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Volume 063-3 - July 2009 (6 pages)
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Page: of 6
NCHS Bulletin July 2009
and $200 to his stepdaughter Johanna, the wife of L. Y.
Figueroa. To his grandson, Charles T. Worthley, he left
_ his gold watch and gold watch chain. To his daughter
“Harminia” (as spelled out in the will) he left all his real
estate. This consisted of a house and lot immediately opposite the Buisman Hotel, a slaughter house and a lot above
the town of Washington (close to the county bridge across
the South Yuba River), a ranch known as the Korti’s Ranch,
and the hotel property and furnishings.
After Minnie’s father death she and her husband, E.
T. Worthley, took over the management of the hotel. The
Worthleys no doubt worked hard as proprietors of the establishment that soon became known as Worthley’s Hotel,
and eventually was called the Washington Hotel. E. T. and
Minnie were blessed with a large family of seven children
that included four sons: Charles Thaxter, Hassel Buisman,
Raymond V. and Elbridge H; and three daughters: Evelyn,
Emma and Helen (Ella).
Both the hotel and family prospered, but not before the
hand of fate struck again. This time a fire struck closer to
home—said to have originated in the roof of the kitchen
of Worthley’s Hotel and spread quickly to other buildings
on the main street in town. On April 21, 1896, at 5:00 A.M.
the fire was discovered, and soon the Worthley’s two-story
frame hotel with all of its contents and furnishing was no
more. Loss was said to have been $8,000 with only $1,000
worth of insurance coverage.
The town had no fire-fighting equipment or apparatus
other than a large water tank and water buckets. Nevertheless, the fire was stopped by the efforts of the townspeople
before it reached the hotel property of D. Dugan. Among
the buildings consumed by the flames were a house owned
by John Hogan; the Washington Stage Company’s barn
(owned by George and John Grissel); a house belonging to
the estate of Thomas Maloney and rented to the family of
Dan T. Stewart, and a shoe shop belonging to the estate of
Thomas Maloney.
The Worthleys immediately rebuilt the hotel, and in less
than four months the doors were again thrown open to the
public. A ball was give on the night of Saturday, August 8th,
and more than 20 people came to Washington from Nevada
City. A dance took place on the second floor of the large
new building, where rooms hadn’t yet been partitioned off.
Music was provided by the Goyne and Davis orchestra, and
a supper was served. Cots were provided on the third floor
for any visitors who wished to nap before leaving for home,
«> as the dancing went on throughout the night until the early
hours of Sunday morning.
Besides mining, the great abundance of trees growing in
the district provided employment in the lumber industry in
season. Winters in the Washington district not only put a
standstill to most industry but often interfered with travel in
and out of the town itself. It was not unusual for the roads
to be inaccessible for weeks—and sometimes months—at a
time in winter, due to deep snow and bad roads.
Travelers who left Nevada City on the Nevada Emigrant
road heading to the town of Washington in winter would
often find themselves unable to go any further up-country
and had to turn back or stay at Central House until the
road could be cleared. Located half-way between Nevada
City and the town of Washington (on the route of today’s
Highway 20), Central House was a way station and stage
stop throughout the year, but often stages, horses and even
sleighs found the deep snow insurmountable beyond that
point in the winter. If they were able to get as far as the
Washington road turnoff, then travelers would encounter
probably one of the worst roads in Nevada County, regardless of weather.
Horses often had to struggle through deep snow to reach the
town of Washington in winter. (Searls Library photo.)
Up until the late 1930s the road to Washington was little
more than a wandering trail, slightly wider than one lane.
In winter messengers mounted on snowshoes or Norwegian
skis were employed to bring in provisions, mail and miscellaneous supplies if the snow was not too soft and slushy.
To make matters worse, all communication with the outside
world was limited, and the town of Washington did not get
a telephone line until January of 1898. The first telephone
to be installed was at E. T. Worthley’s Washington Hotel.
The Sunset Company ran the line from the central telephone
office in Nevada City to Central House, where a phone was
installed, and then continued running the line to the town of
Washington. When the editor of The Union talked to several
of Washington’s citizens on the new telephone and asked
what was new, he learned that the town was going to have
a dance and candy pull and the proceeds would go towards
paying for the telephone; the residents told him there was a
good deal of snow up on the ridge, and that the California