History
Placerville Main Street in the 1920s: When Horse Wagons Met Automobiles on America’s First Transcontinental Highway
Before the expressway and before Highway 50 bypassed downtown, every traveler to the Sierra passed directly through Main Street in...
Smith Flat’s Living Memory: Joe Kola’s Oral History of Mines, Wagons and the Smith Flat House
A bicentennial-era interview with Joe Kola captures Smith Flat’s pioneer roots — mines, wagon roads, the Smith Flat House and...
From Gold Rush Centennial to Bicentennial Dreams: A Coloma Witness Remembers 1948
Seventy-eight years ago, a toddler stood at Sutter’s Mill during the Gold Discovery Centennial. Today, he hopes to return for...
Water, Wood and the Gold Rush: How Flumes and Surveyors Shaped El Dorado County in 1855
Long before dams and canals, wooden flumes carried water—and wealth—across El Dorado County. Here’s how they worked in 1855
Coloma Gears Up to Mark Historic Gold Discovery with Annual Gold Discovery Day
Gold Discovery Day returns to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park on Jan. 24 with gold panning, living history, demonstrations,...
Placerville Keeps Its 1852 Victorian Storefronts Alive
Placerville’s 1852 Victorian storefronts aren’t museum pieces—they’re working businesses keeping Gold Rush history alive on Main Street.
Feeding the Teams: How the Comstock Silver Rush Forged Placerville’s Freight Routes
An 1860s photo of freight teams on the Placerville Route tells a larger story—how the Comstock Silver Rush hardened men,...
Tragedy in the Sierras: The Donner Party’s Ordeal That Shaped California History
The Donner Party’s 1846 journey west became a historic nightmare of starvation, sacrifice, and heroism in the Sierras.
Popular Story
-
Former El Dorado County Deputy William “Bill” Allen, 79, Remembered for 27 Years of Service
-
Placerville DUI Stops and Felony Drug Arrest Headline El Dorado County Sheriff’s Blotter – March 7, 2026
-
Gunfire in Camino Leaves Two El Dorado County Deputies, PG&E Worker Wounded; Suspect Also Shot
-
El Dorado County Arrest Blotter: Felony DUIs, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse Lead March 9 Bookings
-
El Dorado County Arrest Blotter: DUI Busts, Felony Assault and Probation Violation Logged March 8
