of Directors, on June 11th, made a trip up in the securities assigned the same contract to Mr. J. G. mountains to reconnoitre the present condition of Plummer, who undertook to finish the work for the the road-they were accompanied by enterprising citizens of Placerville. Mr. Crandall took up the "first" of a line of stages to start a new stage line from the Sacramento valley to Utah; and arrangements were made first for a weekly stage to run regularly between Placerville and Genoa.

waters of the North Fork of the Cosumnes, piloted the oldest and very much traveled roads-Sacramento, through by the Mormon Hunt, is the only road that Coloma, Georgetown, by the way of Alabama Flat and avoids all the larger streams and enables a trip from Johntown. Silver Lake down to Sacramento without crossing one The emigration, however, kept on to arrive rather stream of water that amounts to anything. Traveling in growing proportion from year to year, and as a maton all the branch and cross-roads, leading off the for-ter of course, the local as well as the through travel mer on both sides, however, causes traversing one or in El Dorado county had to grow in equal proportions, another of the larger or smaller rivers that roll their making the demand loud for better and easier means waves down through this county finally to empty into to cross her streams. Men with means did not hesithe Sacramento river. tate to answer this just demand by going on to build As the first device, to assist the traveling people on bridges in opposition to the ferries, or the owners of said roads across the natural waterways, ferries of the the latter, to keep up with the time, undertook the most primitive make up and clumsiest construction erection of some bridge structure in place of the ferry, and shape were in use; old ship's boats of all sizes had or in addition to the ferry either. The first bridge been pressed into the service or an ingenious fellow had thus built in this county was accomplished the same purpose by transforming some old emigrant wagon-beds that had come all the way across the continent, while the first were brought up the a wooden structure crossing the South fork of the Sacramento river. Even the simple form of a raft not American river from Coloma to the village of North seldom had to fulfill the programme, until the owners Coloma, on the opposite bank of the river. John of the place could afford to build a scow of sufficient T. Little, now of San Francisco, was the proprietor of capacity, to replace the former. Thus continuously the ferry at this crossing; he sold his interest to E. T. laboring against perfecting the system not only as far Raun, who immediately, in February, 1851, went to as the ferryboat itself was concerned, but the better fa- work and put up here a common truss structure of This bridge, cilities in its motion and the arrangement of the cross-three spans and sixteen feet breadth. cable also. Such ferries existed from the earliest time at Coloma, at Uniontown, at Chili Bar on the South Fork of the American river, and at Condemned Bar, at Beal's Bar, at Rattlesnake Bar, at Oregon Bar

and Murderer's Bar on the American river and the

THE COLOMA BRIDGE,

though rough, was quite substantial built and stood the floods of several years; but anticipating that it would not stand a higher freshet without some larger repairing, Mr. Raun preferred to build a new bridge right. away. This second structure was then erected in the Middle Fork of the same stream. And all these fer- Fall of 1855; it had the same proportions in the main ries had been built in private enterprise and with con- parts, but was stronger and more substantial than the siderable expense, on account that the ferry owner old one, and was set up on a much higher foundation. had to build in connection with his ferry the graded The general belief was, that this bridge was safe against road upon both river-banks, until it would join other any flood; in spite of this belief, however, it was deroads, as an invitation to make the travel go that way, stroyed by the Spring flood of 1862, which swept away and subsequently to the owner of the ferry was most all the bridges in the country. Mr. Raun in the granted the undisputed right to levy a considerable meantime, 1856, had sold out his interest in this and toll on all who took the chance of his privilege. By other bridges, to R. A. Pearris and A. H. Richards, that means some of the most traveled crossings became who in the Fall of 1862 built another bridge on the quite profitable business places and the sources of same spot, which was finished in December the same riches of their owners; to this class belonged the fer- year. And after, this was swept away also, no more ries at Coloma and Uniontown, both connecting the smaller Northern part of the county with thecounty seat, and that one at Murderer's Bar, which from the earliest times carried the travel from Sacramento across here to all the bars on the north bank of the Middle fork and further on to Yankee Jim's, Michigan Bluff's, Iowa Hill, etc.

attempt has been made to span the river for the accommodation of wagons, the travel, influenced by the railroad and other motives, has changed into other channels, and at present the frail construction of a narrow wire suspension bridge or walk, only for footmen, is leading across the South fork from Coloma to the North side.

