Spanish Dry Diggings (sometimes mapped as just Spanish Diggings) is located on the summit of a hill between two creeks, a site above the Middle Fork of the American River some five miles northwest of Georgetown and four miles north…
Community Profiles – Somerset
At the intersection of Mt. Aukum Road (E-16), Grizzly Flat Road and Buck’s Bar Road is the small town of Somerset. It was first settled in 1856 by some former residents of Somerset, Ohio, who probably searched for gold in…
Community Profiles – Smith Flat
Located just three miles east of downtown Placerville, the town known at various times as Smith’s Flat, Smith Flat and Smithflat, was not only an important stop along the Placerville wagon and stage road, but also a mining town of…
Community Profiles – Small Towns East of Georgetown
Not many people realize that there was an immigration route from what is now Highway 50, through the back country to Georgetown. It left the main road at Georgetown Junction, near Strawberry, and went through Union (Onion) Valley before heading…
Steppin’ Out – C. G. DiArie joins with Zachary Jack (ZJ) Specialty Foods
On Labor Day Weekend, C. G. DiArie Winery opened their tasting room and wine garden in the same building with Zachary Jack (ZJ) Specialty Foods, which is located in the old Zachary Jacques Restaurant, about three miles east of Diamond…
Community Profiles – Shingle Springs, Part 2
With Shingle Springs still growing rapidly, due to the arrival of the tracks of the Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad in 1865, most people believed there was no end to their success and that the local economy would continue to…