In March of 1849, a company of ten men left Monroe, Michigan determined to cross the plains and settle in California. A man named Kertland was the captain of the company, which consisted of David B. Scott, D. Ashley, A.…
Community Profiles – Salmon Falls
Located on the banks of the South Fork of the American River at the mouth of Sweetwater Creek, this town derived its name from the falls on the American River to where the Indians came down from the mountains to…
Community Profiles – Rescue
Note: This is just a short look at the history of the town of Rescue. For a complete history on the area and its pioneer residents, see: “History of a Place Called Rescue,” by William Teie and Francis Carpenter (2011).…
Community Profiles – Pollock Pines
Many towns along the Mother Lode were named after early settlers who located there. These people were usually miners, farmers or ranchers who came to California before or shortly after it became a state and were the first to settle…
Community Profiles – Pleasant Valley
To understand how the town of Pleasant Valley came about, one must go back to 1846 and a place two thousand miles east. Brigham Young and his followers were in dire straights, having left much of their belongings in their…
Community Profiles – Placerville, Part 4 (The Trains Arrive and Depart)
The railroad tracks to Placerville were finally completed on March 29, 1888, some thirty years later than planned. But by that time the historically independent Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad no longer even existed, having been consolidated with ten other…