Exploring Mokelumne Hill, an 1850s Mother Lode town

Born and raised in Moke Hill...My folks are still there..have family buried in that cemetery..Very cool vid brings back all kinds of memories..lost my virginity in the Hotel Leger..😁

Our history is so new compared to elsewhere.. but it's Soo erie! Just love it!

Was this the area that inspired the Mark Twain story about the frog jumping contest in Calaveras County? The buildings in this video have been fairly well maintained. The cemetery was very interesting. Thank you for the tour. 💕🙂

Hi Jeff and Sarah, another great episode, you went through all the details of the town. You took your time talking about the importance of people who lived and died there it was just well thought out.
Thanks

Superior àll the way! The Civil War soldier who received the Medal of Honor Is very much recognized for his service. Would like to know about his family. So many people buried there that have amazing stories to share with us.

I love your videos!!! New subscriber. Ive been bouncing around all of them. They make me feel like we are there with you. My goal us to watch them all. Thank you!!!👍👍👍

Just came across this, very nice work! Looks like you missed meeting up with a local gal that lives there and is a noted historian and archaeologist, she could have filled in some blanks for you like she did for our family. George Leger was a great-great-great-granduncle by marriage, and I also had a great-great-grandfather, who was George's nephew, that was responsible for one of the fires that burned down most of the town...well, we can't all be related to just royalty...:)

I continue to learn more of early American history. I recommend history teachers select an episode of History Hunters and have their students watch, research, provide a report of what they have learned. Show a map of the state, regional map and a close up map of the town. I never watch your history episodes and NOT learn something. Keep them coming. Any plans to drive up to Southern Idaho? The Treasure Valley? Silver City? Idaho City? Thank you Jeff and Sarah. Truly enjoy your channel. 👍🏻😎👍🏻😎🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸🙏🏻✝️

I used to live in central California, and loved to see these places!
I live in Kansas now and you’ve
Brought back some fond memories of these areas ! Thank you! Keep the Histories alive !!

I love learning about history and the towns and people who built this great nation !! I did and still do buy books that explain and show photography of the old times of most towns in New Jersey and also Maine as these are the 2 places I have lived !

I don't know for sure if he's still alive but Randy Sparks of the New Christy Minstrels lives in Moke Hill.

I don’t know how but I’ve never been Mokelumne hill. Must have drove right by it! Great episode

Jeff, how often do you upload videos? I am caught up on all the videos. Love all your videos. Especially putting what places looked like back in the day.

I wonder what was up with that woman at the museum/store. She needs charm school. 😫

You do a great job with story telling and research.

I watched All of your shows and learn Alot I also watched one more show about old history called America unearthed

Jeff and Sarah! A very fine video! I believe in this video or the one about San Andreas you mentioned the family name, Raggio. Yes, this would have been Bert Raggio and his kin. My late mother's parents knew the Raggios, Carleys, Stevenots, Tryons, and Zumwalts.

My mother's mother attended San Jose Normal School where she met one of the Stevenot daughters of Murphys.
The two maintained a long friendship, which led to my mother spending some of her summers in the late 19-teens through the late 20s helping drive the Zumwalt (and others) cattle from Altaville/Angels to the summer ranges at and near Highland Lakes (above Bear Valley nee Bloods). Possibly Edith Irvine knew Blanche and the Stevenot daughter? As the "girl" in the drive team, she would close the cattle gates which meant she'd be covered head to toe in dust and detritus. But, this meant she got to bathe first, eat first and otherwise be the "belle of the ball" among the teamsters and attendant drovers.

The former Chief of Naval Operations, Elmo Zumwalt, Jr. is related to the cattle family from the Tulare area.

My mother was a good friend of Walter "Wat" Tryon, and Charlie lived just on the hill above the Sierra Railroad line into Angels Camp. Charlie referred to the morning train from Angels to Jamestown as the "Tri-Daily" as it left in the AM and "tried all day" to return. The railroad grade consisted of many steep switchbacks which limited the trains to no more than 5-6 cars. "Wat" got his name from when he was a lad and would usually respond to a question with, "wat?" I believe he had a career with Armour Meats located in Chicago.

