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A fun-filled, 2 day event for everyone!

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Published by Everyone needs a Windfall!, 2016-08-31 11:48:22

Divide Gold Rush Days Program 2016

A fun-filled, 2 day event for everyone!

“GEORGETOWN CALIFORNIA OR BUST”

Kick off to
El dorado county

gold week and
world gold panning

championship

september 10-11, 2016
10:00am - 5:00pm

A Note From The Event Chair

In 2015 The Divide was invited to create events as
part of El Dorado County Gold Week and the World
Gold Panning Championships. The organizers offered
an incredible opportunity to share in the one of the
greatest events since the Gold Rush and I knew we had
to be part of this! I was the messenger who shared the
vision with the Divide Community. A group of us
came up with the idea of Divide Gold Rush Days, cre-
ating a living history event on the Divide which is so

full of the original Gold Rush history!

I love calling the Divide “home.” I love the people of
the Divide and I know how much our businesses have
struggled over the last few years. My dream was to
bring the world to Georgetown, with the hope of grow-
ing DGRD to a regular event, bringing dollars to our
local businesses, and finding a way to help revitalize
our community. I also dreamed of shouting out to the
world that we are here and visit us. We had our “ducks
in a row” very early, so we were given the designation
as the “kick off” to Gold Week. We were then able to
piggyback on the publicity of Gold Week, sharing our

event with the world.

After a year of planning DGRD is here. Thank you to
all who have made this possible. Thank you to our lo-
cal businesses who have hung banners, excitedly creat-
ed their own events, cleaned up their storefronts, ad-
vertised in the program and more. Thank you to those
who have shared the dream, to my co-chair Lesa Dalt-

horp for her unflagging energy and nature, to Judy
Habig, Bret and Traci Preble, Terri Holland, Kat and
Marty Mendenhall and mostly to my family (my hus-
band LJ and my son, Taylor) for their dedication and
willingness to spend hours assisting with the dream.

Patti Babish, Divide Gold Rush Days Chair



Cool History

The town that is now called Cool began as a disap-
pointment for the miners that explored for gold there.
There were no rich gold deposits to be had in the area.
However, there were limestone caverns in the canyon
of the nearby river confluence that attracted many
people to the area for decades. The largest of the nat-
ural caverns was called the Alabaster Cave and was
over l00 feet in length.

Cave Valley was also a crossroads for merchants,
miners, families, and travelers because it was located
on the Gold Country Road that later became highway
49. It was also the intersection of the road that led to
Georgetown and other smaller Gold Rush communi-
ties to the east. That road is now Highway 193. Cool
offers residents and visitors alike the opportunity to
enjoy the Auburn State Recreational Area, which is
open to the public for hiking and horseback riding.

The current location of the Pilot Hill Grange No.1, the
first Grange in California, is just beyond Cool on
Highway 193. The Grange was moved from Pilot Hill
to this location in the 1930’s and is located on donated
land. The first post office in the area was established
in 1885. Penobscot Public House, established in
1850, was a way station and stage coach stop during
the days of the Gold Rush. The famous Penobscot
Ranch still exists today. It is now private property so
public access is very limited.

There is no clear record of how the town came to be
called Cool. The most likely answer is that it is named
after a Reverend Peter Cool that lived in the area for a
time.

For additional history see www.dividegoldrush.com

Stroll Through History—Georgetown Main Street

Main Street

Begin at the corner of highway 193 and Main Street
 Shannon Knox House (Learn The Beat).
 Walk up the left side of Main St. to the Civil War Armory

building (Global Colors Clothing– cash only)
 Ditch Co. Building dating to 1870 (Corner Kitchen - cash only).
 6721 Main St. (Frog Pond Antiques & Gifts)

Book Signing at the Frog Pond

Saturday, Sept. 10th: 11am to 3pm Betty Sederquist and Ken
Deibert. Sunday, Sept. 11th: 11am to 3pm Ken Deibert

 The Georgetown Fire Department with the mural
 The Miners Club bar (cash only—ATM machine)
 Art On The Divide Cooperative Gallery with local artists
 Oasis Mexican Food restaurant and bar (ATM machine)
 American River Inn Bed & Breakfast
 Rubicon Rose hand made gift items and accessories
 KFOK Community Radio station
 Forget-Me-Not-Garage (Georgetown Auto Parts)
 Old Georgetown Fire Station (Murchie’s Smog Service)
 Worton’s Country Market
 Georgetown Hotel Restaurant, bar, rooms (ATM machine)
 Original Balzar House now the IOOF Hall

Dinner & Dance Sat. Night at IOOF Hall!

