Sacramento Valley, CA History


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El Dorado County
 
�From a historical standpoint, El Dorado will always be one of the most 
interesting counties of California, for it was here that James Marshall 
discovered gold in a mill race at Coloma on the American River in 1848, and for 
the first time directed the attention of the world to this land of wonderful 
resources.  In the early days of California�s history, El Dorado was the scene 
of many deeds which have been vividly pictured by some of the best writers of 
American literature.  One of the main overland roads across which the pioneers 
came upon entering California in their ox teams from the East, leads directly to 
Placerville, the county seat, in the early days known as Hangtown, which was one 
of the liveliest of all mining towns in the �50s.
 
�But it is not from historical interest alone that El Dorado is attracting 
attention to-day.  The county is exceedingly resourceful and offers just as good 
or better opportunities to settlers in 1915 as it did to fortune hunters in �49. 
 The principal industries of the county are mining, fruit raising, lumbering, 
stock raising and general farming.  In all of these branches of endeavor there 
are excellent opportunities for development, as land is to be had for a 
reasonable price in El Dorado and there is abundance of water for irrigation.  
For certain products soil and climatic conditions are unexcelled and the 
husbandman who plants Bartlett pears, plums, prunes, apples, peaches, olives and 
walnuts is sure of success.  Oranges are grown in the western part of the 
county.  All of these fruits have been tried and found profitable year after 
year for the grower.  The Bartlett pear grown in El Dorado County cannot be 
excelled.  Prices realized in Eastern markets for all El Dorado fruits are the 
very highest.  This county was the first to adopt the standard pack, which 
assures quality of the first class to the purchaser.
 
�Being a foothill and mountain county, the products of El Dorado do not ripen as 
early as those in the counties in lower altitudes on the floor of the Sacramento 
valley.  This fact is not a disadvantage, as it might at first seem, but a 
decided advantage to the El Dorado grower, because his fruits come upon the 
market after the valley crops of the same varieties have been harvested and 
marketed.  Hence, the mountain products do not meet with competition.
 
�Unimproved land in El Dorado County can be purchased for from $20 to $80 an 
acre.  In most cases it is covered with a growth of timber, which has to be cut 
before cultivation can be started.  This in most cases does not add to the cost 
of the land, as the cut timber can be sold and it pays a large portion of the 
cost of clearing.  The soil is rich sandy loam and decomposed lava, a gray 
volcanic rock.  Most of the soils are formed by the disintegration of slate and 
allied rocks.  They are deep and well drained and readily retain moisture.
 
�There is abundance of water for irrigation in El Dorado, derived from the 
American River on the north and the Cosumnes and its tributaries on the south.  
These streams rise in the higher altitudes of the mountains and flow in a 
general westerly direction through deep canyons to the valley lands below.  Not 
only do they supply water for domestic purposes to towns and cities for 
irrigation of money-making farms, but they offer unlimited opportunities for 
electric power development.  There are now several power plants in El Dorado, 
where electricity for many uses is generated.
 
�Since early days the mining industry has been one of great importance in El 
Dorado and it will probably continue so for many generations to come.  The 
county lies on the �mother lode� or rich ore vein which extends through several 
counties on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  In the first few 
years following the discovery of gold, all the streams of the county were 
�worked over� with the sluice and rocker, the crude method followed by the 
pioneers in seeking gold.  Later, deep mining on modern scientific lines was 
introduced and is now followed.  El Dorado County has produced upwards of 
$150,000,000 in gold from gravel alone and the source of this supply lying in 
the higher regions northeast and southeast of Placerville, has as yet been only 
partially explored.
 
�The precious metal is not the only mineral product of the county.  There are 
large deposits of slate, granite, lime, asbestos and other building stones and 
some diamonds have been found.
 
�The lumbering industry of El Dorado gives employment to hundreds of workmen and 
distributes thousands of dollars in wages annually.  The trees cut for 
commercial purposes are coniferous and the wood is soft.  The most important 
kinds are the sugar and the yellow pine, the Douglas spruce, the cedar and two 
varieties of fir.
 
�There are several large lumber mills in the county.  One of these is located at 
Pino Grand, 25 miles northeast of Placerville, and is reached by a narrow gauge 
railroad from Camino.  At Camino are situated the lumber yards and box factory 
of the company.
 
�The California Door Company�s mill is located at Calder and is reached by a 
narrow gauge railroad from Diamond Springs, with the lumber yards at the latter 
place.
 
�El Dorado is also a resort county.  Some of the most popular Summer resorts in 
California are found within its borders.  This is particularly true of the 
higher altitudes of the Sierra Nevadas, where lakes and streams are numerous and 
fish and game are plentiful.  El Dorado County, it should be added, extends over 
the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the boundary line of Nevada.  It is 
approximately seventy miles long and thirty-five miles wide.  About two-thirds 
of the total area of Lake Tahoe, one of the most celebrated mountain lakes in 
the world, and a spot that delights thousands of pleasure seekers during the 
Summer months, lies in El Dorado County.  Trout of many varieties abound in the 
mountain streams, and game, such as bear, deer, rabbit, grouse and mountain 
quail, is plentiful.
 
�The State Highway, which will be the Lincoln Highway, leads from Sacramento to 
Lake Tahoe and passes through the full length of El Dorado County from west to 
east.  This is one of the famous scenic highways of California.  Delightful 
resorts are numerous along this road, which follows the course of the south fork 
of the American River.  Good trout fishing is to be had at almost any point in 
this stream.
 
�The county seat of El Dorado is Placerville.  It is a progressive city with 
good schools, the county high school being located there.
 
�The average rainfall of the county is from 40 to 60 inches.