the flames spread with such rapidity that scarcely

Next came what has been termed "seams diggings," anything could be saved. Stores, hotels and dwell- a peculiararity of the vicinity of Georgetown, worked ing houses on Main street, melted away like snow principally by the hydraulic process; with great promise before the sun, and only by almost superhuman efforts in the constancy of their character. The "Beatty was it possible to save the rear portion of the western Seams Claim," at Georgia Slide, for instance, was part of town. But again the indomitable spirit of the opened in 1854, and has been permanently worked to people arose in triumph over their misfortune, and, the present time. Nearly all the small divides phoenix-like, from its ashes a new town sprang up. between the canyons and gulches contain deposits Again on the 16th of August, 1858, the principal of this description, and constitute most of the mining business portion of the town was destroyed by fire; that is done at present. Very little, however, has been the greatest damage was done on the east side of done at developing the numerous quartz lodes which Main street, which was only partially rebuilt. The are known to exist in the district: The Woodside last time Georgetown has been visited by the fire fiend mine, located within the town limits, was worked to was on May 28th, 1869; the fire was discovered in the depth of 225 feet, and the amount taken out of the old Miners' Hotel, on Main street, shortly after the mine was over $50,000. The Eureka had a shaft midnight, and the flames spread with such rapidity sunk to the depth of 230 feet and work was going to that the proprietor of the hotel, Mr. Stahlman, barely be resumed in it this season. The Taylor mine was escaped out over the roofs with his eldest child; but a good paying property some years ago, but no work his wife, three children and Miss Stanton perished in has been done since, and quartz mining, in which the the flames. The west side of Main street was partial-permanency of a mining community exists safely, ly destroyed, also the Catholic church and the Town Hall. Stahlman, suspected of arson, was on trial in the County Court before Judge Chas. F. Irwin, on July 13th, 1869. G. J. Carpenter and Geo. E. Williams appeared for the people, John Bush and J. W. Coffroth for the defendant. The trial lasted for two days, and the jury being unable to agree was discharged, and the case set for rehearing September 21st. Finally the trial came up again on February 1st, 1870, and the jury deliberately gave a verdict of not guilty. Notwithstanding these several conflagrations and the changes which followed each of these catastrophes, the town at the present writing will compare favorably with any of the old mining towns of early days.

Mining in this district was first confined to the canyons and gulches, and to the bars on the Middle Fork of the American river. Then came the "Hill diggings," worked by drifting. The first strike was made at "Bottle Hill," which was opened up in 1851, Mameluke Hill followed in 1852, and even richer deposits were discovered in 1853 and '54 at Cement and Jones' Hill. At each of these mining camps thriving towns were built up, and regular stage and telegraphic communications with Georgetown es tablished. But the days of wild excitement have passed by, and an era of permanency apparently has followed with a more general disposition to settle down and work in earnest and thoroughly what has been left from the period of the first excitement and rapid exhaustion, which soon scattered those engaged in working there, and the houses, left without proprietors, one after the other disappeared, until after a few ears hardly a building remained.

awaits from the future what the present still denies. Numerous canyons as: West, Illinois, Oregon, North and Dark canyons have their heads almost within the townsite, emptying into Canyon creek, and thence in to the Middle Fork, while Empire, Manhattan, Badger, Iowa and Rock canyons find their outlet into the South Fork of the American river. Thus showing that the location of Georgetown is on the regular divide, being the water shed of the two rivers. But it also is located on an underground divide, the cement deposits of the underlaying channels emptying into the Middle Fork ends right here; no cement being found south from here.

The water of the Georgetown divide is controlled for the most part by the "California Water Company," their main supply is a system of lakes situated at a high altitude in the eastern portion of the county, having an aggregate of 300 miles of ditches, flumes and iron pipes. Two large reservoirs are located almost in town, and one of the main ditches runs through town, providing it with a beautiful stream of good mountain water.

