4th crossing

4th crossing, originally uploaded by mhall209.

Driving through Calaveras County, where I live, you drive through a little area known as Fourth Crossing. There is not much there, just some run down buildings, some cows and sheep, and a historical marker. There is a really cool geocache nearby, one of those annoying puzzle caches where you have to figure out the code. But other than that, nothing there.

But it is really a significant marker in the area. If you live south of here, you are said to live in Angels Camp and your kids go to Bret Harte High School. To the north you live in San Andreas and your kids go to Calaveras High School. Mixed loyalties are not allowed.

It turns out this used to be a really important town, with lots of gold pulled out of the ground. After the gold was gone it became an important stage coach stop on the road between Murphys and Stockton. I wonder if this building dates back that far.