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Photographer: Merle Porter - Published by Royal Pictures - Colton,Ca
Caption: Bell's Store - Coloma, California
Additional Description: It was on Jan. 24, 1848, at a spot by the American River that the Indians called Culloomah, that James W. Marshall happen to notice flakes of gold, while turning off the water to Sutters Sawmill. This started the gold rush of 1849. By the act of Legislature of April 25th, 1951, Coloma was declared the county seat of El Dorado County only to have Hangtown, later Placerville, to take over the honor in 1857. In 1856 Coloma was swept by fire which destroyed most of the wooden buildings. One of the first buildings rebuilt after the fire was the brick store owned by Robert Bell. Banners, Signs and Merchandise were displayed under the shake-covered porch that covered the fancy brick sidewalk...M.P.
Submitted: October 7, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.
Database Locator Identification Number: p38298
File Size: 0.498 Megabytes

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