The agricultural resources of the vicinity of Georgetown, either for field or garden, are somewhat limited, there is no increase in farming visible since 1860; some parts rather show some perceptible decrease. From Coloma up to the summit there is no farming done that would be worth mentioning, notwithstanding the abundant water facilities, and the farming land did not make any increase in value either. Some attention has been given to the raising of various kinds of fruit, and excellent results procured, concerning quality as well as quantity. But the lack of sufficient home consumption and the distance from

y

satisfied by life for life; consequently he was hung by this mob from the limb of an oak tree on the hill, south side of the head-waters of Empire canyon, opposite the old town. The tree still stands there, a monument to the so-called justice. In April 1851, Wm. Allen, of Missouri, shot Chas. Roux in Oregon canyon on account of personal affairs; Allen gave bonds and fled the country.

other market places, together with the want of quick while in a drunken frenzy. Devine was an Englishtransportation, offers little inducement for extensive man, a deserter from the English army; he came to fruit culture. The farming entirely depends on the California in 1849, and used to live on Oregon canmines; from 1849 to '60 were the "flush times" of yon in 1850, at that time belonging more to the town. the mines, producing largely, then money was plenti- Mrs. Devine was a woman of fine presence, dignified ful and spent lavishly, thus making Georgetown and and somewhat reserved, kind and thoughtful to those surrounding country the liveliest spot of ground, and arround her, in marked contrast with the course and, to repeat such times, to a certain extent, the mineral as the sequel proved, brutal disposition of her huswealth of the land has to be disclosed; there are band. There were only two women in town at that thousands of acres of mineral land unprospected, and time. He had threatened her before already, and the remainder is not prospected deep enough to give when he reached for his gun, she attempted to escape an estimate. and was shot when passing out of the door in the Georgetown has given to the county of El Dorado rear of the building. One Joe Brown, a noted charmany officers, to the Halls of Legislature assembly-acter, and a few other persons determined that Devire men and senators; one of her citizens became was guilty of murder, and that justice would only be United States Senator, another the unsuccessful candidate for Governor, but all of whom-with only two exceptions-retired to other solitudes upon the expiration of their terms of office; the citizens of George town have never been active in political affairs outside of the local questions. The removal of the county seat from Coloma to Placerville was not acceptable to them, and instigated by some old wire pullers they entered the arena for the agitation, first, to have the The lower or southern part of the town was a comCounty Court seat of El Dorado county removed to munity in itself, they claimed to be the first settlers Georgetown, this was in 1854, and afterwards in 1857, and the only connecting link with the old George's when they expressed to be in favor of a division of town. The denizens were called the growlers, and the county of El Dorado, making Georgetown the they accepted the name: from thence that portion was county seat of the new county of "Eureka," for which was intended all the country bounded by the Middle and South Forks of the American River, and falling through with this plan they never have taken a hand in politics again, and were quite contented with no other officers in town besides Justice of the Peace, Constable and School Trustees.- Of important men who lived here we have to name: United States Senator Cornelius Cole, who was mining here in 1849 and '50; John Conness, of the firm of Conness & Reed, merchants, who lived here from 1849 to '64,

was State Senator first and afterwards elected United

called

GROWLERSBURG,

Which, though depopulated, retains its name if not its reputation.

How one after another all the old relics of early days are going shows the old Marion England place, north of town, owned by T. Lebouf, and of late occupied as the residence of M. P. Baldwin. This house was built by B. C. Currier and party in December, 1849, and probably was the oldest house on the Georgetown divide. Originally it had been a log cabin, but was remodeled in 1852, by leaving the old logs as they were first placed; and notwithstanding its thirty-three years of service, was yet a substantial building, when lately in the absence of the occupying family it was consumed by fire, with all its contents. Incidents of an exciting character have been quite Near the house was a remarkable fine specimen of arrare at Georgetown, though the town has been notor-bor vitae tree, Californian cedar, measuring one foot six ious for stage robberies and burglaries—on account of inches in circumference in 1849, and nine feet six which Wells, Fargo & Co., discontinued their office in inches in 1879, a growth of eight feet round in thirty town-at an immense cost to the county in not convicting. Judge Lynch held a carnival here two or three times, only once with fatal precision :

States Senator; J. W. McClury, ex-United States Representative and afterwards Governor of Missouri, kept a general merchandise store here in 1851 and 52, and several others.

THE HANGING OF DEVINE.

years.

BOTTLE HILL DIGGINGS.

