Thank you, Nancy. This is exactly what I am looking for to pass along to Abbie in Missouri! Now her mind can be relieved that she had the story partly right -- the name of Fiddletown was changed to something else -- then restored, only it had been changed to Oleta and not Ione. What an interesting story. Suppose it was something similar that changed the name of Hangtown to Placerville... :) Thank you very much, Nancy, appreciate your offer to help with more info about Fiddletown - "Oleta." If Abbie needs anything more, I'll certainly let you know. Going to try to call her this evening (Saturday 7 Aug). PatriciaJ <[email protected]> Nancy Howard wrote: > > Hi Particia and Listers, > A quick check of Rensch's 'Historic Spots in California' yields: > A few miles east of Plymouth is the picturesque settlement of > Fiddletown, immortalized by Bret Harte's story "An Episode of > Fiddletown." It was first settled by in 1848 by a party of > Missourians. "They are always fiddeling," said an old Missouri > partiarch; "call it Fiddletown." And Fiddletown it was until 1878 > when the name was changed to Oleta. The change was made by the state > legislature, at the insistance, it is said, of Judge Purinton, a > prominent citizen who on frequent business trips to Sacramento and San > Francisco had been greatly embarrassed as being known as "the man from > Fiddletown." Through the efforts of the Committee of Historic > Landmarks of the California Historical Society, the old name of > Fiddletown was restored in 1932. > In the 1850s and early 1860's Fiddletown was the trading center > for a number of rich mining camps-- <snipped...> > It's cooler today in scenic Studio City, > Nancy Howard > ()Glad you're cooler - we are still 98+ today, higher again tomorrow./pjr > == > Nancy Doyle Howard; > "Let us, before we die, gather up our heritage > and offer it to our children." Will Durant > Perkins VA>KY>TN>MO> Visalia CA > Doyle VA>KY>TN>MO> Fresno CA > Howard ME>NY>OR> Fresno CA > <snipped...>