Mokelumne Hill CA.

 

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Gold was discovered in January of 1848 on the Mokelumne River and as happened all along the gold country the rush was underway. A permanent settlement grew around all the tents on the hill. Then of course there was a fire, for Mokulmne Hill it was in 1854 and it led to more permanent structures being builT of stone. Some of them still exist in and around the hill today.

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Mokelumne Hill was the largest town in Calaveras County and was the county seat until 1866 and at one point had a population of 15,000. The Hotel Leger first operated as a wood framed tent and initially catered to the French population that had settled here during the gold rush. See this link for some interesting history on the hotel web site.

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The Independent  Order Of Odd Fellows (IIOF) building in the lower left was built in 1854 shortly after the fire. It was originally a 2 story building and the third story was added in 1861. It is built of brick and stone and has big iron shutters over the windows and doors. The IIOF was one of many fraternal organizations that thrived in the Gold Rush communities. Many of the miners moved away from family and friends to go out west and strike it rich. The fraternities gave them a place and group to socialize with but also to help each other in times of need.

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