Hang Town, The Wild West Town Of The Gold Rush.

Placerville is named after the placer gold deposits found in its river beds and surrounding foot hills. It wasn't always called that name, formally Dry Diggins or more well known Hangtown. On my weekend there I learned some history I would like to share.

January of 1849, a gambler by the name of Lopez won big at a local saloon. He made a big deal about it, prancing all around town telling everyone about it in reckless glee. After he retired for the evening, several men tried to rob and beat him. Lopez fought back catching the attention of some good Samaritan's who helped bring in the would be robbers. All three of the robbers were also accused of being wanted for a murder and robbery. A 30 minute trial was all it took for the people to pronounce them guilty. The crowd demanded that the men be sentenced to “death by hanging” and the town was called Hangtown ever since. Some of the locals still call it that and a lot of shops are sporting the Hangtown name. The famous hanging tree once stood in Elstner’s Hay Yard, next to the Jackass Inn. Today, the original stump from the old tree remains in the cellar of “The Hangman’s Tree” tavern on Historic Main Street.

How is that for a wild west town story?

I was also the site of the Pony Express, located on the corner of Main and Sacramento Street is where 80 riders including William, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, relayed mail by horseback between Missouri and Sacramento. The Pony Express ran from April 1860 through June 1861 when the telegraph came into use and turned this mail service into a piece of history.

Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull 1895

Buffalo Bill 1875

The Bell Tower located near the center of Main Street was erected in 1865 to warn the fire fighters and townspeople in the event of a fire in town a standing monument to the city’s volunteer firemen.

Placerville Soda Works has a mine in the back of the building, burrowed into a hill. The building was built around the mine taking advantage of naturally cool temperature of the mine tunnel to store the ice. They sold cold drinks to the miners back in the day.

Now its a cute coffee shop, the change moves through time.

I enjoyed my walk through history in Placerville, and seeing what it has become. I rode the whitewater rapids through it last weekend. I will never forget my Wild West Weekend.

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Big Love.