Placerville Idaho cemetery

Placerville, Idaho pioneer cemetery: LEFT: William F. Connaughton Born Oct 25, 1865 Died Nov 15, 1910 CENTER: Margaret Connaughton Jan 6, 1835 Dec 18, 1915. RIGHT: Peter Connaughton Sept 29, 1831 July 20, 1894 Father.

To the left and a bit apart from the three crosses is a small similar style cross grave stone that reads: Peter Warren. Son of W.F. Connaughton Born Mar 18, 1900 Died Mar 21, 1906.

I drove through Garden Valley, Idaho on Monday and visited the pioneer cemetery while there. Then it was on to Iron Creek Campground where I camped for the night to get an early morning start on a hike up into the Sawtooth Mountain wilderness (Sawtooth Lake).

After I returned from a 10 to 11 mile enjoyable hike to Sawtooth Lake and up above it, I decided to return to Garden Valley, Idaho and make an 11 mile “side trip” up to Placerville, Idaho and back. Placerville is a colorful old mining town (as most were and are).

Fortunately, I was enjoying the drive so much that I missed my turn back down the South Fork of the Payette River to Garden Valley, and instead ended up in another mining town: Idaho City, Idaho. Serendipity. I drove around Idaho City a bit, and then took forest service roads up to Placerville, Idaho. There I “toured town” and the Placerville, Idaho pioneer cemetery.

I found the same wonderful ornate wrought iron grave-site enclosures that I had seen at Garden Valley the day before. I didn’t notice until I reviewed my photographs that there was an “emblem” on the gate of most of the enclosures and had I been a bit more observant, I would have known the person or company that did this beautiful work. A reason to go back.

The steep winding dirt road from Placerville down to Garden Valley was a joy to drive slowly with the window rolled down in my old pickup truck.

NOTE: In my photo stream I have chosen to upload my photos so that the Idaho City and Placerville, Idaho photos are close to the Garden Valley, Idaho photos. The photos of my hike into the Sawtooth Wilderness will be uploaded last. So photos aren’t in chronological order in this photo set.

[“Idaho for the Curious” by Cort Conley]
Excerpts from Conley’s fine book of the roadside history of the state of Idaho:

PLACERVILLE, IDAHO

“This was the first camp encountered by miners and freighters who entered the Boise Basin via the Payette River and Harris Creek. Because of the advantageous location, the settlement grew rapidly - to 3,200 by September 1863”.

“Gradually, Placerville’s fortunes diminished. The population at present would not fill a jury box. The Magnolia Saloon, once a fancy bar, contains the Henrietta Penrod Museum.”

“The community cemetery is one mile south of Placerville. It shelters a grave with a stout yellow pine growing at each corner. The small concrete slab carries this inscription: ‘Fiddler’s murdered in Ophir Creek’.”

“Two fiddlers played for a dance at Placerville; the next day they walked toward Centerville to fiddle at that camp’s dance. En route they apparently stumbled upon the murder of a miner who had been carrying gold. The murder then killed the fiddlers. When the three bodies were discovered, the whole Basin was outraged.” Conley then goes into more detail of the search for the culprit. In the end he states: “No one was ever indicted for the murder of the fiddlers”.

QUARTZBURG, IDAHO (The town painted over on the road sign in Placerville, Idaho)

“3 miles northwest of the Placerville intersection at Ophir and Granite Creeks. IN 1864 W.W. Raymond set up a ten-stamp mill on Granite Creek and developed the Gold Hill claim. This mine propped the camp for several decades. A forest fire in 1931 destroyed all but one building. Quartzburg is dead as last year’s leaves among the tailing dumps.”

IDAHO CITY, IDAHO
“This sleepy little town, with its grid four blocks by four, was once larger than Portland. It was, in fact, the largest town in the Pacific Northwest. In August, 1862, a prospecting party with Moses Splawn, Dave Fogus, and George Grames discovered placer gold seven miles northwest of what is now Idaho City. Grimes was shot, perhaps by Indians, and the party returned to Walla Walla. Their news made the area, known as Boise Basin (eighteen miles square), the scene of the biggest gold rush since California’s Mother Lode.” Conley continues with the rich and colorful history of the town and the miner’s who made it.

To read "The full Story" that goes with these photos, please open the "Sawtooth Trip Sept 2009" photo set folder and read the narrative contained within. Thank you. OMT

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UPDATE: June of 2010 I received a comment from a flickr member, who at one time lived in Placerville. Since the story they told was so interesting to me, I thought I would paste their comment on all of my Placerville photos, so here it is:

Comments
try it again sam says:

A long time ago I lived in Placerville. (left in 1958-59). Dad worked at the saw mill on the hill out side of town. Population at that time was 15, 10 adults and 5 kids. Myself 3 brothers and one little girl.

I can still remember details of the town the saloon, city hall and mercantile were all boarded up (We lived in a big house behind and to the east of the mercantile). Which burntdown around 1960.

Henrieta Penrod was still running the store/post office/ service station. She spoiled us kids rotten we would go to the store and she would send us home with a bag of homemake candy. She used to keep a purple handled broom behind the door of the store because of a story my older brother told her. I dont know if it is still there but there used to be a mine shaft in the bank beside the merchintile.

The only other people I remember was a Mr & Mrs Bacon and there grand doughter.
There was a little lady that lived in a small house straight behind the city hall. Looking at the satellite pictures it apears to be gone also.

I would like to visit the place again someday.
Thanks for the Pictures.

oldmantravels says:
try it again sam - - Your story really brings Placerville, Idaho to life. Thanks for sharing it with us all. I remember well roaming the old mining towns in the Colorado Rockies and wondering what life had been like during the boon times and the eventual bust. All the old buildings, mining equipment, wagons, and cemeteries - - had their stories to tell. I hope you don't mind, but I think I will copy and paste your comment to my other Placerville, Idaho photographs, so that others can read it as they look at the photos. Once again, thank you. OMT
Oldmantravels - - I like your pictures they bring back fond memories. There are lots of things I didn't mention like the porcupine that liked under the front porch. The three toed cougar that visited the trash regularly. My mother did laundry with a gas powered ringer washer. And she had cloths lines ran across the living room. With a big pot bellied stove.

We used an out house. Water was a hand pump in the kitchen. Cooked and heated with wood. In the winter supplies and mail were brought in with a snow cat.
The open space in the middle of town was a parade ground for Calvary that was once there, the barracks were at the south end of town (these were gone when I lived there).
The town was damaged by a forest fire in 1899.

In the old mine shafts you could still find equipment, Candle holders that were made to stick into the uprights, bird cages and other tools.A big event of the week was a car driving through town. PS: Paste the comment where you like.
Thanks
Marvin