California Counties
El Dorado County California
El Dorado
Cities & Towns
Placerville
South Lake Tahoe
El Dorado County 182,019 El Dorado County Farm Crop Top 10 Production
California properties of historical importance are
designated as significant resources in three state
registration programs: State Historical Landmarks,
Points of Historical Interest, and the California
Register of Historic Places. The information originates
from the Office of Historic Preservation - California
Department of Parks and Recreation and is also available
in the California Historical Landmarks Book.
HANGMAN'S TREE
- In the days of 1849, when this city was called
Hangtown, vigilantes executed many men for various
crimes. This was the site of Hay Yard, on which stood
the 'Hangman's Tree.' The stump of the tree is under the
building on which the plaque is placed.
Location: 305 Main St. Placerville
NO. 142 STUDEBAKER'S SHOP (SITE OF) - This shop was
built in the early 1850s. The front part housed a
blacksmith shop operated by Ollis and Hinds, and John
Mohler Studebaker rented a part of the rear. Here he had
a bench and sort of woodworking shop where he repaired
and worked on wagon wheels and the like. A little later
he began to make wheelbarrows for the miners' use. He
became engaged in the making of ammunition wagons for
the Union Army - from that grew his extensive wagon and
carriage business and, eventually, the automobile
business.
Location: 543 Main St, Placerville
NO. 143 MARSHALL MONUMENT - In 1887 the State of
California purchased the site for a monument to
commemorate James Marshall, who in 1848 discovered gold
near Coloma. Marshall's discovery started the 'gold
rush,' that westward trek of Argonauts that marked a
turning point in California history. The figure of
Marshall atop the monument is pointing to the place of
discovery on the South Fork of the American River.
Location: Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park,
Coloma
NO. 319 MARSHALL'S BLACKSMITH SHOP - Marshall's
blacksmith shop, located on the Gray Eagle Mine
property, was built in 1872-73. Marshall not only was a
smithy but also a qualified carpenter.
Location: On State Hwy 193 (P.M. 21.1), Kelsey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: GARDEN VALLEY
NO. 456 SHINGLE SPRINGS - The Boston-Newton Joint Stock
Association, which left Boston April 16 and arrived at
Sutter's Fort September 27 after a remarkable journey
across the continent, camped here on September 26, 1849.
A rich store of written records preserved by these
pioneers has left a fascinating picture of the gold
rush.
Location: Mother Lode Dr near post office, Shingle
Springs
NO. 475 OLD DRY DIGGINS-OLD HANGTOWN-PLACERVILLE - This
rich mining camp was established on the banks of
Hangtown Creek in the spring of 1848. Millions in gold
were taken from its ravines and hills, and it served as
a supply center for mining camps and transportation
terminus for the famous Comstock Lode. John M.
Studebaker, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, Phillip
Armour, and Edwin Markham were among well-known men who
contributed to Placerville's history, as did John A.
'Snowshoe' Thompson, who carried from 60 to 80 pounds of
mail on skis from Placerville over the Sierra to Carson
Valley during winter months.
Location: NE corner of Bedford and Main, Placerville
NO. 484 GEORGETOWN - Founded August 7, 1849, by George
Phipps and party, Georgetown was nicknamed Growlersburg
because of the heavy nuggets that 'growled' in the
miners' pans. After the disastrous fire of 1852 the old
town was moved from the canyon in lower Main Street to
its present site, and, unique in early-day planning,
Main Street was laid out 100 feet wide, with side
streets 60 feet. The hub of an immensely rich gold
mining area, Georgetown had a population of about three
thousand in 1854-56.
Location: Mounted on wall in front of fire station, Main
St, Georgetown
NO. 486 EL DORADO (ORIGINALLY MUD SPRINGS) - El Dorado,
'The Gilded One,' was first known as Mud Springs from
the boggy quagmire the cattle and horses made of a
nearby watering place. Originally an important camp on
the old Carson Emigrant Trail, by 1849-50 it had become
the center of a mining district and the crossroads for
freight and stage lines. At the height of the rush its
large gold production supported a population of several
thousand.
Location: N side of intersection of Pleasant Valley Rd
and Church St, El Dorado
NO. 487 DIAMOND SPRINGS - This town, settled in 1848,
derived its name from its crystal clear springs. Among
the richest spots in this vicinity, its diggings
produced a 25-pound nugget, one of the largest ever
found in El Dorado County. Its most thriving period was
in 1851 and, through its lumber, lime production, and
agriculture, Diamond Springs has retained some of its
early importance.
Location: NW corner of Hwy 49 at China Garden Rd,
Diamond Springs
NO. 521 GREENWOOD - John Greenwood, a trapper and guide
who came to California in 1844, established a trading
post here in 1849. The gold rush town of Greenwood
boasted a theater, four hotels, 14 stores, a brewery,
and four saloons. Among its illustrious citizens was
John A. Stone, California songwriter, who was buried
here in 1863.
