*Before the discovery of gold, Mud Springs was an important stop along the old Carson Emigrant Trail.
*James Thomas erected a trading post and hotel in the winter of 1849/50 called the Mud Springs House.
*Mud Springs was also a crossroads for freight and stage lines, as the road from Sacramento forked there, one branch leading on to the wild camp known as Hangtown, the other turning south and heading to the Southern Mines.
*By 1851, the camp was booming. Adding to the wealth provided by the rich placers, several quartz veins were discovered which resulted in the erection of numerous steam quartz mills.
*Later that year a post office was established under the Mud Springs name. The name of the post office was changed to El Dorado in the summer of 1855.
*At its peak, El Dorado had a population which numbered in the thousands and had its “full quota of saloons, hotels and stores, and a gold production record that gave its citizens just cause for pride.”
*The Wells Fargo Express Office built in the 1850's is still standing. Today it houses Poor Reds, a local bar and restaurant.
