Georgetown Divide History Tour, Part 4

We continue the tour after visiting the old town of Michigan Flat. That part of the trip is here. Now we continue on Highway 49, turning left on Pedro Hill Road, which is the old highway into the town of Pilot Hill. Just before the turn off of Highway 49 onto Pedro Hill Rod is an excellent section of the old road, which we can see Monica walking upon in the above photo.

Beat-up “C” Marker on Pedro Hill Road.

Where Pedro Hill Road meets the entrance to the Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, we can spot a "C" marker, pictured above. "C" markers are also known as California right of waymarkers, which were installed by the California Division of Highways between 1914 to 1934. These markers are found at curves, intersections, and regular intervals along straightaways. The posts are 6" x 6" x 42" long. The top 6 to 8 inches projects above the ground and is what we see today, in most cases. There is also a 3/16 " "x6" copper wire set at the top to show the exact angle to measure. There is more information about "C" markers here. We will come upon a couple of more of the concrete markers along our tour.

Amos Bowman’s entire 1873 map of The Georgetown Divide can be found here.

As we continue along the old road, today called Pedro Hill Road, our next stop in Pilot Hill is the Pilot Hill Cemetery. The cemetery, founded in 1850, was known as the Centreville Cemetery, which was the name of this town. The area had three different towns, Pilot Hill, a town named Pittsfield that had been started in the Spring of 1851 by emigrants from Pittsfield, Illinois, and Centreville. Originally the town of Pilot Hill was located closer to the physical feature known as Pilot Hill. Interestingly, the county web site for the Pilot Hill Cemetery, as well as others, call this place Centerville. It’s not Centerville, but Centreville.

1861 Township and County Map, showing Centreville, can be found here.

The Centreville/Pilot Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in El Dorado County. It’s believed there are graves that pre-date the official 1850 starting date. Our former Congressman Gene Chappie, who served from 1980 for three terms, is buried here.

Freemont seated at right, Kit Carson, his guide, stands.

John Freemont, and members of the US Topographical Corps, passed this way in the winter of 1843-1844, looking for a better route to Sutter’s Fort, in the Sacramento Valley. Pilot Hill was the place they climbed to see the entire Sacramento Valley below. During the Gold Rush, bonfires would be built on the top of the hill to guide people from the valley to the gold region in the mountains. Thus it became known as Pilot Hill, and today a Cal Fire lookout stands at the top.

Once we have walked through the Centreville, Pilot Hill Cemetery, we head back to Pedro Hill Road and head north to the site of the famous Nance’s Hotel and Snakeroom Bar. We will visit that place and more on Part 5 of our tour of the historic Georgetown Divide.

The Georgetown Divide History tour

An online interactive map of our tour is available here. 

Bachelor Buttons for emergency repairs

The "Hint's to Tourists on The Lincoln Highway" guide mentions the various items to bring along for the Transcontinental trip. Most of the things are recognizable, like scissor (small), or a camera. Some items are less recognizable for their uses. A Rubber Sheet 6x7, yellow goggles, or "bachelor buttons?"

Bachelor Buttons, in this case, are buttons that use a stud pressed through the fabric and into a top button. They were sold extensively in the late 1800s and early 1900s as emergency buttons. There is a poem, "A Bachelor's Button," which is a lament by a man whose lover never sewed his button on his coat and had to use a bachelor's button to repair it. Haven't been able to find a copy of that poem.

Lincoln Highway Travelers Guide

Pictured here is an excerpt from a small guide that was published in 1914 advising potential Transcontinental Tourists on The Lincoln Highway, of hints and suggestions for making the trip. Here is a page from the little booklet concerning provisions that should be taken along for the journey. I find it fascinating to see what folks had to bring with them before the advent of plastics.

Love the “gauntlet gloves,” which look so cool. How about the specific brand “Ingersoll” watch, and the pair of “yellow” and “white goggles.” Don’t forget a package of “bachelor buttons,” which I assume are not the flowers, but replacement buttons?

The next paragraph recommends what types of food to pack along including, “Slab Best Bacon,” “10 lbs Potatoes”, and of course “surgeons plaster” for sealing those tin cans. As mentioned in the pamphlet, these provisions are to be kept with the car at “…all times, west of Omaha Neb.”

There is more to the book, which I’ll cover in the next issue. This booklet comes to you when you join The Lincoln Highway Association here: Lincoln Highway Association

Click photo for a larger view!