Editing Georgetown, California (section)

==History==
Founded August 7, 1849, by George Phipps and party, Georgetown was nicknamed "Growlersburg" due to the heavy, gold-laden quartz rocks that "growled" in the miners' pants as they walked around town. Georgetown is named for [[George Phipps]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/origincertainpl02ganngoog | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/origincertainpl02ganngoog/page/n139 136]}}</ref> The first post office was established in 1851.<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|490}}</ref>

After a disastrous fire in 1852, the old town was moved from the canyon in lower Main Street to its present site, and, unique in early-day planning, Main Street was laid out {{convert|100|ft|m}} wide, with side streets {{convert|60|ft|m}}. After this new reconstruction, the residents of the city proclaimed their town as the "Pride of the Mountains".

The hub of an immensely rich gold mining area, Georgetown had a population of about three thousand from 1854 to 1856. As a [[gold rush]] camp, the community outlasted many other towns, because the gold found nearby was solid primary deposits, as opposed to [[placer deposit]]s. Gold production continued until after the turn of the 20th century.<ref name="Ghost towns" />

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] the people of the town wanted to show their support for the Union. They raised the [[Flag of the United States|Stars and Stripes]] with the inscription "Justice and Equality" on July 4, 1861.<ref>''Mountain Democrat'', 6 July 1861</ref>

[[File:Georgetown CA Civil War Armory, built in 1862.jpg|thumb|Armory building constructed in Georgetown in 1862, during the American Civil War]]