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HISTORY
El
Dorado County, California.
LOCAL
HISTORY.
Diamond
Springs
Took its name from a group of springs with beautiful
clear water, which were located on that now mined out ground on the north
side of Main street, in the center of town, opposite the livery stable, or
Mr. Carpenter's residence. The old emigrant road, coming down across the
summit, passing Silver Lake, Sly Park and Pleasant valley, went through
here to Sacramento and the plains ; or joining off to the north towards
Coloma, Placerville, Georgetown and all the mining camps in the northern
part of El Dorado county, as well as across the American river in Placer
county ; and the emigrants passing over this (Carson) road from the
earliest times made this a favorite stopping or camping place, to take a
short rest after the hardship and trial of the mountain passage. No
attempt, however, had been made towards permanent settlement on this
point, though it is said that one log cabin had been built up here in
1849, near some of the many springs ; but the owner of it did not succeed
in drawing followers to the place ; they were all bound for Coloma, and
none t ok time enough to test the ground. This went on till the latter
part of the summer of 1850, when a party of emigrants from the State of
Missouri, numbering about two hundred, under the leadership of one McPike,
now of Santa Clara county, came down this way and took a fancy to stop
here for a few days; but being satisfied with the location, as they found
beautiful and plenty of water and pasture, and after they had learned to
mine, discovered that the mining here was paying well, they concluded to
make this a permanent camp and went on to build clap board houses. Thus
becoming the founders of Diamond Springs. The springs, however, belong to
those things that only can be talked about.
 Diamond
Springs is situated bout forty-seven miles east of Sacramento, three miles
from Placerville, on the junction of the roads to the latter city and to
Pleasant valley. A place so much favored by location and other conditions
could not help to accumulate fast after the first start was made ;
particularly after the discover of the richest placer mines all around
town, it commenced growing as a worthy rival of the neighboring "Hangtown,"
concerning numerical strength, business and society life. In 1854, when
the star of Coloma began to go downward, Diamond Springs was the rising
star, that promised to take the place of the former as the county center.
The proprietor of the Miner's Advocate sold out at Coloma only to publish
his paper at Diamond Springs ; and of the size of the trade the town
commanded, the many stores and other business places, that were doing a
flush business, gave sufficient proof. A good many of the denizens of
Diamond Springs have made themselves prominent so that their names deserve
to be recalled in history : There were, M. K. Shearer, the most obliging
Postmaster ; C. B. Patterson, G. M. Waugh, Samuel Haskett, J. H. Haynes,
Dr. Samuel F. Hamm, Mathew Arnold, S. Smith, S Sims, Dr. S. F. Marquis, H.
H. West, F. S. Davenport and Henry Larkin. The
Masonic fraternity is represented at Diamond Springs with Diamond Lodge,
No. 29, F. and A. M., which installed in 1855, holding their meetings on
Saturday proceeding the full moon. Mr. L. E. Brooke is the Secretary ; and
El Dorado Chapter No. 4, Royal Arch Masonry, holding their meetings at
Union Hall on the evenings of 1st and 3d Friday of each month; A. D.
Parks, M. E. H. P.; L. E. Brooke, Secretary. Mount Zion Lodge, No. 114, F.
and A. M., was constituted and the following officers installed by A. D.
Parks, of Diamond Springs, R. W. S. G. W. on Friday, May 22d, 1857; Wm.
McKean, W. M.; N. C. Boswell, S. W.; J. H. Watson, J. W.; J. R. Cobb,
Treasurer ; G. W. McKean, Secretary ; Chas. C. McLean, S. D.; D. W. Strohn,
J. D. ; Wm. Knox, Marshal ; E. King and J. S. Jacks, Stewards; R. S.
Johnson, Tyler ; meetings were held on Friday of, or proceeding the full
moon. The Odd Fellows instituted their first lodge
in this county and one of the first in the State, at Diamond Springs, it
was called Diamond Springs Lodge, No. 9. of Diamond Springs, their day of
meeting is Wednesday. Sometime in 1854, Zeta Encampment of I. O. O. F. was
instituted here also, but was transferred from here to Placerville, in
January, 1857. The Odd Fellows of Diamond Springs are in possession of a
fine commodious hall in the two-story frame building on the hill, visible
far away. In 1854, when Placerville had started
the agitation for the removal of the county seat from Coloma, of the five
aspirants that finally became voted for, Diamond Springs came out third
best, which could be considered pretty good, s the district of votes given
for this place was very limited, being injured on both sides by the
concurrence of Placerville on one and Mud Springs on the other side.
 On
August 5, 1856, about 9 o'clock A. M. flames were discovered to issue out
of the Howard House, a large building in the heart of the town of Diamond
Springs, built of the most combustible material, a strong breeze helped
the flames to spread with fearful rapidity, sweeping everything before
them. Scott's brick house, and the office of Wells, Fargo & Co., on
Main street, escaped uninjured. Mr. Shearer, the Postmaster, saved the
greatest portion of the books, furniture, etc., of the office, but lost
the letters and his law library. Citizens of Placerville and other places
came to the assistance and worked with commendable zeal to check the
flames. The fire was supposed to be the work of an incendiary, and it was
presumed that there was some connection between the three big fires
destroying the largest towns of the Empire county. Placerville, Georgetown
and Diamond Springs--inside of about a month. The total loss on property
destroyed by fire in those three places was estimated at $1.500,000. The
losses at Diamond Springs, after a rough estimate, were as follows.
