Nestling in the foothills of the Sierras lies the town of La Grange, from whence flow the waters that fertilized the vast valley below. The town, at one time the county seat, glories not in its history of the present or the future, but in the history of the past. Then it was a busy, lively camp, and from its shelter have gone forth stalwart pioneers who were prominent in the activities of the valley towns. In most cases, now their memory only remains and their sons and their daughters are carrying on the splendid work began by the pioneer fathers and mothers. The memory of the writer's father and mother will ever be his most sacred gift.
The first settler at La Grange was Eli Dye, who in 1852 located a rancho. The place was of no importance until the Americans began flocking into the rich diggings of French Bar in August, 1854. Then things began to boom. “Since that time the town of La Grange has been steadily on the increase, in point of mining importance, and the population within two months has taken a rapid rise. A plot of ground was laid off, substantial houses were erected, numerous mechanics and storekeepers came to the place and last, but not least, a fair sprinkling of the fair sex have arrived."
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La Grange is about 30 miles ESE by road of where I used to live, and I have crawled all through, over, and around the place. A lot of the old structures are not only still there but still in use today, including the Bates store pictured in the first photo at the link.
If you travel south on La Grange Road a couple miles towards Snelling, you can see the skeleton of one of the dredges also pictured in the link. It's been sitting in its own pond since it was abandoned back in the late 1930s.
