We are still camped at DeMartini RV in Grass Valley. Now we are waiting for a couple of parts which will (hopefully) be here by Wednesday morning. Dave and I had some free time this afternoon, so we went on a little trip to the nearby town of Rough and Ready.
The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company from Wisconsin known as the Rough and Ready Company. Their leader, Captain A. A. Townsend, named the company after General Zachary Taylor (nicknamed "Old Rough and Ready") who had recently been elected the 12th President of the United States. Captain Townsend had served under Taylor when he commanded the American Forces during the U.S.-Mexican War.
Rough and Ready is the only mining town to have "seceded" from the Union and then voted itself back in. Populated mostly by miners from the state of Wisconsin, the town hoped to rid itself of a recently-introduced tax on new mining claims and the prohibition of alcohol in Nevada County. It was decided in a town meeting in April 1850 to draw up articles of secession, forming the "Great Republic of Rough and Ready." Less than three months later, when preparing for an Independence Day celebration, community members realized that they were no longer entitled to celebrate US independence, and the secession was rescinded by popular vote.
The Toll House 
Tolls charges
Not much remains of this town today, but the drive on Highway 20 was pretty, the town name unique, and the secession history interesting.
what a great little town..rough and ready!..love it!!
ReplyDelete"We were rough and ready guys, but oh how we could harmonize..."
ReplyDeleteGuess the name of that song!
Jackie B.
"Heart of My Heart", I think is the name of that song. Your posts are always so interesting.
ReplyDelete"Heart of my heart" ???
ReplyDeleteHeart of My Heart is the song, as I read the above comment, I broke into song, which is not unusual for me. I know all the old ones, but can't listen to the new ones.
ReplyDeleteBeen through Rough and Ready MANY years ago, didn't stop because, while we may have been rough, I guess we just weren't ready!
Congratulations, Pidge, Judy, and Jerry and Suzy. You all answered Jackie's song title challenge correctly: Heart of My Heart. You all win a no-expenses-paid trip to the metropolis of Rough and Ready, California. Please allow no more than five minutes for your tour of the town. Be sure to bring your own camera. Thank you for participating in this challenge!
ReplyDeleteOh, boy! What a magnificent prize!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat town you and Dave visited on your day trip. I bet the buildings you went in were awesome.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I read your blog title, was back to an old cartoon show i used to watch. It was called the Rough and Reddy Show. It was an Hanna/Barbera show. Didn't mean to show my age.
But wait, there's more! Just mention this comment and you will get to include, at all additional charges, a trip to Smartsville!
ReplyDelete