Logtown, California facts for kids

Logtown, also known as Empire City, is a former mining town in California. It's located near Placerville in El Dorado County. The town first appeared in official records in 1850, but no one knows exactly when it was founded. Logtown became a small stopping point for people in the area.

What's in a Name?

No one knows for sure why the town is called Logtown. But the name was widely used by 1850. Some local people think the name came from a large pine forest that used to be in the area. Others believe it came from stacks of logs at a mill. It might also have been named after the wood used to build the first buildings. The name Logtown stuck, even though there was an attempt to rename it Empire City. This new name might have come from the Empire lead mine.

History of Logtown

The land where Logtown is located was first home to two Native American tribes. These were the Northern Sierra Miwok and the Nisenan people. Their original name for the area is now lost. California, including this land, became part of the United States in 1848. This happened after the Mexican War.

The 1800s: Gold Rush Days

Logtown's story really began when gold was found in California. Many people came hoping to get rich. California became a state in 1850. That year, Logtown was listed in the census. It was described as a small town with 417 residents. Most of them were adult men who were gold miners. This shows that mining was the main business in early Logtown.

A newspaper called the Placer Times said Logtown had 20 stores and 2 taverns. It also had services like a blacksmith and a baker. Mining was very important, with more than a dozen mines nearby. Some famous mines were the Pocahontas, Empire, and Ophir. The Pocahontas mine was perhaps the most well-known. It opened in 1854 and was very busy until the 1870s. It closed down by the 1900s. In 1854, Logtown was even on the official state map. It also had its own voting area for elections.

The 1900s: From Mining to Farming

As the 1900s began, farming started to take over from mining in Logtown. This was clear when the Pocahontas Gold Mining Company declined. Farming had always been in the area, even alongside the mines. But sometimes there were arguments over land. These issues were eventually solved.

Families like the Bidstrups, Hills, and Staples owned most of the land. They helped Logtown become a farming community. The weather and land were good for farming. So, raising cattle became a big business as mining slowly faded away. The Great Depression, a time of economic hardship, affected Logtown too. People became interested in gold mining again. This was mostly out of desperation. Mining had a brief comeback, but it didn't save the industry in the area.

The 2000s: Logtown Today

Today, Logtown is much quieter than it used to be. The town slowly declined over the years. At one point, the United States Geological Survey accidentally removed Logtown from maps. They marked it only as a historical spot. But in 2018, people living in Logtown successfully asked to have their town put back on the map.

Today, the Gold Bug Park and Mine is an interesting museum. It was founded in the 1880s. The park has hiking trails to old mining spots. It also shares information about how mining was done in Logtown's past.