Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-01

at the little mining camp, and the culprit
+; after a fair and impartial hearing. was
hanged from large limb of while OAK
| tree that stood near the present site of the
! Plaza. Hence its name. 1t can ht
said truthfully cf the early settler;
that. notwithstanding they were in {
measure adventures whose only aim
was the acquisition of gold, still large
majority of them were young men fresh
/ from school, of respectable families, men
of honor and intellect, and not few OF
! them became, in after years, leaders IN ihc
body polite, not only of the State but OF
the nation. 1t was in Ell Dorado county
where the famous Joaquin Murietta and
his band of outlaws committed the major
portion of their memorable and murderous
outrages, truthful statement of which
would read like the veriest fiction. Placer
vile is situated in latitude $50 43, north and
longitude 1909 4Trwest. 1t occupies long
narrow ravine. through which flows Hang
town Creek, between two ranges of hills
that rise on either side of the city several
hundred feet. A view of this town with
its long winding main street, from any of
the adjacent hilltops is picturesque in the
extreme. The main portion of the town,
which is divided into what is called upper
and lower Placerville, is upwards of two
and one half miles in length. The busi-
ness portion contains many handsome fire.
proof brick blocks, and the residence por-
ton contains many handsome residences.
surrounded with beautiful lawns, grown to
fruit, flowers and shade trees, that here
thrive in luxuriance. Its church edifices.
four in number, are fine structures that
will compare favorably in size. stability.
architectural beauty with any city in the
State outside of San Francisco Her schools.
both public and private, are the pride of her
citizens, and some of the private semina-
rles have State reputation, and have
pupils from all over the coast, attracted
thither on account of their superiority as
Institutions of learning, as well as the
salnbrity and healthfulness of her climate
The wholesale. establishments are not sur
passed by those of any interior town of the
State. Placerville boasts of three weekly
papers, the Mountain Democrat, one of
the oldest journals on the coast-the
El Dorado Republican and the Observer.
These papers are all conducted by young
journalists of ability, who know and un-
derstand the requirements of their section,
and to their efforts is largely due the pres
ent prosperity of the county, The popu-
lation of Placervile is about 5000, and the
people, as class, are industrious. thrifty
and, as general thing, well to do.
GEORGETOWN
The next town in size and importance is
Georgetown, sixteen miles north of the
county-seat. 1t is situated on the summit
of the range of hills that act as the water
shed between the Middle and South Forks
OF the American river. In fact, the caves
of the houses on the west side of the main
street in several instances are directly upon
the summit of the watershed, the rain
falling upon one side flowing SOUTH the
other north. The town is regularly laid out
in blocks, has wide, well-shaded streets. an
excellent system of water-worlxs good
churches and school building a commodi-
GUS brick town-hall and theater, and pop
ulation of intelligent and prosperous peo-
pie. 1t is the center of trade for large
area of excellent farming country; her
mines-placer, quartz and gravel-are pros
ecuted with great profit, and her numbering
interests are inexhaustble. The altitude of
Georgetown is 2,700 feet. and the popula-
ton about 1000: The town also has an
excellent paper. the Georgetown Gazette,
which is issued every Friday by II. w.
Hubert. Greenwood, Coloma, FL Dorado,
Grizzly Flat, Latrobe and Shingle Springs
are all towns of considerable size, and each
is trade center of considerable section of
country.
CLIMATE AND SOIL.
No county in the State presents greater
diversity in soil, climate and productions
than FL Dorado. In less than a days
travel you can go from the orange and per-
simmon groves, which grow luxuriant in its
southern, western and middle portions, to
the snow that enwraps the SUBMITS of the
Sierras with its eternal covering of white.
The altitude of the county ranges all the
way from 500 feet to 1900. The foot
hill belt" which extends from a point ten
miles east of Placerville to the western
boundary of the county, comprises an area
ofabout 80 by 40 miles, and in it is embraced
nearly all of the best agricultural lands.
Fruit trees and vineyards flourish and all the
cereals yield abundant harvests.
The fruit interest of the county is ~ the
lead, has proven to be the most profitable.
and makes the largest returns for the least
outlay. Peaches, prunes, apricots. plums,
pears, apples, berries OF all kinds and grapes
mature to perfection and have delicacy
of flavor that is not e9naled anywhere.
save in the neighboshood of Newcastle.
Placer county. which has the same charac-
ter of soil and climate. Apples and pears
thrive in their greatest perfection on the
Georgetown divide. even u; an altitude of
$500 feet.
TIHBER LANDS.
East Of this agricultural belt. extending
the entire length of the county. north and
south, and to its eastern boundary, are
some of the finest timber lands upon the
coast. On the Georgetown divide, which
lies between the South and Middle Forks of
the American river, these forests, many
miles in extent, stand in their original
primeval pride, having never heard the
sound of the woodman's ak. Here are
found majestic pine, 800 feet high and II
feet in diameter, standing as thick upon the
ground as trees in an orange grove. The
entire county is we'll timbered, the lower
foothills with both white and black oak,
and little further up with oak, yellow and
white pine. The whole country is literally
and well supplied with living springs,
while the hundreds of ravines and canyons
that head in the Sierras, are constantly fed
by the melting SHOWS. In no portion of
the county is there lack of water or fuel, rs
both can be found in great abundance on
every hand.
SOIL POSSIBILITIES.
Most of the land in the western portion
is rolling, yet thousands of acres may be
found in bodies as level as the plains on
the Platte, and these lands for hay, grain
or fruit are unsurpassed by any uplands
of any State in the Union. In this section
floods are never known, cyclones never
heard of. earthquakes never experienced,
and failure of crops something that kas
never been chronicled by the honest his
torian. No matter what the season, with
proper. care in preparing the soil. seeding
and dcultiyation. a good crop is sure to fol-
low. This, to a great extent is owing to
the fact that the system of ir1igating canals
in this county. which cost the early miners
millions of dollars. is the most complete in
the State. and with irrigation the soil can
be made to produce crops and growths as
tonishing to behold. Those canals. since
the decadence of placer mining. have
fallen into the hands of the sturdy agri-
culturist, and now each farm has its own
water right. Farming in Ell Dorado county
is still in its infancy, and there is home
demand for most of the products save
cheese, fruit, wool and wine There is
now a steady increase in her farm products
from year to year. and certainty that in
the near future large surplus will be
credited TO her enterprising farmers.
THE DAIRY INTERESTS.
The dairy interest is large one, and, in
the main, very profitable. Those engaged
IL this business are possessed of two
ranges-one in the lower foothills, for win
ter use, and another upon the Sier1as, at an
altitude of from 5000 to 5000 feet, where
stock is driven after the feed dries up in
the surinp on the lower range Tho sfrr,