Entertainment by The Random Strangers and Sourdough Slim.
Complete dinner and full no-host bar. Advance tickets only.

Stamp Mill—Rotary Park

 Stamp mill rock crusher, miner’s cabin, and craft fair
 Music with David Blonski and Rough Rider

North County Divide Gold Rush Days Watering Hole Saloon

Cool Beerwerks locally made ales and brews. Wines from Hart 2 Hart Vineyards,
Jose Wine Caves, Rome Valley Vineyards, and Rosa -Lucca Estates.

Georgetown Nature Area, 6530 Wentworth Springs Road

Georgetown Nature Area Amphitheater

Saturday, Sept. 10th

11:00 am to 11:30 am: Cliff Habig—Story Telling
11:45 am to 12:45 pm: Rough Rider—Music Entertainment
12:45 pm to 1:00 pm: Intermission
1:15 pm to 2:15 pm: Alan Fuller—Music Entertainment
2:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Sourdough Slim– Cowboy Vaudeville

(Courtesy of Gold Country Retirement)
3:45 pm to 4:45 pm: Lisa Bond & Friends— Music Entertainment
4:45 pm to 5:15 pm: Marion “Doc” Cole—Native Dance

Sunday, Sept. 11th

11:00 am to 11:30 am: Cliff Habig—Story Telling
11:45 am to 12:45 pm: Alan Fuller—Music Entertainment
12:45 pm to 1:30 pm: Intermission
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm: Lisa Bond & Friends—Music Entertainment
3:00 pm to 4:15 pm: Keith Little—Music Entertainment
4:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Marion “Doc” Cole—Native Dance

Nature Area Maidu-Nisenan Village

Saturday, Sept. 10th

10:00 am to 1:00 pm: Guy (Red Corn) Nixon– Local author, historian, and expert
on the history of our Native People will share true stories of the history of The
Divide and those that have called it home. Mr. Nixon’s books will be for sale.

Buffalo Hill Center—Outdoor Mining Museum

Check Out The Divide Restaurant! Try The Divide Restaurant
Georgetown Hardware
your hand at real gold panning. Enjoy their wonder-
ful food in the Gold Rush Era interior of the restau- Old St. James Church
rant created from wood and timber burned in recent Rust N Dust Antiques
forest fires and milled on The Divide. The Divide Res- Georgetown Gazette
taurant has remodeled their building façade for
DGRD. They are serving meals authentic to the Gold
Rush served in gold pans. A real Gold Rush experi-
ence!

As you drive west on Highway 193 in Georgetown you are
greeted at the entrance to Buffalo Hill Center by a huge 1,200-
pound steel buffalo that was commissioned for the center in
1994. The Center is a 12 acre site on Hwy 193 and was the
dream of Mark and Irene Smith (and is owned by Irene Smith
today). Mark wanted to bring a large market to Georgetown,
and also have a location to display his large collection of out-
door mining equipment. The area displays his outdoor col-
lection of mining equipment and western artifacts.

The center sits on several levels and is anchored by Mar Val
Food Store, with Georgetown Hardware, Salon 193, Aunt
Missy’s Attic and The Divide Restaurant on one level.
Mar Val Market has a full deli offering sandwiches, cheeses,
and hot food choices. Great for a picnic lunch!

On the next level Rust N Dust Antiques is in a building that
looks interestingly like an old church, because it is! It is the
former St. James Catholic Church previously located on Main
Street, and moved by the Jeepers Jamboree committee in
1980. It was dedicated as a historical building by President
Ronald Reagan in 1978 and is owned by Irene Smith. Rust N
Dust has shared many artifacts to be displayed throughout
DGRD.

