Looking for some great tips to help you write your Life Story or Memoir? Try these six tips from the summer issue of Calaveras County Genealogical Society’s newsletter! LifeStory tips – Froghorn Summer 2018 And for more in-depth help, check out our new ebook, “Writing a Memoir: From Stuck to Finished” on Kindle!
Gold Country Roses
Visit a historic old graveyard in Mother Lode Country to see the — roses?!? You bet! Plymouth Pioneer Cemetery off Highway 49 is a cool place to visit, all by itself. But it turns out that this pioneer cemetery’s roses are so special they even have their own Facebook page! (Just type “Plymouth Pioneer Cemetery Heritage Roses” […]
Walking Tour of Old Minden, Nevada
The pillars on County Road at the entrance to the Town of Minden once proudly bore a date of 1905. Perhaps it was wishful thinking; plans for this fresh town actually weren’t approved by County commissioners until 1906. And once it was a go, new homes began to spring up immediately in the fresh town. […]
Stage Robberies -Wells Fargo’s Finest (Part 2)
It was June 15, 1893 on a remote stretch of road outside Jackson, California. Mike Tovey was again riding shotgun as security guard for Wells Fargo, this time aboard the stage headed from Ione into Jackson. Mike had been shot once before in his dangerous career; no doubt his eyes were always scanning the countryside for possible trouble. […]
(More) Best Sierra History Books!
After our recent round-up of Sierra history books (you can find it here), we realized we’d left off a number of our own favorites — and we’ve also gotten some more great suggestions from readers! So check out this additional list for more fascinating Sierra history reads — and be sure to let us know if […]
Stage Robberies and Wells Fargo’s Finest (Part 1)
Did stage robberies still occur as late as 1893? Just ask poor Mike Tovey; he died in one. The headstone of Mike Tovey stands its silent vigil in the Jackson City Cemetery. It was erected by his employer, Wells Fargo & Co., which evidently felt a bit guilty about Tovey’s death. Our story begins back […]
Woodfords, California
If you’ve ever stopped at Woodfords, you may have seen the Wade House — and probably never gave it a second glance. But this small, nondescript green house has an amazing claim to fame: it’s said to be the oldest continuously-inhabited dwelling on the entire Eastern Sierra! The original cabin (likely just a single room) was built by mill-builder […]
Hidden Treasure Near Double Springs? (Part 3)
It was 1863 when a lone highwayman stepped out to stop the stage near Double Springs, Nevada. Whether it was sheer luck or courtesy of an inside scoop, the robber hit payday: the heavily-laden coach was carrying some $17,000 in gold coin on its route between Aurora and Carson. Naturally, the robber couldn’t get too far hauling all that […]
The Story of Double Springs (Part 2)
Whatever became of James C. Dean? No, not that James Dean. We’re talking 1864. As we saw in Part 1, the person who murdered Fannie Dean at Double Springs Ranch that year wasn’t much of a mystery — at least as far as the neighbors were concerned. Fannie’s husband, station-keeper James C. Dean, was quickly whisked into […]
The Story of Double Springs (Part 1)
Today there’s little to mark the site of Double Springs, Nevada, roughly a dozen miles south of Gardnerville on Highway 395. All that’s left is just a historical plaque plus remnants of an old fence line and cattle trough. But a century-and-a-half ago, Double Springs was not only well-known — it was notorious! An early hotel here beside […]
10 Best Sierra History Books
Here are some of our very favorite books about Sierra history. Okay, we confess — we could easily add a few dozen more (perhaps that’s our next list!) Nonetheless, we challenged ourselves to come up with just ten of our favorites. We hope this list will spur you to check out a few great Sierra […]
More Traces of the Emigrant Trail:
Iron Mountain Road Today’s Iron Mountain Road was the route the Mormons took as they headed east over the mountains in 1848. And it soon was followed by the great westward migration — becoming an important leg of the early Emigrant Trail as wagons rushed for Gold Country. You may remember our earlier newsletter taking you as […]