We discovered this area while looking for a cache on the other
side of this hill. This area is filled with historical places, some
of which you can no longer see for yourselves because much of the
area surrounding this cache is now private property.
Looking north, you will see what looks like a concrete road. In
fact, that is exactly right. Though you can't see it from here,
there is a concrete road to the south on the other side of Highway
50 as well. This road was part of the 1913 Pioneer Branch of the
Lincoln Highway.
The north side continues around the hill and comes out on the
other side as Old Bass Lake Road. You can't drive around the hill
on this road any longer because it is blocked by gates, but if you
take Old Bass Lake Road on the other side of this hill to the gate
you will be driving on the old concrete southern route of the
Lincoln Highway. If you stop just before the gate and walk down the
hill, just below the Lincoln Highway are the remnants of the Old
Placerville Stage Road (See GC1A1CD). There are also Lincoln
Highway remnants on the other side of 50 at Bass Lake Road where
you can see the road cut above the existing road. If you stop and
look, you will see the old concrete road goes all the way around
until it disappears again on the other side into Highway 50.
Looking south from the cache, on the other side of Highway 50,
the concrete road continues as Old White Rock Road to the
intersection of White Rock and Silva Valley Parkway. The area just
on the other side of Highway 50 from the cache is what remains of
the town of Clarksville. Though you can't get back there to look
because it is private property today, there are the original homes
and the barn/schoolhouse which you can see from the highway and
what remains of a Wells Fargo building (in the picture). At one
time, the town also had a general store, school and hotels.
In addition, right next to Highway 50 is the Tong Family
Cemetery. You can see it while traveling west on Highway 50 if you
know where to look. Three homes that once belonged to the Tong
family are still there.
If you walk to the additional waypoint on this page which is
only a few feet from the cache, you will be able to see the Tong
Cemetery to the west-southwest just on the other side of Highway
50. In addition, looking straight across Highway 50, you can see
the barn. The middle part of the barn was actually the old
schoolhouse that originally sat a few lots down from it's present
location. The Maypole is still standing on the original lot. When
the school closed, the building was moved to it's present location
and a lower portion was added around the schoolhouse to create the
barn. You can also see the roofs of some of the old houses that are
still standing.
In the 1960's a developer purchased much of the land where the
rest of the town of Clarksville was located a little further west
and renamed it El Dorado Hills wiping out any trace of the old town
on the other side of the hill. So, what you see here is all that is
left of Clarksville.
On May 9, 2009, Clarksville Day was held on the property. This
was the last time the public would have the opportunity to see the
old ghost town. Most of the remnants of Clarksville will be
destroyed by new development. The developer, however, promises to
retain the area around the Wells Fargo building ruins as a museum
and parts of the old road. So, if you look for this cache after the
development is complete, take some time to go see the museum and
drive on what is left of the Lincoln Highway through
Clarksville.
If you follow Old White Rock Road straight across at the
intersection of White Rock and Silva Valley Parkway, you will go up
a hill past a PG&E substation where you will find a historical
marker for Mormon Tavern. Mormon Tavern sat on the hill where the
cut for Highway 50 is now. The remains of Mormon Tavern were
destroyed when Highway 50 was constructed. Further up the hill
behind the house at the top is the Clarksville Cemetery. There is a
gate just beyond the historical marker that marks private property.
Even though it is a public cemetery, the only way to get to it is
through the parking lot of the office complex behind the Mercedes
dealership. Among the family names in the cemetery you may
recognize is Kyburz. Interments have been performed here as late as
2000.
If you enjoy learning the history of our area, please take time
to look up Clarksville. Because in the very near future, pieces of
our history will once again vanish in the name of progress.