It is impossible now to decide which one of these At Uniontown the first bridge was erected in 1851; ferries in El Dorado county was built first, but after all it was built on a subscription of sixty shares and run probability we dare to say, that to the Coloma ferry in opposition to the ferry. This bridge was renewed. belongs very likely the predicament as the pioneer by Pogue, Ingelsby and Roubant in 1855, and after ferry, because it formed the connecting link in one of the flood of 1862 washed away the approaches, these

latter have been renewed again. The middle span, across the Middle Fork of the American river at supported by heavy wooden girders of eighty feet in Spanish Bar to Paradise, North Star house, Todd's length, on account of the high bank on the north side valley and Yankee Jim's, a bridge like the Coloma of the river is set up so high above the water that no bridge was built across the Middle fork at Spanish flood could injure it. The present owners are Messrs. Bar, by E. T. Raun of Coloma, which in 1857 came into Pogue Bros. and Oliver Merrill, John Covington is the possession of Mr. Richards. On the road from their agent. Tolls on this bridge ran as high as $600 Work's ranch to Mount Gregory, in Georgetown townand $800 a month; to collect $25, in a single hour, ship, a toll bridge crossing the waters of Otter creek was not considered anything too extraordinary. was built in the year of 1854 or 1855, McCoy & Co. were the proprietors. Among other smaller bridges in the county we mention Morrill's bridge on the main Placerville and Sacramento road, between Placerville and Diamond Springs, crossing Weber creek, and George Out's bridge on the turnpike road between Placerville and El Dorado, across the same creek. The latter was built on shares in the fall of 1855, and the stockholders of the road and bridge were: G. A.

A few miles further down the same stream was Rock Bridge, so-called on account of the natural abutments found there in early days for the construction of a bridge. Wm. Gaylord was the first man who fully recognized this opportunity and took advantage of it by building a bridge across, which together with the connecting road for a long while served as a thoroughfare between Georgetown and Sacramento. The travel on this road, together with the facilities offered Cook, John L. Shober, S. Lion, Alfred Bell, W. J. for diggings in the river bed, started quite a lively Burwell, P. Quinlin, A. Clark, and Wm. and George mining camp here around the bridge, and the population for years was large enough to keep up two stores. The first store was owned by James Wing, and was used as an election poll until 1874 or 1875. Another store was kept by W. H. Matherly. The village, however, has disappeared, the site of it makes now a part of Mr. G. Bassi's dairy ranch.

The main traveled road between Sacramento and Georgetown, by the way of Pilot Hill or Centerville, crossed the South Fork of the American river at Salmon Falls. The first bridge here was built in 1853, and changing hands became the property of E. T. Raun, the owner of the Coloma bridge, now in San Francisco. Early in 1855 this bridge was washed away by the flood, but was replaced the same year by a first-class structure with wooden girder trusses. In 1856 it was sold, together with the Coloma bridge, to R. A. Pearris and A. H. Richards, and like this sister bridge it was carried away by the flood in 1862, not to be built up after that, and this road, once one of the most traveled in the county, is only passable in the latter part of the year, when the river can be forded. E. and H. George, in 1853, undertook to build instead of their ferry a strong and substantial bridge, at Chili Bar, which became a very important improvement on the road from Placerville to Georgetown, by way of Kelsey and Spanish Flat. This bridge was open for foot and horsemen, as well as pack trains, on the 1st of December, of said year, while the grades up and down the mountains on both sides, for the passage of wagons, were not finished before May or June of 1854. With the opening of this bridge the Pioneer stage line, running between Placerville and Georgetown, had its stages running over this route and bridge, and when the line was extended from Georgetown,

Stewart. Near Buck's Bar, on the North Fork of the Cosumnes river, was Buzan's bridge crossing that river, one of the first bridges built in this section of the county. The same has to be said about S. E. Huse's bridge at Yeomet, carrying the travel along the road that connected the Northern and Southern mines across the Cosumnes river. The same river, some time later, became spanned by a wooden truss girder bridge, also at Wisconsin Bar.

Sixteen and five-eighths miles east of Placerville, where the Johnson's Cut-off road crossed the South Fork of the American river, was Bartlett's bridge, carrying a great part of the emigrant travel across the rapid stream. It was a heavy wooden structure, but could not resist the force of the high water which came down in torrents on March 7th, 1855, and was swept away. The communication thus interrupted for a while, caused the travel to go the other route. Then B. Brockless took up the idea given by Sherman Day, who some time previous, surveying on the State road line, had designated a point, a few miles further up, as the place where the road ought to cross the river. Here a bridge was soon built, known as Brockless bridge.

The North Fork of the American river, from the earliest time, was spanned with bridges at several places, on account of the travel between Sacramento and the mining camps and towns in the adjoining counties, then going all through El Dorado county. Besides those already mentioned bridges, at Condemned Bar, Whisky Bar and Oregon Bar, the river had one more crossing at Wild Goose flat; this bridge, together with the connecting turnpike road, was owned by the Horseshoe Bar and Pilot Hill Turnpike company, D. A. Rice, secretary.