| G. P. Morrill, druggist |
$2,500 |
| W. P. Scott, buildings |
2,000 |
| Mrs. Walk, house & furniture |
1,000 |
| F. Caufman, carpenter |
600 |
| P. Strelitz, jeweler |
3,000 |
| Golden Exchange Building |
1,500 |
| Peter Gile, livery stable |
2,000 |
| Church |
4,000 |
| George Fryer, saloon |
3,000 |
| George Thoonn, house |
600 |
| F. McCoy, saloon and furniture |
1,500 |
| T. Boyle, store and goods |
1,000 |
| J. P. Steele, livery stable |
1,000 |
| Thos. Davidson, dwelling |
1,000 |
| C. Irving, dwelling |
1,000 |
| N. A. Chipman, dwelling |
400 |
| E. N. Strout, dwelling |
1,500 |
| James Wylie, dwelling |
1,500 |
| Mrs. Holland, house |
2,500 |
| N. Lepper, bookstore |
800 |
| W. S. Day, store and goods |
3,000 |
| N. Rhine, goods and building |
10,000 |
| R. Fouke, crystal saloon |
2,500 |
| T. H. and W. L. Cunningham |
25,000 |
| J. R. Fuller, market |
25,000 |
| J. Ullman, store |
35,000 |
| Kaufmann, store |
3,000 |
| Wm. Harris, store |
3,000 |
| Thos. Fa heringham, store |
2,500 |
| John Moss |
300 |
| M. K. Shearer, dwelling |
2,000 |
| Young & Allen, hotel |
1,000 |
| Bradberry, dwelling |
1,000 |
| Carpenter, temperance house |
1,500 |
| Isaiah Hull, building |
1,000 |
| C. B. Patterson, law library |
400 |
| L. Bradley, dwelling |
1,000 |
| George Lander, furniture |
800 |
| J. Oliver, dwelling |
750 |
| John S. Welton, Nebraska saloon |
5,000 |
| Mary A. Thomas, building |
2,000 |
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Another destructive fire visited Diamond Springs on the
23d of September, 1859, which had swept away a great many buildings in the
central portion of town before its ravages could be checked. The loss on
property after a rough estimate amounted to between $50,000 and $60,000. Probably
but few know that the Digger Indians burned their dead and will do so up
to this day if no law officer interferes with their habits. Immediately in
the rear of Ham Hawley's and Bob Shirley's stables at Diamond Springs, was
the consecrated ground on which they paid the last funeral rites to their
deceased warriors, wives, brothers, sisters, sweethearts and children by
cremation. For hundreds of miles around were the dead transported on
liters to this sacred spot, where it was supposed that the spirits of the
departed, in the flames of the pine fagots, took their departure to the
happy hunting ground beyond the sky. We witnessed one burning in 1852, of
a chief, who had been brought from Georgetown. There ceremonies occupied
some ten hours, and ran into the late hours of the night. It was a wild, weird,
sickening, stinking operation. Hundreds of Diggers had collected from
everywhere (they were more plentiful then than now), the bucks dressed in
all manner of attire, with painted faces, the women and female children
with tarred heads. The dead body of their chief was placed naked on the
ground, then covered with pine splints and fired, when bucks and squaws
set up as unearthly, maniacal a howl as ever came from mortal throats.
Round and round they danced until there was nothing left of the corpse of
poor "Digger Jim." At a late hour of the night the spectacle was
a scene for n artist. Hundreds of rough dressed, uncouth, unshaven miners,
storekeepers, visitors, etc., had collected and almost surrounded the
Indians. The stench from the burning body was almost intolerable, the
burning fagots kept up a bright light, but no one interfered with the
ceremonies, for there were no hoodlums in those days. Some one notified
Coroner Tommy Daugherty that he was wanted, and away he went without
asking any questions, on a bucking mustang, to hold an inquest on a dead
"Injun," followed by many notables of the county. There were
present as near as can be recollected: Ben. Post, Ballard, Billy Carr, Jim
Plummer, Bob Graham, Bob Carson, (Kit's brother), Tom Davidson, Church A.
C. Waldron, Uncle Billy Rodgers, Dave Buell, the Brace brothers, E. B.
Carson, Old Wetherwax, Fred Chamberlain, Carey of the Carey House, John
Fountain, Miss Puss Williams with her pleasant face and laughing curls:
now the wife of J. Q. Brown, and the prattling children of the Titus
Hotel, Tom Springer, Ned McCabe, Al Merrill, Pete Schram, Bill Donahue,
Theron Foster, Net Wilton John O'Donnell, Jack McDougal, Pat Lynch, Mike
Borowsky, Cockeyed Johnson of Johnson's Pass, Geo. Coddington, Feo. Fryer,
Bob Bell, and the handsome face of Mrs. George Thomas, the blonde, and
Mike and "Mommy" Shearer were there; Bart Richardson, Bill
Connell, (doublefoot), Chauncy Noteware, Alfred Briggs, and sturdy John
Conness, Chase and Elias Willow, Joe Simmons and the Davis brothers, Jim
Hume, Jack Moses, Capt. Billy Smith, Sam and Jim Grantham, Ross Sargent,
John Bell, A. C. St. Denver, Major Bee, Dick Savage, "Boomerang
Bill," Bill January and Roush, Dan Gelwicks, and Sam Seabough, and
Col. Ned Baker, the editor and orator.
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