History

Placerville’s oldest church, built in 1851, is being restored through community effort, grants, and heartfelt donations — preserving a piece...

The El Dorado Chapter of the DAR is honoring Lucy Ann Stoddard—Placerville’s legendary “Pie Lady.” Her Gold Rush bakery made...

Long before Highway 50 roared with modern traffic, weary travelers stopped at Pacific House in the Sierra Nevada. Nearly 150...

In July 1955, Sunnyside Lodge on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore buzzed with wooden boats, summer travelers and lakeside dinners. Here’s...

Before the expressway and before Highway 50 bypassed downtown, every traveler to the Sierra passed directly through Main Street in...

A bicentennial-era interview with Joe Kola captures Smith Flat’s pioneer roots — mines, wagon roads, the Smith Flat House and...

Seventy-eight years ago, a toddler stood at Sutter’s Mill during the Gold Discovery Centennial. Today, he hopes to return for...

Long before dams and canals, wooden flumes carried water—and wealth—across El Dorado County. Here’s how they worked in 1855