Location: SW corner of the intersection of State Hwy 193
and Greenwood St, Greenwood
NO. 530 GOLD DISCOVERY SITE - This monument marks the
site of John A. Sutter's sawmill. In its tail-race, on
January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold and
started great rush of Argonauts to California. The
Society of California Pioneers definitely located and
marked the site in 1924 - additional timbers and relics,
including the original tailrace unearthed in 1947, were
discovered after the property became a state park. The
State erected the Marshall Monument overlooking this
spot in 1890 through efforts begun in 1886 by the Native
Sons of the Golden West.
Location: Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park,
follow trail from Gold Discovery parking lot to American
River, State Hwy 49 (P.M. 23.3), Coloma
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: GARDEN VALLEY
NO. 551 SITE OF CALIFORNIA'S FIRST GRANGE HALL - Pilot
Hill Grange No. 1, with 29 charter members-Master, F. D.
Brown - Secretary A. J. Bayley-was organized August 10,
1870. The Grange hall, dedicated at this site on
November 23, 1889, was built by Alcandor A. Bayley.
Location: On State Hwy 49 (P.M. 31.3), 0.2 mi N of Pilot
Hill
NO. 570 NEGRO HILL - These historic mining towns, and
other mining camps of the gold rush era now inundated by
Folsom Lake, are commemorated by the nearby Mormon
Island Memorial Cemetery. Here were reburied the
pioneers whose graves were flooded when the lake was
formed by Folsom Dam.
Location: Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, Green
Valley Rd, 0.1 mi NE of El Dorado-Sacramento County
line, 4 mi NE of Folsom
NO. 571 SALMON FALLS - These historic mining towns, and
other mining camps of the gold rush era now inundated by
Folsom Lake, are commemorated by the nearby Mormon
Island Memorial Cemetery. Here were reburied the
pioneers whose graves were flooded when the lake was
formed by Folsom Dam.
Location: Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, Green
Valley Rd, 0.1 mi NE of El Dorado-Sacramento County
line, 4 mi NE of Folsom
NO. 572 CONDEMNED BAR - These historic mining towns, and
other mining camps of the gold rush era now inundated by
Folsom Lake, are commemorated by the nearby Mormon
Island Memorial Cemetery. Here were reburied the
pioneers whose graves were flooded when the lake was
formed by Folsom Dam.
Location: Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, Green
Valley Rd, 0.1 mi NE of El Dorado-Sacramento County
line, 4 mi NE of Folsom
NO. 699 MORMON TAVERN-OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE IN
CALIFORNIA - At this site on the old Clarksville-White
Rock Emigrant Road was Mormon Tavern. Constructed in
1849, this popular stage stop was enlarged and operated
by Franklin Winchell in 1851. It became a remount
station of the Central Overland Pony Express and on
April 4, 1860, pony rider Sam (Bill) Hamilton changed
horses here on the first eastbound trip.
Location: On frontage rd adjacent to State Hwy 50 (P.M.
1.5), take El Dorado Hills Blvd S for 0.5 mi to old
White Rd (rd to Clarksville), then NE 0.9 mi, then go W
0.3 mi on PG&E Clarksville Substation Rd to plaque, 0.5
mi W of Clarksville
NO. 700 EL DORADO-NEVADA HOUSE (MUD SPRINGS) -OVERLAND
PONY EXPRESS ROUTE IN CALIFORNIA - Trading post,
emigrant stop, and mining camp of the 1850s, this became
one of the remount stations of the Central Overland Pony
Express. On April 13, 1860, pony rider William (Sam)
Hamilton changed horses here at the Nevada House while
carrying the first westbound mail of the Pony Express
from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento.
Location: SW corner of Pleasant Valley Rd near Church
St, El Dorado
NO. 701 PLACERVILLE-OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE IN
CALIFORNIA - Gold rush town and western terminus of the
Placerville-Carson Road to the Comstock, Placerville was
a relay station of the Central Overland Pony Express
from April 4, 1860 until June 30, 1861. Here on April 4,
1860, the first eastbound pony rider, William (Sam)
Hamilton, changed horses, added an express letter to his
mochila, and sped away for Sportsman's Hall. Placerville
was the western terminus of the Pony Express from July
1, 1861 until its discontinuance on October 26, 1861.
Location: SW corner of Main and Sacramento, Placerville
NO. 703 PLEASANT GROVE HOUSE OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE
IN CALIFORNIA - This was the site of a popular
road-house where the ponies of the Central Overland Pony
Express were changed from July 1, 1860 to June 30, 1861.
From here the route of the pony riders continued
westward to Folsom and eastward to Placerville through
Rescue, Dry Creek Crossing, and Missouri Flat.
