Page:The Tourist's California by Wood, Ruth Kedzie.djvu/206

 1TO THE TOURIST'S CALIFORNIA the American River in view of mountain valleys and cascades, traverses sweet-smelling glades, goes by inns and summer camps, and mounts the majestic pass of the Sierras. Tallac (51 m.) is at the southernmost end of the lake. 4 Tahoe City, on the California side of the water, is 25 miles further north, Sacramento - Tahoe City, 121 miles. Those who go by rail from Sacramento to Pla- cerville (3 hrs.) may remain there over night and take the early morning automobile stage from the Ohio House, reaching Tallac about noon, in time for the boat trip around the lake to Tahoe City. Stage fare one way, $10. Return, $15. -^JPlacerville was originally known as Hangtown because of a triple execution which occurred here in the violent '50's. Hangtown was the destina- tion of Horace Greeley when " Hank " Monk and his six horses conducted him upon the break-neck ride whose description by Mark Twain is one of the classics of California. Henry James Monk, the most expert of the early stage-drivers, was the original of one of Twain's characters in Rough- ing It. 4 At Isgoods, south of Tallac, the Alpine State Highway joins the Placerville road. This new motor route leads east through Kit Carson Canyon and southeast to Mark- leeville. A short distance beyond, one branch goes south- west across the mountains to the Calaveras Big Tree Grove (24 m.) and another, about completed, follows due east by south to the Yosemite (48 m.). The road to the Cal- averas Trees continues to Angels and Stockton.