The Georgetown Gazette is one of the oldest newspapers in
California and is located on another level, along with other
local businesses. It has been in continuous publication since
its founding in 1880.

The businesses have been a tremendous support and are excit-
ed to welcome you to Divide Gold Rush Days. Georgetown
Har dware has been gener ous in their suppor t, as well as
Aunt Missy’s Attic who has cr eated many of the costumes
that will be worn during Divide Gold Rush Days.



Thank you Sierra Pacific Industries and Mark Lus-
ter, Community Relations Manager, for sup-
porting Divide Gold Rush Days with a grant
through the SPI Foundation. The Foundation
was established in 1979. In addition to giving
scholarships to dependent children of SPI em-
ployees, it also contributes to youth activities
and other organizations in the communities in
which SPI has facilities and activities. SPI has giv-
en grant funds to KFOK Community Radio to ena-
ble KFOK to continue providing great local pro-
gramming. Each year SPI plants up to six million
new trees across their ownership. They plant
multiple native species including Douglas Fir,
White Fir, Hemlock, Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine
and Incense Cedar to maintain biological diversi-
ty. SPI seedlings are grown from seed sources
found close to each harvested area which as-
sures that they will be conditioned to the envi-
ronment where they originated. SPI works dili-
gently to be a good community partner. DGRD
thanks them for their commitment to local or-
ganizations and to DGRD.

Thank you Georgetown Divide Rotary
for supporting Divide Gold Rush Days!

With less than 30 members, the Rotary does
some very impressive activities! Every year
they select local service projects, such as ob-
taining a grant to build the handicap ramp at
the IOOF Hall and using local contractors to
build the ramp. Other recent projects include
a new flag pole in the park and adding mining
equipment to the area by the stamp mill. They
have a scholarship program for the local high
school. Rotary is responsible for the
Georgetown Founder’s Day celebration. Rotary
coordinates the local Interact Program so kids
can go to camp and the Santa Claus program to
fill Christmas stockings for the kids. They also
coordinate Christmas in April where Rotarians
stand on Main St. and ask for donations for the
local food bank in Georgetown. In addition,
The Rotary Club members donate significant
dollar amounts to other local programs. Thank
you Georgetown Divide Rotary!

Georgetown & The Divide

The beautiful photo above is the famous Georgetown Hotel Georgetown, California often called “The Pride of
and is provided courtesy of local photographer Cj Nelson. the Mountains,” is located between the historic
Her work, and the work of other local artists, can be viewed mining towns of Auburn to the north and Placer-
at Art On The Divide Gallery on Main St. in Georgetown. ville to the south. It was about a twenty mile trip
from Georgetown to Auburn or Placerville over
rough terrain, so Georgetown became an im-
portant center of commerce and life during the
Gold Rush period and was one of the most im-
portant mining towns of El Dorado gold country.

The area around Georgetown is called The Divide
because the piece of land on which it is located
splits the South, North, and Central forks of the
American River providing space for Divide com-
munities. The Divide had been inhabited by the
Native Peoples for thousands of years. However,
it took the discovery of gold in nearby Coloma to
bring the gold hungry hoards to the area.

Fire destroyed Georgetown several times. The Masonic Hall and Shannon Knox House remain today. A number of
other buildings from the Gold Rush era remain in Georgetown today. The Balzar House on the corner of Main St.
and highway 193, is now the Odd Fellows Hall and hosts community activities. The armory, built during the Civil
War, houses a clothing store. The American Hotel is now the American River Inn Bed and Breakfast. The
Georgetown Hotel has recently been renovated and now stands proudly at the center of Georgetown. The current
Miner’s Club bar was built in 1862 to house a morgue, but has living patrons today! Main Street contains shops, Art
On The Divide Gallery, Frog Pond Gifts, The Corner Kitchen, The Oasis, and the Georgetown Fire Department.


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