Once Upon a Time in Placerville No. 16: Downtown when Main Street was Highway 50

Good morning, Tina here. I am just going to show some photos today of Placerville when Highway 50 went right through town, not to the north of it, but right down what is now called Main Street. 

I may have shown you this before. Before the highway became a freeway in 1950, this was the way to enter Placerville. You are looking East, and are to the north of the now highway, just before you get to Canal Street. Yes, there is a town coming up.

Jaywalkers must have felt much safer back then. The photos above and below are taken in approximately the same area.

The bell tower is a fixture that has managed to make it through time in the same place, although it has changed in appearance over the years. There are some who want to do away with it, in the name of progress.

Maybe if they want more parking they can allow people to park underneath it, as in the photo below.

The tourists come looking for the spots they have read about, such as the bell tower or the Hangman's Tree. The bar is gone, but the building where it was located is being renovated.

Our biggest old hotel, once the Cary House, then the Placerville Hotel, then the Raffles Hotel, and again now the Cary House, has become quite a showcase. There are some who say Elvis stayed there.

There are still quite a few cars parked downtown whenever I go there, and the view of the homes on the hill is very similar.

The crosswalk (above) is still a great crossing spot.

Smile, folks, you are in Hangtown!

If you get lucky, maybe you will find a penny. Or a gold nugget.

Don't forget to stop into Placerville Hardware. Great gifts, gold pans, and nails.

Another spot in the street that has caused a lot of contention, the intersection of Main and Cedar Ravine. "They" wanted a round-about, but it is now to become a four-way stop, incorporating Clay Street. One thing constant about our Main Street is change.

We will always have our parades, and the Courthouse (which may not be a Courthouse too much longer) will always be a great spot to view from.

Once upon a time...