Location: Green Valley Rd (P.M. 5.5), 3.9 mi W of Rescue
NO. 704 SPORTSMAN'S HALL OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE IN
CALIFORNIA - This was the site of Sportsman's Hall, also
known as Twelve-Mile House, the hotel operated in the
latter 1850s and 1860s by John and James Blair. A
stopping place for stages and teams of the Comstock, it
became a relay station of the Central Overland Pony
Express. Here, at 7:40 a.m., April 4, 1860, pony rider
William (Sam) Hamilton rode in from Placerville and
handed the express mail to Warren Upson, who two minutes
later sped on his way eastward.
Location: 5622 Old Pony Express Trail, Cedar Grove
NO. 705 MOORE'S (RIVERTON)-OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE
IN CALIFORNIA - This was the site of a change station of
the Pioneer Stage Company in the 1850s and 1860s. During
1860-1861, the Central Overland Pony Express maintained
the first pony remount station east of Sportsman's Hall
here.
Location: At intersection of US. Hwy 50 and Ice House Rd
(P.M. 39.7), 9.0 mi W of Kyburz
NO. 706 WEBSTER'S (SUGAR LOAF HOUSE)-OVERLAND PONY
EXPRESS ROUTE IN CALIFORNIA - This was the site of
Webster's Sugar Loaf House, well-known stopping place
during the Comstock rush. Beginning in April 1860, it
was used as a remount station of the Central Overland
Pony Express, and in 1861 it became a horse change
station for pioneer stage companies and the Overland
Mail.
Location: On Hwy 50 (P.M. 48. 0), 1.0 mi W of Kyburz
NO. 707 STRAWBERRY VALLEY HOUSE-OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS
ROUTE IN CALIFORNIA - This popular resort and stopping
place for stages and teams of the Comstock, established
by Swift and Watson in 1856, became a remount station of
the Central Overland Pony Express. Here on April 4,
1860, Division Superintendent Bolivar Roberts waited
with a string of mules to help pony rider Warren Upson
through the snowstorm on Echo Summit.
Location: Strawberry, on Hwy 50 (P.M. 578), 8.7 mi E of
Kyburz
NO. 708 YANK'S STATION-OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE IN
CALIFORNIA - This was the site of the most eastern
remount station of the Central Overland Pony Express in
California. Established as a trading post on the
Placerville-Carson Road in 1851 by Martin Smith, it
became a popular hostelry and stage stop operated by
Ephraim 'Yank' Clement. Pony rider Warren Upson arrived
here on the evening of April 28, 1860 and, changing
ponies, galloped on to Friday's in Nevada to deliver his
mochila to Bob Haslam for the ride to Genoa. Used as a
pony remount station until October 26, 1861, the station
was sold to George D. H. Meyers in 1873.
Location: Yank's Station shopping center, SW corner
State Hwy 50 and Apache Ave, Meyers
NO. 728 FRIDAY'S STATION-OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS ROUTE IN
CALIFORNIA - At this point the riders of the Central
Overland Pony Express crossed the Nevada-California
line. Three-quarters of a mile east of here, at Edgewood
in Nevada, are the remains of the most easterly remount
station of the California Division of the Pony Express.
Established about 1858 by Friday Burke and James Small
as a stage station on the Placerville-Carson City Road,
it became the home station of pony rider Bob Haslam
until October 26, 1861 when the Pony Express was
succeeded by the Transcontinental Telegraph.
Location: Stateline, Hwy 50
NO. 747 COLOMA ROAD-RESCUE - Past this point on the old
Coloma Road, running between Sutter's Fort and his
sawmill on the American river, James W. Marshall rode
with the first gold discovered at Coloma on January 24,
1848. Traveled by thousands to and from the diggings,
this road became the route of California's earliest
stageline, established in 1849 by James E. Birch.
Location: At intersection of Green Valley and Deer
Valley Rd, Rescue
NO. 748 COLOMA ROAD-COLOMA - Here in the valley of the
Cul-luh-mah Indians, James W. Marshall discovered gold
on January 24, 1848, in the tailrace of Sutter's
sawmill. The old Coloma Road, opened in 1847 from
Sutter's Fort to Coloma, was used by Marshall to carry
the news of the discovery to Captain John A. Sutter.
During the gold rush, it was used by thousands of miners
going to and from the diggings. In 1849 it became the
route of California's first stage line, established by
James E. Birch.
Location: Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park,
in Gold Discovery parking area, State Hwy 49, Coloma
NO. 767 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH - Erected in 1851,
this is the oldest church building in El Dorado County.
Its original site was on the corner of Cedar Ravine and
Main Street, Placerville.
Location: 1031 Thompson Way near Cedar Ravine St,
Placerville
NO. 815 WAKAMATSU TEA AND SILK FARM COLONY - The
agricultural settlement of pioneer Japanese immigrants
who arrived at Gold Hill on June 8, 1869-the only tea
and silk farm established in California-had a promising
outlook but failed tragically in less than two years.
This was the initial Japanese-influenced agricultural
attempt in California.
Location: Gold Trails Elementary School, 1336 Cold
Springs Rd, Gold Hill
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: PLACERVILLE