My name is Henry Angel and the year is 1848.
Henry Angel
My brother George and I hail from the grand State of Rhode Island, where I owned a shop. We came out west to seek our fortunes and found ourselves serving under John Fremont in the Mexican American War. After serving, we tried our hand at prospecting, but for us, it did not “pan” out. Quite frankly, the work involved was harder than we anticipated. So, we decided to make our gold by opening up a trading post at this spot that was named after me, as I opened the first trading post here in the area that became known as “The City of Angels,” and later just Angels Camp. As with most places in the area, the town was named after me because I had the first real business in the area. We found that it was a much easier life than working for the gold physically, and I actually ended up doing quite well, with the help of my brother of course!
While the history of me in your time seems to have been lost, I was here! What happened with this town? Well, here is a bit of history…
Gold littered the stream beds and it was easy pickings at first. This was before my brother and I got there, and that did not last long. Then the placers, which were open mining pits, were very productive in their first few years, but they played out rather quickly too. Many people lost their lives falling into these open pits in the ground. No one thought to mark them.
Then they discovered what they refer to in your day, today, as the “Motherlode.” This was a huge gold bearing vein of quartz. After this discovery, folks came back in droves to my little town. Here is a photo of a map that shows the lay of the vein in relation to my town. Look for the big green line in this photo.
A map with the Motherlode Vein
Two other veins intersected with the Motherlode vein, but it was the Motherlode that was the biggie!
After its discovery, the town grew by leaps and bounds. Me and my brother? We had a good business! It was here, in our small town that Levi Strauss came out with a line of clothing that was perfect for the miners and made history!
Now, how many of you have heard of “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County?” Well, this was a story written by the well renowned author Mark Twain. He was inspired to write this story after hearing a story in one of the hotel bars. His story involved a character named James Smiley. Do you remember Simon Wheeler the bartender, and Jim Smiley, the gambler? If you have not read this short story, you really should. There are now plaques that line the sidewalks of our little town that honor those whose frogs have won our annual frog jumping contests…Here is the first winners plaque, although it is not a great photo, I wanted to share it.
One of the streets plaques commemorating the first winner of the frog jumping contest
Well, the town today does not look the same as in years past, and these photos were taken just before the Centennial celebration that occurred on 29th of September this year.
Angels Camp, CA
Another view of Angels Camp
Maybe you noticed the laundry hanging across the street in the first photo. The folks of today wanted to give the feel of the olden days for their celebration. See if you can find the bustier and red stockings!
Today the town has a population of just over 3,000. In my day we had up to 4,000. Today it is a quiet sleepy town with antique shops, lots of places to eat, and a truly fantastic museum, which I hear you will see photos of shortly. Angels Camp is located on what is now Highway 49. Follow the signs to the old historic district to really catch the flavor of my old town. Be sure to drop into Claussens for an ice cold beer!
Head into Claussen’s Corner for a beer
Life in the Foothills 