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HISTORY
El
Dorado County, California.
LOCAL
HISTORY.
eL
DORADO
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19th
Century Northern California from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe
Including
Sacramento, Folsom, Placerville, Nevada City, Grass Valley, Auburn,
Colfax, Dutch Flat and smaller towns in-between
Pages:
202 Photos: 180 |
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Up to the the* time of its incorporation as a town, in
the winter of 1855, the village went by the name of Mud Springs, and was a
mining camp of some note ; this was one of the first mining camps in the
county, the first locations having been made in 1849 and '50. The name of
Mud Springs, which is not unfrequently used even now, was derived from
some springs near town that had been used by emigrants to water their
cattle and other stock, by which means the surrounding ground had become
quite muddy, and to distinguish these springs from the Diamond Springs,
about two miles further up, the passing emigrants called the Mud Springs.
The first quotation of the name of El Dorado, instead of Mud Springs, was
in a correspondence under date of August 7th, 1855 ; but officially the
change did not take place until January 1st, 1856. The incorporation line
of the present place concerns all what was then known as Empire Ravine,
Dead Man's Hollow, Loafer's Hollow, Logtown creek, Matheney's creek, Slate
and Dry creeks. James Thomas was one of the first settlers, he erected in
the winter of 1849 to 1850 a trading post and hotel, called Old Mud
Springs House. The year of 1851 developed the camp to its utmost capacity.
To the rich placer mines worked all around the discovery of a lot of
quartz veins was added, and resulted in the erection of five steam
quartz-mills on Matheney's creek, and four others on Logtown creek which,
together with all the mines gave employment to not less than 500 laborers.
A great many stores, hotels, boarding houses and other business places
were engaged to provide the necessities of all of them. Among the
residents of early El Dorado or Mud Springs we find just as many names of
men who became prominent in time as any of the other towns of equal size
in the county. Messrs. Blanchard, Meredith, Tebbs were the first attorneys; the Harvey Brothers and Dr. H. M. Fiske were the first physicians.
 Of
secret societies, the Masons are represented at El Dorado with the Hiram
Lodge, No. 43, F. and A. M.; the Odd Fellows, with Aurum Lodge, No. 23,:
the Grangers with El Dorado Grange, No. 178. In 1856 the Grand Consistory
of Placerville granted a charter to organize a Lodge of E. Clampsus Vitus,
at El Dorado, and the following Kinghts were elected officers : C. P.
Jackson, N. G. H.; T. Foster, G. R. P.; W. D. Hinman, C. P.; J. E.
Simmons, C. V.; T. J. Steward, G. R. F.; B. F. Davis, G. R. M.; H. W.
Merritt, G. R. S.; P. Schramm, D. F. D.; E. Willow, G. R S.; Mr. Wetherwax,
G. R. F. El Dorado is located about half way
between Shingle Springs and Placerville, on the Sacramento and Placerville
state road ; surrounded by a section of the country that is well adapted
for agricultural purposes. The town is connected by a daily stage, running
between Placerville and Shingle Springs. On the
night of the election day, in the fall of 1859, a difficulty arose between
Messrs. A. W. Myatt and C. C. Bowker, in which the latter cut the former
with a knife, killing him instantly. He was tried, found guilty of
manslaughter, and sentenced to five years confinement in the State prison.
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