Georgetown

Georgetown is a California Historical Landmark in Georgetown, El Dorado County.

El Dorado County · Main Street, Georgetown · location approximate

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Founded August 7, 1849, by George Phipps and party. Nicknamed Growlersburg from the heavy nuggets that "growled" in the miners' pans. Georgetown was the hub of an immensely rich gold area. After the disastrous fire of 1852 the old town was moved from the canyon in lower main street to its present site. Unique in early-day planning, Main Street was laid out 100 feet wide and side streets 60 feet. Population was 3,000 in 1854-56.

1971 register text, presented as a historical document. It uses the period's terms for Native people; the state's landmark listings still carry most of this wording, and the California Office of Historic Preservation maintains the program's current texts.

Many of these plaques have since been recast or their texts revised. The California Historical Landmarks program and its current texts are maintained by the California Office of Historic Preservation. California Office of Historic Preservation ↗

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Marker data: State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, California Historical Landmarks (1971)

More markers nearby

On the National Register nearby

Georgetown Civil War Armory330 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.