My mother would often tell tales of the city dudes from San Francisco being escorted to Highland Lakes to fish for the renowned Rainbow and Native trout located, there. Typically, the dudes would have the latest dry/wet flies and all of the attendant gear.....they'd usually come up bust with nothing caught while the locals would use a Royal Coachman or Helgramites and would what would today be considered a "limit out" for the day.

Always appreciate the details presented and the backgrounds of many histories of California!

BTW, my mother's good friend, Jane Adams, was the daughter of Herbert Eugene Bolton, the famous chronologist of California and the Southwest. I had access to all sorts of materials during my school days in Saratoga and at San Jose State....yep, a History major! Thank you!!

Love all your gold country videos! ❤

Wow, yeah, can you believe that.. a 3 story building back in the olden days was A REALLY BIG DEAL. I don’t know, I just find that really fascinating. They didn’t know any better, or BIGGER, rather. The stuff we take for granted these days..

Those lovely oak trees!! They are perfect for cemeteries. I’m glad I have a few intermingled with the pines here..

Yeah, crazy when you stumble across a CSA stone/grave. I’ve seen a few in my adventures, pretty surreal actually 👍🏼

Another great video Jeff and Sarah. I did like the editing on this one, a different style to your more recent ones. Well done, excellent work, thank you.

Almost every building is way over 100 years old there . I will have to visit there soon . Thank you .

Thank you for quality informative entertainment. You should be on cable. Keep up the great work.

Why no marker

We used to go too the hwy 39 drive in back in the early 70s

Great video, Jeff and Sarah!!! I have seen it twice now and well worth it. 🙂

So enjoying watching the older videos I haven't seen as well as the new ones.

Another great history lesson. As usual, thanks, Jeff.

Look me up and I will give you a personal tour of the richest gold mine in California: Empire Mine State Historical Park in Grass Valley. I play the owner of the mine back then in living history. History is fun and the owner of the mine was a benevolent capitalist for that time. Read the book "The Last Bonanza Kings" to learn more about William Bowers Bourn II.

Spooky old cemetery there Jeff in Montana there is a cemetery Called Virginia City Cemetery and it is huge and old with veterans buried in it as well. This is Virginia City Cemetery in Virginia City Montana not Nevada.

I have a book about Edith Irvine and her time photographing the SF earthquake, called Earthquake at Dawn by Kristians Gregory. Very good & exciting read. 🤓

My Grandmother was born in Mokelumne Hill 1899.

Great town. We were there last in 2001. The town has lost none of its charm.

This is my hometown. Worked here twice in my life and one of my favorite places ever. And yes i have many ghostly experiences here while working here and cleaning rooms.

You mispronounced Leger, it's French. The park was a Chinatown and had a temple and cemetery. The area along the creek nearby were hanging gardens the Chinese used and you can still see remnants along with bits of pottery and pipes that wash out of the soil. A local collects them for a future museum he told me once. The street behind hotel Leger was also said to be part of the Chinatown and they'd use the tunnel under the hotel along with the prostitutes. You should have gone behind the hotel and looked at the jail, tunnel and old courthouse.

I dig MokeHill is Randy Sparks still around there .

Great content! Please keep up the great work!

great video!

Stuff you will not read or hear about in books. Thanks Jeff

Love your videos! This was a great one, of many! Thanks

Vigilante Chairman. Who knew Charles Bronson had management.

No one was breaking in those iron doors.

I like how you went to find the final resting spots of the people you mentioned in the video. Very nice touch.

Thank you Jeff !! Always look forward to your work !!! 👍👍

Jeff you visit all of my childhood towns. I love it. My father worked in Mokelumne Hill. And I just watched a video you did on Oakdale. where we lived when I was an infant

Traveling to a mountain town was always one of my favorite days out! What inbreeding interesting history! I could just see the people going about their business and could imagine what the building's used to look like. Also I couldn't leave unless I roamed around the cemetery.
Thank you so much for all the work you do so I can environment enjoy your videos.

The oils in your hands will damage them

Love seeing all the old towns of California and learning more about them. Maybe its morbid but I have to admit my favorite parts of the old town videos are seeing the cemetaries. They are so much more interesting than the modern ones.

I work in this town and sort of ashamed to say i know almost nothing about it, nice to see some history highlighted here!

Praise The Lord!