About

Mokelumne Hill & the Hotel Léger

The historic village of Mokelumne Hill nestles about the Mokelumne River in a basin surrounded by low hills. The name Mokel-umne comes from the Yokut Indians of the Central Valley, referring to the “people of the Mokel.” Along with a Mi-Wuk Indian village next to the springs of Mokelumne Hill, French trappers were reported to inhabit nearby Happy Valley as early as the 1830s. In 1848, gold was discovered in the Sierra foothills, with Captain Charles M. Weber and Colonel Jonathan D. Stevenson’s regiment starting initial mining, particularly after Samuel Persall found gold at Stockton Hill. By 1850, a diverse group of miners, including Americans and immigrants, bolstered the mining economy in Big Bar, Middle Bar, and Lower Bar. The area was named Mokelumne-on-the-hill, later shortened to Mokelumne Hill, which became a trading hub for the diggings. It boomed, becoming Calaveras County's government seat in 1852 and home to the Calaveras Chronicle, the first local newspaper, in 1851. Essential services like a Post Office, militia, gas lighting, and fire department were established. Various lodges and community organizations thrived, showcasing the area's cultural diversity, including French businesses, a hospital, and a sizable Chinatown with stores and Joss Houses. In the Gold Rush era, George Leger, a Frenchman, arrived in Mokelumne Hill around 1851 and became a partner in the Hotel de France at Main and Lafayette Streets, managing it until his death in 1879. The town faced three major fires in 1854, 1865, and 1874, leading to multiple rebuilds of the hotel, which eventually became Hotel Léger. Originally a one-story wooden building post-1854, it transformed to Hotel d’Europa and then Grand Hotel after the 1865 fire, and was rebuilt into a two-story stone structure after the 1875 fire. Leger expanded the hotel by acquiring the old courthouse next door, which remains part of the property. The hotel has long been a gathering spot, reflecting elegance and community in Mokelumne Hill, making it a cherished symbol of California's heritage.

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Phn: (209)286-1401

Our Location

8304 Main Street
Mokelumne Hill, CA, 95245