuing on through a wondrous land of fields, rivers, forest, and mountain lakes. The area was first settled by Native Americans who came through Alaska from Asia long ago. The Bay was undiscovered by Europeans until 1770 when Gaspar de Portola's expedition moved north from Mexico and San Diego to find San Francisco Bay by land. By sea there is often fog, so Mariner Juan Cabrillo exploring Alta California missed it in 1542. San Francisco always had a mystic attraction, but the adventurous followed the rivers inland and into the Sierra Nevada Mountains to explore or prospect for gold.
Many from the East made a tedious overland trip to Northern California through deserts and mountains and sometimes snow. Jedediah Smith was the first to do so leading a fur trapping party from Santa Fe in 1826. He followed the Humbolt River and Truckee River to the Sacramento River.
People began to settle the valleys and foothills. John Sutter established New Helvetia at the confluence of the American and Sacramento River in 1839. There were few trees since Sacramento is located in a flood plain. (Before they erected levees, the settlement was flooded in 1849 and 1850.)
By 1841, emigrants to the West arrived overland in significant numbers, although most went to Oregon. The Bartleson-Bidwell party that included Charles Weber, followed the Humbolt River and found a pass thru the Sierra and down the Stanislaus River to the San Joaquin Valley.
John C. Fremont and Kit Carson crossed the Sierra up the Carson River and into El Dorado County and followed the South Fork of the American River to Sutter's Fort in March 1844. Indians had advised the party to follow the crest of ridges to avoid the deep snow in the ravines.
Brigam Young's Mormon settlers escaping from the midwest, headed for California and crossed the Missouri River for winter quarters at Omaha in 1846. Five hundred volunteered for the Mexican War and they trained at Fort Leavenworth. The Mormon Battalion arrived at the San Diego Mission January 29, 1847. In July the Battalion was mustered out of service; part went to Fort Sutter and part to Salt Lake. Some staying for a while in what is now known as Sly park. When Brigam Young reached Salt Lake in July 1847, the emigrants settled there.
August 13, 1846 James Marshall becomes chief carpenter for the American military in Los Angeles. He set out for Sutter's Fort May 6, 1847 to look for a sawmill site for John Sutter. On August 28th work commenced at Coloma on the South Fork of the American River (El Dorado County). On September 6th, Mormons at Fort Sutter were hired to work at the sawmill.
The story of gold became reality at Coloma when James Marshall made an observation at the saw mill. On January 24, 1848, Marshall found gold in the sawmill tailrace on the banks of the South Fork. When word spread in California and the rest of the West, the "Gold Rush" was on!
That summer of 1848, under Captain Weber's direction, indians labored with crude tools to wash gold from Weber Creek. Two miles away just over the ridge while herding cattle, vaqueros stumbled across the rich dry diggings of present day Placerville. Prospectors from Oregon soon joined them. News was slow to reach the east, but by 1849 the migration by overland trail or ship was underway. In November 1849 alone, 600 vessels entered San Francisco Bay. The influx into California by the end of 1849 was 39,000 by sea and 42,000 overland. Up the river they came, the first river steamship "George Washington" arrived at Sacramento August 12, 1849
At "Dry Diggings"(Placerville), in October 1849, 10,000 men were camped in narrow ravines. The nickname "Hangtown" got started after five outlaws of the Owls Gang robbed a French Trading Post located in Log Cabin Ravine (Bedford Avenue) in the Mother Lode mining district. They didn't get away with it and were flogged 39 times (40 often was fatal). Three were recognized as fugitives wanted for murder on the Stanislaus River and were tried and hanged by 2000 miners from an Oak Tree at Elsner's Hay Yard beside Hangtown Creek.
The United States Congress, on September 9, 1850, approved California as the 31st State. Coloma was voted as first county seat, but four years later it moved to Placerville.
The City of Placerville
is centrally located between Sacramento, the State capitol, and South Lake Tahoe, world-famous recreation center. Situated above the fog line and below the snow line, Placerville boasts an ideal climate with four distinct seasons. Accessibility to Placerville is via State Highway 49 and U.S. Highway 50, along one of the most traveled corridors in California. Placerville’s treasured heritage is reflected in the historical, nineteenth century architecture of it’s downtown core. In addition, Placerville is the County seat and the center of financial, commercial, civic, and Government activity.
Serving as a "hub" for many nearby destinations and activities, Placerville is well situated. Premier wineries, Apple Hill Ranches, Historic Coloma, the American River, and the El Dorado National Forest are all located within minutes of downtown Placerville. The future of Placerville’s business economy will continue to be strengthened and infused by these established and newly developing areas of opportunity surrounding the hub.
Within the hub, local merchants, property owners, and Government officials are
striving to insure economic vitality for Placerville. These groups are working
together on business improvement and revitalization projects to preserve, promote,
and enhance the quality of life for all in the community. Location, climate, a rich
heritage, and a high level of commitment and pride has allowed Placerville to
emerge as "the destination" in
El Dorado County.
An important historic landmark that still remains on Main Street is the "Bell Tower".
Click back to the previous page then click on "Short Stories" for more on the
Bell Tower and other interesting stories about
El Dorado County.