The first "Wire-rope Suspension Bridge" that was ever built in this county, is said to have been the one erected by N. H. Smith, crossing the Middle Fork of the American river at Murderer's bar, built in 1854. The suspension bridge at Whisky Bar, below the junction on the same stream, was built the year after, in 1855, by a company; Abraham Bronk, being one of the company, was superintending the work, and after his deposition the structure was completed for the sum of $50,000. Mr. Bronk also contracted and superintended the wire-rope suspension bridge across the American river at Folsom.

of two and a-half and three miles in length respectively, were passable for all kinds of wagons in September of the same year.

Patrick Gordon, in 1859, built another wire-rope suspension bridge across the Middle fork of the American river at Volcano Bar. And still another bridge of the same construction crosses the South fork of the American river on the road from Placerville to Mosquito valley.

STAGE LINES.

The discovery of gold at Coloma and the rush of gold-hunters of early days, who all had the idea that At Mormon Island was the first bridge built in this new El Dorado was concentrated to the very 1851, by J. W. Shaw; this was a wooden structure spot of Coloma, turned the entire travel of 1848 and after the common American truss system, and after '49 from Sacramento up over the road that Capt. Sutthe high water, in the Spring of 1855, had washed ter piloted through the woods of the foot-hills, for the it away, Mr. Shaw immediately decided to have a wire- communication between the fort of New Helvetia and rope bridge put up on the same place, which was his sawmill; and periodically this road was perhaps erected during the following summer, and carried the the most traveled road in the United States, being travel here across the South fork of the American crowded day and night in the periods that followed river until 1862, when the high flood in January the arrival of each steamer or larger vessels in the swept it unmercifully away. The travel was then harbor of San Francisco. But conveyances were suspended for a while, but with untired energy Mr. scarce in California at that time, all traveling being Shaw rebuilt the bridge soon after, and took precau- made on horseback. The Oregonians were the first tion to set it up on a higher point of the bank, where to bring their big wagons into California and El Doit stood the floods for more than twenty years. The rado, and these became the first means and the maspan of this bridge is 100 yards, and its entire breadth terial with which to undertake the first change in the 20 feet. It was erected at a cost of $15,000, and transportation of passengers and freight from horsealways was a fine paying property. J. W. Shaw sold back to a wagon seat, a kind of fast-freight. The his interest to L. M. Russell and R. P. Culver, who first regular stage line was established between Sacracontinued to collect the toll until a few years ago, mento and Coloma, and about the same time Graham, when it was sold by them to El Dorado and Sacra- of Georgetown, run a stage from Coloma to Georgemento counties, in equal parts; since then the super- town, which was united, however, with the former line visors of this county declared it a free bridge. soon after. Another line of stages owned and managed by Dr. Thomas and James Burch, established as the "California Stage Company" in 1851, running from Georgetown by the way of Pilot Hill and Salmon Falls to Sacramento, with a branch line from Salmon Falls to Auburn. When the Sacramento Valley Railroad was finished to Folsom this stage line run to connect with the railroad at Folsom, and was sold to Wellington; he sold to Thos. Orr. The United States Mail contract was then awarded to H. F. Page, now United States Senator, and Bart. Morgan, who sold to Lewis & Houchin, the latter selling out his half interest to Lovejoy, leaving the property in the possession of Lovejoy and J. L. Lewis, who run two lines of daily stages now from Auburn to Georgetown and Placerville both ways.

Lyon's bridge, on the toll road from Auburn station to Cave valley, is a wire suspension bridge of about 85 yards span, swinging across the North Fork of the American river directly below the junction of the North and Middle forks. The construction of this bridge was accomplished during the summer of 1865. W. C. Lyon, the principal owner of this bridge, in 1856, had erected a suspension bridge across the same stream at Condemned Bar, and when the travel at the latter place began to slack down, he took the bridge down and removed such parts as were practicable to the site of his present bridge. It is the most important link in the thoroughfare between El Dorado and Placer counties, connecting those towns in the northern part of the former county-Georgetown, Greenwood valley, Cave valley, Pilot Hill, Coloma, etc., A stage line was established also in early days bewith the railroad at Auburn station; forming one of tween Sacramento and Placerville via Diamond the few outlets for market products of the county. The Springs, and soon after, in 1851, Stevens & Co. combridge was completed and nearly ready for the passage menced to run an opposition line, the older line, of foot and horsemen on July 7th, 1866; the grades however, sold out and the latter had its own way,