| History of Tuolumne CA |
| Tuolumne, "Three names one beautiful place to live" 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 town site. 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. 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 town site. 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. 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 Taken from an article posted at www.tuolumnemuseum.org/ |
