Patrick Dantressangle

Calaveras August 2000

Before the gold rush, the area was inhabited by the Indians Semi Wuk. The town of Jamestown, was the site of the 1st gold discovering in 1848. It was initially named Woods Crossing. The rail arrived there in 1897. The town of Angel was founded in 1849. In addition to gold, one found quartz. Every year occurs a frog race. The town of San Andrea was built in 1848, gold found in the neighbourhoods contributed to the success of the Union during the civil war. The 1st newspaper was published here in 1846. The town of Sonora, very cosmopolitan (immigrants of all countries came during the gold rush) had for resident the famous writer Mark Twain, author of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He wrote also a book entitled: The Jumping Frog Race of Calaveras County. Columbia State Park is an old town of gold diggers, restored, having kept the old shops, banks, schools, original blacksmiths. The forests of this park have beautiful specimens of redwood and sequoias trees. The redwoods have sometimes the characteristic of having an absolutely hollow trunk from their base to their top (that can be obviously seen only from above : a man can go inside.

The main street of Sonoma A antique shop between Angel and San Andrea Main street in San Andrea Angel town. The town of jumping frogs Funny
The street, in Jamestown The gold robbers finished on the gallows A saloon: the Emporium The Emporium bar measures 8 meters. It was moved from Boston The ceiling is made out of tin and it comes also from Boston
Meadows of an unearthed root Find Patrick in front of the tree A car could pass under this tree This excrescence on the tree is a burl: a parasite
This one seems built out of concrete More details Another burl This trunk is hollow
A man can walk into the tree This stump was used as a dance hall in the 1900's
The Columbia State Park... It was also a town of gold diggers

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