The San Francisco call., 1913-08-17
REVIVAL PREDICTED


other fields.
REVIVAL PREDICTED
Some day, mining men predict, there
will be a great revival of the industry
-one indication of which is the pur-
chase by the Guggenheims of seven
miles of gold bearing gravel bars on
the north fork of the American river
but in the meantime the fruit grow
er has taken possession of much of the
most easily cultivated land of the
pioneer county of California and the
automobile tourists In the summer are
more numerous than the miners.
Coloma, formerly the county seat,
with population of 10000, is now the
center of one of the best peach raising
districts in the United States, and It's
cherry trees yield the largest and most
luscious fruit of that kind that can
be obtained anywhere. But il is only
a small village, unable to boast of as
many hundred inhabitants as ii had
thousands in the SOS. A splendid mon
ument to Marshall stands the hill
overlooking the site of Suffers mill
on the American river, where he dis
covered the gold. but otherwise. be-
yond the decaying cabins long since
deserted by the miners and an occa-
sional prospector working In the hills
or along the river, there is little to
indicate that il was once the biggest
mining camp in the country.
LANDMARKS DISAPPEARING
Placerville, the county seat, has
history as romantic as any other part
of California, but the old landmarks
are gradually disappearing with the
pioneers who took part in the stirring
times of the days of gold" 1t was
famous as the place where criminals
met their doom, by judicial process or
otherwise and as Hangtown" was
avoided by all who feared the aveng-
ing hand of Judge Lynch. whose place
of execution is still marked by the
roots of a tree from which the muir
derer or robber paid the penalty of
his misdeeds, but which has long since
been walled over by building devoted
to commercial pursuits.
Placerville is now the business center
of the county, but it is best known on
the outside as the half way house be-
tween Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. AS
1t is on the road that forms part OF
the Midland route for the proposed
ocean to ocean highway that Is expect
ed to be constructed from New York
TO Los Angeles, via ST. Louis, Denver.
Salt Lake. Carson City, Sacramento and
San Francisco, the city of Plaoerville
Is likely to see revival of the stirring
times when the Lake Tahoe wagon
road now state highway and ere
long to be known as the overland state
highway, was the only route from Vir-
ginia City, Nevada, to San Francisco.
Eight horse stage coaches then trav-
eled the steep, narrow and dangerous
toll roads between Lake Tahoe and
Placerville at the speed Of locomotive.
At that time the Lake Tahoe wagon
road was divided between many toll
road owners and the team that would
make the trip to Nevada had to pay
1880 for the privilege Now, the road
having been transferred to the state
when the toll franchises expired, 1t has
become one OF the favorite automobile
trips in the state, on account of the
wonderful mountain scenery and the
fact that II is the best approach to
Lake Tahoe, famed the world over as
the most remarkable body of water at
so high an elevation-6.225 feet above
the sea-
A SPLENDID VISTA
OF necessity the Indiana tourists, who
passed through this wonderful region
July 26, entered the county on the
Tahoe side and first got a. glimpse
of the snow covered peaks of Mount
Tallac from the east, and 1t is safe to
say that they were surprised by the
splendid range of meadows that lies
below the far stretching mountains,
although so far up toward the sky.
The ordinary tourist. however, will
approach the lake from the other side,
making the 112 mile trip from Sacra-
nento In one day, but generally stop
ping midway for the night at Placer