Test Your Knowledge of Coulterville Coming at you again with what is now quiz #8 in the Testing Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode series. Of the 8 Sugar Pine Realty offices that exist across the Mother Lode, the southernmost one is located in the town of Coulterville. Coulterville has a most interesting and intriguing history. Find out more about Coulterville with the following questions (answers below):

1. Coulterville sits at an elevation: (a) lower than Jamestown; (b) higher than Jamestown; (c) equal to Jamestown.

2. Coulterville would eventually be named after George W. Coulter who opened a store and hotel there in the early days of the California Gold Rush. Prior to being named Coulterville, the town was named: (a) Maxwellville; (b) Maxwell Bluff; (c) Maxwell Creek; (d) Maxwell Smart.

3. During the peak era of Coulterville’s history (c. 1870), what nationality made up one quarter of the town’s population of 4000? (a) Mexican; (b) Russian; (c) Chinese; (d) African.

4. In January 1862 much of California was affected by the following disaster which also wreaked havoc in Coulterville literally destroying numerous buildings: (a) earthquake; (b) tornado outbreak; (c) fire; (d) flooding.

5. Among the historical landmarks of Coulterville is the following hotel: (a) Hotel Charlotte; (b) National Hotel; (c) City and Fallon Hotel; (d) Hotel Jeffrey.

6. The amount of gold discovered near and about Coulterville during the California Gold Rush was approximately: (a) 100,000 ounces; (b) 1,000,000 ounces; (c) 100,000 lbs.; (d) 62,500 lbs.

7. Gold mining operations continued near and about Coulterville until: (a) the turn of the century (1900); (b) World War I; (c) World War II; (d) the Iraq War.

Answers: 1. (b) 2. (a) & (c) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (d) 6. (b) & (d) 7. (c)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Free Pages-Coulterville History, Coulterville-Untraveled Road, 2 Get Gold- Coultervile History, California Gold History and Mariposa County Wineries.)

Labels: coulterville, history, information, mariposa county, mother lode, quiz, test

  ¶ 12:14 PM 0 Comments

  Test Your Knowledge of Jamestown Here comes another quiz in the "Testing Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode" series. This time the focus is Jamestown, California. It has a fascinating past with the discover of gold at the center. After you're done you can check your answers below. Don't forget to click on the hyperlinks (in purple), too.

1. Gold was first discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848 in a Jamestown creek (Woods Creek) named after the following individual: (a) Elijah Wood; (b) Tiger Woods; (c) Natalie Wood; (d) Benjamin Wood.

2. Woods Creek was yielding some 40-60 ounces of gold per day at its height. At an average price at the time of $10.00 an ounce that equaled as much as $600.00. In comparison, the same amount of gold in today’s dollars would approximately be: (a) $430; (b) $4,300; (c) $43,000; (d) $430,000.

3. The largest gold nugget ever discovered in Woods Creek weighed a total of: (a) 7.5 ounces; (b) 75 ounces; (c) 7.5 pounds; (d) 75 pounds.

4. The town of Jamestown (or Jimtown as it was known early on) got its name from: (a) the outlaw, Jesse James; (b) Colonel George James, a San Francisco lawyer; (c) James Bond, the spy; (d) James in the Bible, a disciple of Christ.

5. This famous individual at one time actually owned a trading post and tavern in Jamestown: (a) Grizzly Adams; (b) John Adams; (c) Don Adams; (d) Kelly Adams.

6. The gold rush days eventually passed and like many other foothill towns, Jamestown suffered. It was this next “boom” that would pump new life into the town: (a) the opening of the Jamestown Sugar Pine Realty office; (b) the hanging of various criminals on a Main Street tree; (c) the construction of Highway 108; (d) the arrival of the Sierra Railroad.

7. Like some other Mother Lode towns, Jamestown’s history includes the following natural disaster destroying at least parts of the town more than once: (a) frogs; (b) flames; (c) fleas; (d) flies.

Answers: 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7. (b)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Jamestown, California History and Sierra Foothill Magazine – Jamestown.)

Labels: gold, history, information, jamestown, mother lode, quiz, sonora, test, tuolumne county, twain harte

  ¶ 1:37 PM 0 Comments

  Yosemite National Park: Test Your Knowledge Here comes another quiz in the "Test Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode" series. This time the focus is Yosemite National Park.

Of course, you've probably heard about Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, but there's just so much more to know about "the Incomparable Valley" as Yosemite Valley has been referred to.

Find out about the history of Yosemite and with the following questions (you can check your answers below)...

1. Yosemite Valley was formed long ago by:

(a) Noah's flood;
(b) an asteroid strike;
(c) a great earthquake;
(d) a massive glacier.

2. The numbers of visitors to Yosemite National Park annually is approximately:

(a) 3.5 million;
(b) 1 million;
(c) 1.5 million;
(d) 1.2 million.