Were first discovered by one Ayers in Spring of 1851, there being many bottles laying around, where the

In the fall of 1850, for shooting and killing his wife place derived its name from. These diggings proved

the miners of early days. The St. Louis Tunnel Co., a company of eight men, took out in one week in 1854, ninety-four pounds of fine specimen gold. Bottle Hill was incorporated as a town in 1854, its streets bearing the names; Main street, Forrest street, Bottle Hill street and Georgetown street.

exceedingly rich and became a great attraction between wonderfully rich; it was characteristic of the gold taken from these gulches, ravines or flats, perhaps in a greater degree than that from any other mine in this State, that it was rough, and in a large proportion had small fragments of quartz attached to the particles of gold, indicating to thoughtful observers, that the places where it was found, were not far remote from its original place of repose in a quartz ledge. But in large proportion the old brood of placer miners were not the men to follow up such indications. With them it had become a habit, which gradually assumed the character of second nature, that they could not wait longer than a week to "clean up" and realize the

MAMELUKE HILL.

The derivation of the name is uncertain; some take it from a book that miners of the earliest times were reading, others say its origin is to be looked for in “Mama look,” the expression of a child to its mama. The diggings were discovered by Messrs. Klepstein and Keiser in 1851; Henry Garay came in 1852.

GEORGIA SLIDE,

result of their labor. Rather than follow the indications that led to a quartz ledge, though close at hand, they would wander off to Frazier river, Kern river, Skagitt, or some other distant field in which rich placer mines were reported. And so it happened that with the exhaustion of the placer mines about Kelsey district there was observable a similar exhaustion in energy, spirit and enterprise of the mining and business community, until latterly the old town has dwindled and is comprising but one boarding-house, one saloon, and three or four residences.

Originally called Georgia Flat, was worked as early as 1849, by a party of Georgia miners, some time later a big slide came in, which caused the change of the name in Georgia Slide. In 1850, a party of Oregonians were known to be engaged on Canyon creek and the slide, but they were very secret workers and, though they had a rich thing, they would not let on, contrary did every thing not to excite any attraction. Wm. Hughes from New York, who came to California with Stevenson's regiment, claims that he saw in passing by here, what he could estimate, about two hundred pounds of gold spread for drying on blankets. Yankee Sullivan used to live here in 1850, keeping bar at the time. It was then and for years afterwards a wild and rough place, no other travel except on pack mules was possible. The first store in the place was owned by B. Spencer, a brother to Pat. Spencer of George-established here in 1856 or 1857, Jno. White, first town, in 1851 and 1852, and, after changes, came, in 1859, into the possession of G. F. Barklage. The largest piece of gold that was taken out here, as far as Mr. Beatty knows from, was weighing sixty ounces.

JONES HILL.

The place was named after a man by the name of Kelsey who also lent his name to the town of Kelseyville, Lake county. Samuel Smith, of Baltimore, who came to California in 1843, kept the first store, and Mr. Paul the first hotel. The first school in the district was taught by Mr. Pease, and Miss Slater, now Mrs. Shankland succeeding; the school house was located east of Jno. Poor's place. A Post Office was

Post Master, and an Express office was opened by
Thos. McManus, which connected either way to
Georgetown and Placerville, as the pioneer stage line
run through town.

The town was destroyed by fire in 1853, and in

Was named after its locator, James Edward Jones, 1856 Kelsey introduced the run of destructive fires

of Hannibal, Missouri.

KELSEY.

of that year that visited Placerville, Diamond Springs, Georgetown, etc.; a big blaze originated in an old deserted shanty, unoccupied for weeks, and destroyed a large part of the town on New Years day 1856.

Of all other mining places of early days in Kelsey township; Louisville, Columbia, Irish Creek, American Flat, Spanish Flat, Fleatown, Elizaville, Yankee Flat, Chicken Flat, Stag Flat, Barley Flat and Union Flat.

The old town of Kelsey is located about seven miles in a northwesterly direction from Placerville, occupying an elevated plateau on the higher side of the South Fork of the American river. In the flush times of placer mining it was the business center for an extensive and a wonderfully rich mining district, embracing a large number of creeks, ravines, gulches, flats, etc. In those days the old town supported twelve Has always been the most important; and while stores, perhaps twice that number of saloons and most all those above named are entirely gone or gambling houses, half a dozen hotels and hay-yards, shrunk into one single settlement, Spanish Flat has and other places of business in proportion. As be-preserved quite some townlike appearance. The town fore remarked, the placer mines of this district were is located on the stage road from Placerville to

SPANISH FLAT..