Hotel Léger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hotel Léger |
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The Leger Hotel in 1934
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| Location | Mokelumne Hill, California |
| Official name: Courthouse of Calaveras County, 1852-1866, and Leger Hotel | |
| Reference no. | 663 |
The Hotel Léger in Mokelumne Hill, California is one of the oldest hotels still open in California. This historic hotel and its former courthouse building are recognized as California Historical Landmark #663. You can find it in Calaveras County, California.
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The Story of Hotel Léger
The Hotel Léger has a long and interesting history, starting way back during the California Gold Rush.
From Tent to Grand Hotel
In 1851, a man from France named George Léger arrived in California. He opened his first hotel, called the Hotel de France. It was quite simple back then, just a wood-framed tent!
Right next door to his tent hotel was the Calaveras County Courthouse. At that time, Mokelumne Hill was the "county seat," which means it was the main town where the county government and important offices were located.
A Strong Stone Building
In 1866, the county seat moved to San Andreas. George Léger then bought the old courthouse building. This was a smart move because the courthouse was made of strong stone. This stone building had already survived two big fires that had swept through the town!
After another fire in 1874, the hotel was rebuilt and restored. It was then renamed the Hotel Léger, and it has been welcoming guests ever since. The hotel's bar is also very old. It has a beautiful stained-glass back bar with the year 1851 on it. People say this bar traveled all the way around Cape Horn by ship to get here!
The Old Jail Cells
The former courthouse building also had the county jail inside it. If you visit the hotel's cellar today, you can still see parts of the old jail cells! It's a cool reminder of the building's past.