3. What percent of the park is represented by Yosemite Valley itself (where Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, etc., are and most people visit and stay)?

(a) 10 percent;
(b) 1 percent;
(c) 15 percent;
(d) 12 percent.

4. A park bill protecting the Yosemite area was passed by Congress and then signed into law by which American President?

(a) Abraham Lincoln;
(b) John F. Kennedy;
(c) Ronald Reagan;
(d) Bill Clinton.

5. Native Americans occupied Yosemite Valley as long as:

(a) 800 years ago;
(b) 800,000 years ago;
(c) 8,000 years ago;
(d) 80,000 years ago.

6. When non-Indian peoples came upon Yosemite Valley in the middle 1800's, they and the Native Americans who were there:

(a) sat down and shared a Thanksgiving meal;
(b) suited up and played a game of football;
(c) embraced each other and couldn't figure out how they survived without each other for so long;
(d) began to fight between themselves which led to the Mariposa-Indian War.

7. In the early 20th century, a bitter struggle took place because this city wanted to dam the Tuolumne River inside Yosemite National Park so as to provide itself water to drink and hydroelectric power. This city would eventually get its way which led to the construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam:

(a) Fresno;
(b) Bakersfield;
(c) Sacramento;
(d) San Francisco.

Answers: 1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (d) 7. (d)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Wikipedia - Yosemite and Yosemite - National Park Service.)

Labels: groveland, history, information, mother lode, national park, quiz, sonora, test, tuolumne county, twain harte, yosemite

  ¶ 2:04 PM 0 Comments

  Test Your Knowledge of Copperopolis Coming at you again with quiz #9 in the Testing Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode series. Copperopolis is a wonderful community just to the west of Jamestown and Sonora. Yes, it gets just a wee bit toasty in "Copper" in the summer months, but there’s so much more to Copperopolis than that! Let’s find out how much you know about it's history…

1. A large discovery of the following mineral was made in Copperopolis (duh!). It is also the town’s claim to fame: (a) silver; (b) gold; (c) salt; (d) copper.

2. The following person played an integral part in the discovery of copper in Copperopolis: (a) Hiram Hughes; (b) Howard Hughes; (c) Charles Evan Hughes; (d) Robert Hughes.

3. The copper of Copperopolis was a boom for the city. During the 1860s Copperopolis’ copper would be used for the following: (a) piping; (b) frying pans; (c) bullets/shells in the Civil War; (d) electrical wire.

4. The population of Copperopolis (according to the 2000 census) is approximately 2,300. During the boom time of the 1860s, the population was a whopping: (a) 10,000; (b) 23,000; (c) 5,000; (d) 20,000.

5. Copper would be mined from Copperopolis to be used in both World War I and World War II as well. The mines would eventually be closed in 1946. The amount and value of the copper mined in Copperopolis over the years is said to have been approximately: (a) 720 lbs. worth 1,200 dollars; (b) 7,200 lbs. worth 120,000 dollars; (c) 7,200,000 lbs. worth 1.2 million dollars; (d) 72,000,000 lbs. worth 12 million dollars.

6. Bricks used to build some of Copperopolis’ first buildings were gained from another Mother Lode town which had suffered a destructive fire: (a) Sonora; (b) Jamestown; (c) Columbia; (d) Groveland.

7. The following outlaw began his career just four miles east of Main Street in Copperopolis where he would make the first stagecoach robbery in the history of California wearing an old linen duster coat, two wheat bags over his legs, a flour sack over his head with eye holes cut into it and a hat that had a large point in the center like a clown: (a) Jesse James; (b) Black Bart; (c) Billy the Kid; (d) Al Capone.

Answers: 1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (d) 6. (c) 7. (b)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Wikipedia - Copperopolis, Ghost Towns - Copperopolis, Saddle Creek - Historic Copperopolis and The California Gold Country.)

Labels: broker, calaveras county, copperopolis, history, information, lake tulloch, lake tulloch real estate, mother lode, murphys, quiz, real estate, real estate lake tulloch, realtor, san andreas, test

  ¶ 10:39 AM 0 Comments

  Test Your Knowledge of Copperopolis To celebrate the grand opening of our newest Sugar Pine Realty office in Copperopolis, I'm coming at you again with quiz #9 in the Testing Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode series. (It's been a while since the last test. Did you miss me? Of course, you did!) Copperopolis is a wonderful community just to the west of Jamestown and Sonora. Yes, it gets just a wee bit toasty in "Copper" in the summer months, but there’s so much more to Copperopolis than that! Let’s find out how much you know about it's history…

1. A large discovery of the following mineral was made in Copperopolis (duh!). It is also the town’s claim to fame: (a) silver; (b) gold; (c) salt; (d) copper.

