Plumas County CA Archives History - Books .....Elizabethtown Or "Betseysburg" 1882
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 11, 2006, 9:09 pm

Book Title: Illustrated History Of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties

ELIZABETHTOWN, OR "BETSYBURG."

   A few miles from Quincy, on the road to Indian valley, is the old mining town
of Elizabethtown, the first place of importance in Plumas township. In 1852
Alexander and Frank Tate discovered gold in what is known as Tate ravine. Soon
afterwards, Lewis Stark, Peter Day, and George Ferrier, who had just come in
with their families through Beckwourth pass, went to work just above the Tate
brothers, but met with no success for a few days. One morning they went
prospecting up Elizabeth ravine, and by noon had panned out an ounce. After
dinner they used a rocker, and secured several ounces. In a few days they dug a
small ditch from the creek near by, and did well, finding one piece of
twenty-eight ounces. Miners began to come in and prospect around, soon finding
good diggings opposite Elizabethtown. Stark built houses for his family at the
mouth of the ravine, and shanties were put up by the miners, until there was
quite a village collected. The only young lady in town was Miss Elizabeth Stark
(now Mrs. W. A. Blakesley of Quincy), and the chivalrous miners bestowed her
name upon the young town. Later, especially after a rivalry sprang up with
Quincy, the place was as well known by the name of Betsyburg as by its proper
appellation.

   Not many remained during the winter of 1852-53, having, in common with the
miners in other places, deserted the mountains. Provisions sold at one dollar
per pound, and were scarce; so much so that early in the spring Stark and two
others made their way to the Sacramento valley, and with great difficulty drove
up several beef-cattle through the mountains to save their families from the
danger of starvation. In the spring of 1853 a crowd of miners came to Elizabeth
town, and it became one of the largest camps in the county. Stark opened a
hotel, and another was built by John Cornelison. James A. Blood built a
fire-proof stone Structure, in which Blood & Shannon (Thomas B.) kept a store.
The first store had been opened by Joseph Taylor, Fred Robinson, and William
Kinsey, and bore over its portal the sign "Joe, Fred, and Jacky," the last being
the familiar title of Kinsey. Ross & Gloyd (D. J.) soon after erected a hotel
building, in which was a large dance hall. In 1854 a Masonic hall was built by a
lodge of that order that had been instituted there. A division of Sons of
Temperance was also organized in the town. Elizabethtown became so metropolitan
in 1854 that the postal departmant established an office there, with Lewis Stark
as postmaster. W. A. Blakesley was deputy, and it was in his house that the
office was kept. No mail contract was let, and Jonas D. Ritchie carried the mail
from Rabbit creek (La Porte), twenty-five cents being charged on each letter to
pay the expenses of the service This was a great saving, as the expressman
demanded one dollar for the same service.

   Quite a town had now sprung up at Quincy, which had been chosen as the county
seat, notwithstanding Elizabethtown was the larger place, and made strenuous
exertions to secure the prize. Hacks were run between the two rival towns, and
were well patronized. In January, 1855, the post-office was removed to Quincy,
much to the disgust of the people of the rival metropolis, and Squire Stark
moved his family to the new seat of his official duties. This was quite a blow
to the town, and in the latter part of 1855 the place began to decline. Frazer
river called away a great many in 1858, and Elizabethtown soon passed from
existence. Two or three families are still living there, and Corbin & Manson
have a mining claim which is being worked by drifting.

   Among the rich mining claims that were worked in 1853 and 1854 were the
Wahoo, by Joseph Kelley & Co.; Fowler, by Fowler & Co.; Varner, by Yarner & Co.;
Plumas, by L. F. Cate & Co.; O'Neill, by Captain O'Neill; Gloyd, by D. J. Gloyd;
Betsy Gulch, by Stark & Co.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties

San Francisco: Fariss & Smith
(1882)

File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/plumas/history/1882/illustra/elizabet130nms.txt

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