www.TuolumneMuseum.org

History of Summersville, Carters and Tuolumne.

The Town That Had Three Names.

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought the first settlers of European descent to the Tuolumne area. Originally searching for their fortunes in gold in the streams and soil of the Mother Lode, these early miners established a community they eventually called Summersville.

California's Gold Rush era has been established to range from 1848 into the late 1860's. However, a second, smaller boom in gold mining occurred in Tuolumne County between 1890 and 1915. During the first years of the Gold Rush, mining camps were established along the Mother Lode, at pocket mine sites scattered throughout the county, and along the area referred to as the "East Belt". The East Belt region of gold-bearing strata runs parallel to and east of the main Mother Lode. Many Gold Rush-era camps were abandoned as soon as surface diggings played out, with only a few camps surviving as permanent pioneer settlements.

One of the earliest established camps near present-day Tuolumne was Cherokee Diggings. Situated about two miles northwest of the future Tuolumne Townsite, the camp was founded in 1850-1852. Many placer mines, deposits of alluvial soil containing loose gold, were exhausted by 1856; however, these deposits continued to be exploited into the 1930's and remain in some locations today. Several other camps located to the south and southwest of Tuolumne included Long Gulch, Marlow Diggings, Roach's Camp and Rough and Ready. To the north they included Soulsbyville, Arastraville and Confidence. Although exploratory mining was no doubt undertaken in what would later be designated Tuolumne, it is interesting that no placer deposits of note were reported during early years of the Gold Rush in these areas.

THE BEGINNING OF SUMMERSVILLE

The Tuolumne Community drew its first American name from Franklin (1826-1856) and Elizabeth A. (McGlacklin) Summers (1832-1901), who moved to Tuolumne County with their small daughter, Lee Ann (1849-1928), in late 1854 (they were originally from Missouri). They traveled by wagon train from the State of Missouri via the Carson River route. The Summers log cabin was located on the west bank of Turnback Creek. It had a dirt floor and a fireplace, which provided heat during the cold weather. It was located a half mile to the west of the future Summersville Townsite. Their son, John Eberle Summers was the first white child to be born (1855) in this area.

Judge Ernest H. Hodge wrote an article in Chispa and stated that the area was sparsely settled at the time of Summers arrival. He noted: "In the spring of 1856, Turnback Creek and its tributaries became the scene of a wild gold rush. Radiating north and south from the Summers home, pans, rockers and sluice boxes were quickly in evidence and the nearby towns of Long Gulch and Cherokee sprang into existence almost overnight. In 1858, when the placer deposits were becoming worked out, two Cornish brothers, William and James Blakely discovered a quartz lode in the vicinity, which they named the "Eureka Mine". The town was briefly called "Quartzville" by the miners and this mine became the nucleus of a settlement.

At the time of the Summers family arrival, the area was unnamed. On March 26, 1856 a tragic incident occurred in La Grange, Stanislaus County. Frank Summers was fatally shot four times and killed in the courthouse at French Bar (now known as LaGrange) over a land dispute with the James Dickinson family. Frank was with his brother George who was injured in the fracas. Frank Summers left his wife, Elizabeth Summers, a widow with a two small children. Later, Mrs. Summers established a boarding house and took in many miners free of charge until they could pay her from their mining rewards. The miners, in appreciation of Mrs. Summers trust, wanted to name their area "Elizabethville". But she declined the honor and suggested the settlement be named in memory of her late husband. Thus, the miners named the settlement "Summersville" in 1856.

A detailed account of the Summers family can be found at www.TuolumneMuseum.org/summersfamily.htm.

THE BEGINNING OF CARTERS

The most prominent businessman during this period was Charles H. Carter. In 1857, Carter owned a general store in Long Gulch, located at the foot of Mt. Eaton, about two miles south of Summersville. In 1858, with the discovery of a quartz lode at the Eureka Mine, the entire population of Long Gulch, along with Carters General Store, stampeded to the area of the Eureka Mine. Carters store became the focal point of the new town, which was located on the northeast side of the town "Plaza". The Plaza or "Common" was the public land developed in the central section of what was the west half of the Townsite. The Summersville business district was developed and built around the Common.

By 1865, Summersville had grown further with the addition of several more residences, two stables, several barns, a slaughterhouse, and a butcher shop. In 1888, Summersville residents petitioned to have their own post office. However, when the application was made it was determined that a post office called "Somersville" was already established in Contra Costa County. Fearing confusion, the postal department denied the petition. As Charles Carter took care of the official mailbag for the area, it was agreed that the post office would be called "Carters". The new Carters post office came into existence on December 14, 1888 and was located at C.H. Carters store.

A detailed account of the Carter family can be found at www.TuolumneMuseum.org/carterfamily.htm.

THE BEGINNING OF TUOLUMNE

In 1905, the Carters post office in Summersville burned. By 1908, the Old Town and New Town post offices were combined at one location. However, the official name for the area was resolved in a different way. When the Sierra Railway completed its line into the Depot Plaza at New Town in 1900, the railroad station was dubbed "Tuolumne". In 1901, a post office was established in New Town also under the name of Tuolumne, and was located in the West Side Flume and Lumber Company's main office. The community was officially named "Tuolumne" in 1909.

RANCHING AND AGRICULTURE

The mountains north of town were covered in thick timber stands offering their own resistance to ranching and farming. Despite its mountainous location, the Tuolumne area supported a small but thriving agricultural community growing fruit, vegetables and alfalfa. Apple orchards were especially successful in the mountains as they required little water once the trees are established and because of the climate. Many orchards were not irrigated and were protected from winter freezes by the dense forests nearby.

LUMBER AND THE CREATION OF A COMPANY TOWN

Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, local mines provided work for several hundred men and supported their families. The importance of mining to Tuolumne's economy diminished significantly when the West Side Flume and Lumber Company built a sawmill on Turnback Creek and a logging railroad to access timberland to the east into the forest. Overnight the regional economy changed from dependence on gold, ranching and farming to one dependent on lumber production. The transition was not quick, and it did not come without problems. There was an intense rivalry, and often physical encounters, between those who made their living from gold mining and the outsiders who converted the trees into lumber hauling the product to the distant markets. It was some years before the differences between miners and lumbermen, the old timers and the newcomers, were reconciled and the industry accepted.

A detailed account of the West Side Lumber Company can be found at www.TuolumneMuseum.org/westside.htm.

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CREDITS: Information from County of Tuolumne, Tuolumne Community Context Statement, direction and assistance from Robin Wood, Tuolumne County Planning Department, Mark V. Thornton and Charla Meacham Francis, September 1999.

(C:W2000 Summersville.htm)

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