2. The following person played an integral part in the discovery of copper in Copperopolis: (a) Hiram Hughes; (b) Howard Hughes; (c) Charles Evan Hughes; (d) Robert Hughes.

3. The copper of Copperopolis was a boom for the city. During the 1860s Copperopolis’ copper would be used for the following: (a) piping; (b) frying pans; (c) bullets/shells in the Civil War; (d) electrical wire.

4. The population of Copperopolis (according to the 2000 census) is approximately 2,300. During the boom time of the 1860s, the population was a whopping: (a) 10,000; (b) 23,000; (c) 5,000; (d) 20,000.

5. Copper would be mined from Copperopolis to be used in both World War I and World War II as well. The mines would eventually be closed in 1946. The amount and value of the copper mined in Copperopolis over the years is said to have been approximately: (a) 720 lbs. worth 1,200 dollars; (b) 7,200 lbs. worth 120,000 dollars; (c) 7,200,000 lbs. worth 1.2 million dollars; (d) 72,000,000 lbs. worth 12 million dollars.

6. Bricks used to build some of Copperopolis’ first buildings were gained from another Mother Lode town which had suffered a destructive fire: (a) Sonora; (b) Jamestown; (c) Columbia; (d) Groveland.

7. The following outlaw began his career just four miles east of Main Street in Copperopolis where he would make the first stagecoach robbery in the history of California wearing an old linen duster coat, two wheat bags over his legs, a flour sack over his head with eye holes cut into it and a hat that had a large point in the center like a clown: (a) Jesse James; (b) Black Bart; (c) Billy the Kid; (d) Al Capone.

Answers: 1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (d) 6. (c) 7. (b)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Wikipedia - Copperopolis, Ghost Towns - Copperopolis, Saddle Creek - Historic Copperopolis and The California Gold Country.)

Labels: broker, calaveras county, copperopolis, history, information, lake tulloch, lake tulloch real estate, mother lode, murphys, quiz, real estate, real estate lake tulloch, realtor, san andreas, test

  ¶ 2:13 PM 0 Comments

  Test Your Knowledge of Murphys Coming at you again with another quiz. Of course, Sugar Pine Realty has an office to serve it's customers in Murphys in Calaveras County. But how much do you know of the history of that Mother Lode town? It's a "rich" history (no pun intended) just like for every town in the Mother Lode. (Actually, much gold was discovered in Murphys, too!) Find out how much you know about Murphys by trying to answer the following questions:

1. The town of Murphys was founded by and named after the following brothers (pick two): (a) John Murphy; (b) Eddie Murphy; (c) Daniel Murphy; (d) Audie Murphy.

2. How much gold was mined in Murphys and the surrounding area in the middle 1800s? (a) $20,000; (b) $200,000; (c) $2,000,000; (d) $20,000,000.

3. The town of Murphys was destroyed by this type of disaster three times in its early history (1859, 1874 and 1893): (a) mosquitoes; (b) indians; (c) fire; (d) earthquakes.

4. One of the oldest continually operating hotels in the state of California is the Murphys Hotel. Some of the folks who have stayed there include: (a) John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy; (b) Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain; (c) Bret Harte and John Muir; (d) Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

5. Among the many who were attracted to Murphys during the Gold Rush were the following (famous/infamous?) outlaws: (a) Frank and Jesse James; (b) Joaquin Murietta and Black Bart; (c) "Wild Bill" Hickok and Billy the Kid (d) Pretty Boy Floyd and the Dalton Gang.

6. The 2000 census had the town of Murphys at roughly 2000 in population. At the height of the Gold Rush era, the population of the town was approximately: (a) 3000; (b) 750; (c) 1500; (d) 1000.

7. A great celebration of heritage takes place each year in the town of Murphys. What heritage is highlighted? (a) Italian; (b) French; (c) Russian; (d) Irish.

Answers: 1. (a) & (c) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (b) 5. (b) 6. (a) 7. (d)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Wikipedia entry for Murphys and History of Murphys.)

Labels: angels camp, arnold, bear valley, big trees state park, calaveras county, groveland, history, information, mother lode, murphys, national park, quiz, test

  ¶ 3:18 PM 0 Comments

  Mother Lode Master Blasts Off! Howdy! This is a new blog dedicated to providing Mother Lode residents (and would-be residents) a single site with links to all the news and information available in the Mother Lode. If you've lived in the Mother Lode very long (or just come for a visit), you'll agree there's no place quite like "God's country." And to learn more about the Mother Lode and keep up on the latest information in the greater Tuolumne and Calaveras County area, you're gonna want to add to your favorites (or bookmark) Mother Lode Master and come back often.

Labels: california, information, links, mother lode, news, sonora, twain harte

  ¶ 11:16 AM 0 Comments