Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-05-20
HO! FOR HANGTOWN.
Old Timers so visit tho Scenes Of PiO-
neer Days ON the 25th.

Oakland and Sacramento to Placervils
The Ell Dorado Society, composed of res
idents OF Oakland and San Francisco
who resided in the early days in FL Dora
do, will hold their fourteenth annual re
union at Hunger's Grove on that day
There is no county in the State, in fact
no section OF tie sane area in the Union
that has grsnder history than Ell Dora
do. 1t was here that Marshall made hi
memorable discovery in 1848 that at onc'
peopled this coast, and reclaimed from
wilderness in less than one year III,
graudest section the sun ever shone upon
Ell Dorado county was the objective poin
Of every pioneer, no matter whether ht
came around the Horn, by the way &
the Isthnus or the long tedious triF
across the plains. In a few short months
Coloma, Hangtown, Diamond Springs
Cold Springs, Mud Springs, Uniontown
Georgetown, Johntown, Kelsey, Spanist
Flat and other mining camps contained
thousand of miners each. There were nc
sawmills, and all the houses up to 1852
and in some localities till as late as 1854
we're constructed Of canvas or pine logs
The latter far outnum bered the former
and consisted OF one room built OF small
logs, door in one end, a chimney in
LILO Obuti. WluuOW III Ouc ElQ6, tIlt
space between the logs cbinked with
mud mixed with leaves. These cabins
generally were one room, in re 14x20
and was dra ying-room, parlor, dining
room and bedroom. Stoves were some
thing unknown, and the iron kettle sus-
pended in the chimney the long-handled
frying pan and the old-fashioned iron
Dutch oven composed the kitchen out
fit Fruit was something not to be found
in market, canned goods were not to be
obtained in those days, and the regular
fare, twenty-one meals a week, both at
the hotels and in the miners cabins, was
bacon and beans. The only fresh meat
obtainablc was what could be culled
from the forest with the rifle or fowling-
piece, and the woods we're full OF grouse,
quail, silver-gray tree squirrel and deer.
The miner, however, in his eager search
for gold. had no taste for field sports.
The lowing piece was allowed to rust on
the pegs on the inside OF his cabin, while
he rustled from sunrise until dark with
the pick, shovel, pan and cradle. Some
OF the richest placers in Ell Dorado county
were in the little ravines and gulches
that were tributary to the forks of the
American river-Webber, Tennessee,
Irish, Rock and Empire creeks These
small ravines had no water in them ex-
cept during the rainy season, and hence,
in the early days, they we're called dry
diggings. This was remedied, how
ever, in few short months. for
going to the heads of the large
streams, enterprising miners conducted
the water along the tops Of the ridges in
bitches, and soon water was coursing
down every ravine where miner de-
sired to wash for gold. This water
brought fabulously high prices, and the
same head was used over and over again
before it reached the river.
Until September, 1849. what is now
known as Placerville was called .'Dry
Diggings." 1t was long row Of log
cabins in beautiful vale on both sides
of good-sized stream tributary to Web
Der creek. The vale was over two miles
in length and several hundred feet in
width. On both sides hills arose for
height OF from 200 to 500 feet, which
were densely covered with an elegant
growth Of black oak, fir, cedar and sew
eral species Of pine.
In September, 1S49, three murderers
were tried by miners meeting, sen
fenced and executed. They we're
HANGED FROM BIG WHITE OAK TREE
Which stood upon what is now the
Plaza in Placerville. From that day,
for many years thereafter, this camp
went by the name OF Hangtown. In
later years, when incorporated into
city, the name was changed to Placer
vile, but with the old pioneer it is Hang
town yet. One OF the best early towns
of the county, outside of Coloma and
Placerville, was Cold Springs. This
place occupied beautiful little valley,
fertile, watered, midway between
Coloma and Hangtown, five miles from
each. and was named after remarkably
fine flowing spring of water, which sup
piled over 800 cabins. The placers in
this valley, i'll its hills and ravines, were
fabulously rich. Poison Ravine-so
called from the heavy growth Of poison
oak--was half mile in length and paid
the miners a quart-cup OF gold dust per
day to each hand. Red Hill, knoll OF
about three acres, with gravel dep
of from six to ten feet, was worked out
in six months. and paid over 81 900, 900
1t was in this place that Leland STAN
ford first engaged in business on this
coast. He had little shake shanty on
Main street. in which he had supply Of
miners tools, blankets, overalls, -four,
coffee, bacon and beans. He was the
boss merchant OF the town. He wore
blue flannel overshirt, his pantaloons in
his boots, a slouch hat, and was "a
young rustler.v 1t can be said for Cold
Springs that its population was OF more
representative character than that of any
other of the towns. It was settled al
most exclusively with New Englanders
and people from the West-dozens of
young men who had just graduated from
Yale, Dartmouth and Harvard settled
here. Their sheepskins we're thrown to
one side and every man toiled in the
mines. AS early as 1850 these young
men and others organized debating
society for evening pastimes, and in 1851
the Franklin Institute Library was
established, which was the first library
on this coast. 1t contained several hun
dred volumes OF the choicest selections.
DR.. F. M. Shields and Hon. L. s. Taylor
Of this city we're early identified with
thislibraryand were among the young men
who were wrestling with the tickle god
dess. William I. Coleman, who failed a
few days since, was an early resident OF
Cold Springs and made his first start
there. He afterwards kept store in
Placerviile.
Ex-senator John Canness was one Of
the early miners on the Georgetown de.
vide and was always considered one Of
the best politicians in the county.
The Ell Dorado bar in those days in
cluded Thomas Robinson, s. w. Sander
son, f. L. Sanderson, s. Garfield, Judge
Van Cleaf, Thomas H. Williams, D. D.
Newell, John Hume, s. B. Farwell, JIM.