Kitchen Remodeling Placerville, CA

About Placerville

Placerville, California is a delightful gold rush community that was named during the late 1840’s, after the placer gold deposits that were located in its’ hills and river beds. Placerville was the place of law and order where criminals and outlaws found quick with swift justice during the days of the gold rush frequently at the end of a rope. This was the reason for the nickname of Hangtown. These days, the community Placerville is centrally located in the beautiful County of El Dorado between southern Lake Tahoe and the capital city of California, Sacramento both of which are a region of world class outdoor recreation.

The Eldorado National Forest, the American River, historic Coloma, the Apple Hill Ranches, and numerous wineries are just some of the attraction that are located In Placerville and the surrounding area.

Placerville has four distinct seasons and an ideal climate being located below the snow line and above the fog line. Accessibility to Placerville can be made via U.S Highway 50 and State Highway 49, which are two of the most traveled highways in the state of California. The treasured heritage of Placerville reflected in the historical architecture of the 1800’s, of its core downtown. Also, Placerville is the hub of government, civic, commercial, and financial activity, as well as being the County seat.

The location on the southern fork of the American River is where the tale of old Hangtown really starts in Coloma, where a man named James Marshall constructed a sawmill for his employer named John Sutter. On the tail race of the sawmill Mr. Marshall discovered some specks of gold in 1848. While the news was spreading, the great Gold Rush was starting.

Over hills and up ravines seamen, soldiers, merchants and prospective miners, seamen arrived in the area. Many men were mining the new gold camp by the summer of 1848, which then placed Coloma as the first meeting with the Argonauts. However, not all of the potential gold miners were all that enthused in collecting their share of the plentiful gold through the use of such back-breaking labor. Along the American River, robberies and murders were all too common in the isolated gold camps. It wasn’t long before many miners and merchants had lost their poke of gold at knife point.

In early 1849, some residents gather to determine the guilt or innocents of the accused following one such crime. It didn’t take for the jury to reach a verdict, which was guilty. When the jury was asked what the punishment should be, they nearly unanimously shouted hang him. Therefore, this event became the first known hanging in the Mother Lode. The location of the hanging was a giant white oak close to the middle of the community in the corner of hay yard. As the result of many other hangings the settlement soon came to be called Hangtown. These days, the tree stump is all that remains, which is concealed in the basement of a bar located on the corner of Placerville and Main Street and is very suitable the Hangman's Tree.

Hangtown was the third largest town in California by 1854, surpassed only by Sacramento and San Francisco. Having only some 541 voters Los Angeles was in 15th. As the population of Hangtown increased the temperance league which was the pushed for a name that was less morbid. As early as 1850, the name Placerville had been recommended. The year 1854 brought the formal incorporation of the community, and with it the name Placerville. Also, in 1854. an election was held to try to take the county seat of government away from Coloma. However, there were more competitors than just Placerville. Three other towns also became competitors. However, none these competitors could gather sufficient votes to upset Coloma.

Placerville tried again some two years later, and there were only two other competitors this time. While the formal vote indicated that the winner was once again Coloma, some outraged residents of Placerville requested a meeting in order to express their suspicions of election fraud and ballot box stuffing.

Apparently, the evidence supported the charges because the State Legislature decided to decide this the matter for good. Therefore, in 1857 the county seat was relocated to Placerville by an act of the Legislature.

A fire almost devastated Placerville in 1856. In 1859, as the result of the Comstock silver strike Placerville achieved new life as mining in the local mining area declined. Placerville was the western terminus for the Overland Trail, all throughout the 1850’s. The year 1859 saw the new beginning of a massive reverse migration. Between 1859 the road between Cason and Placerville experienced the greatest period of staging and freighting staging by horse-drawn wagons ever known. In 1873, the community of Placerville dissolved but the year 1900 brought the reincorporation of Placerville.

These days, Placerville remains the center hub of the Mother Lode. The industry has turned to recreation, tourism, light manufacturing, agriculture and lumber from mining. It is now renowned for its production of fine wines and vineyards. Placerville is still the location of the offices of the government for the County if El Dorado. When the rich history of the community is recalled it is the imaginative name of Hangtown that has endured.