Madame Coco's Treasure Trove

Madame Coco, the Queen of the antiques in San Andreas, California

Wikipedia describes San Andreas, CA, as follows:

“San Andreas is an unincorporated census-designated place and the county seat of Calaveras County, California. The population was 2,783 at the 2010 census, up from 2,615 at the 2000 census. Like most towns in the region, it was originally founded during the California Gold Rush. The town is located on State Route 49 and is registered asCalifornia Historical Landmark #252.

Settled by Mexican gold miners in 1848 and named after the Catholic parish St. Andrew, the town has been a noted mining camp since early days. The gold from the initially discovered placers gave out after a few years, but the discovery of gold in an underground river channel in 1853 revitalized the camp and it soon became a town. Mining of the channels was lucrative enough for the town to completely rebuild after fires in 1858 and 1863. The gold discovered here contributed greatly to the success of the Union during the Civil War. In 1866, San Andreas became the seat of Calaveras County. It was said to be a rendezvous location for Joaquin Murietta. Notorioushighwayman Black Bart was tried here and sent to prison.

The post office was established in 1854.^[2]” Settled by Mexican gold miners in 1848 and named after the Catholic parish St. Andrew, the town has been a noted mining camp since early days. The gold from the initially discovered placers gave out after a few years, but the discovery of gold in an underground river channel in 1853 revitalized the camp and it soon became a town. Mining of the channels was lucrative enough for the town to completely rebuild after fires in 1858 and 1863. The gold discovered here contributed greatly to the success of the Union during the Civil War. In 1866, San Andreas became the seat of Calaveras County. It was said to be a rendezvous location for Joaquin Murietta. Notorious highwayman Black Bart was tried here and sent to prison.

The post office was established in 1854.”

Last weekend, I drove to San Andreas to support a fundraiser event at PAWS, Performing Animals Welfare Society, ARK 2000 and to visit with the elephants again. You might remember my Travel Tidbits from my March 2012 visit at PAWS that introduced me to the compassionate work of the co-founders of PAWS: Pat Derby and Ed Stewart. I will tell more about the fundraiser event in my next Travel TidBits.

The small town of Andreas stretches for about a mile along Highway 49 which meanders along the Sierra Foothills. In the middle of town, my attention was captured by an old row of facades with a sign of ‘Wells Fargo’ over well weathered wood.

Old ironworks in the open windows showed the places where money changed hands through narrow slits over wooden counters. In my imagination I could see bearded men in black suits and white shirts sitting inside counting money being paid for gold nuggets extracted from the ground. Looking though the bars, my imagination was shattered and it looked like great-gandma’s attic.

The wood looked worm-eaten, and the bushes had grown over the window. The glass that had been there was long gone and the wind and weather could enter at will.

The “Jail” door invited me in and so I entered a world where time had stood still since 150 year. It was Madame Coco’s treasure trove. I thought she must have grown up in this town and must have been a collector all her life. But she only had come to San Andreas about 20 years before – then maybe in her 60ties - attracted by the peaceful little town almost forgotten along highway 49. Now she was the queen of antiques, real old tools, old containers, old gadgets and other stuff.

Come with me and explore the wonderous isles of long forgotten goodies from the 1800.

Maybe Mom and daughter once strolled through town with the new baby in the pram and the beautiful doll in the daughter's small pram.

Did Mom use the Primex in her kitchen?

And Dad used the tools in the yard?

Maybe morning coffee was brewed in this cattle and the blue cup was taken out in the barn steaming in the frosty air.

Mom used to store the treads and needles in the Singer box and sit by the fire and mend the chothes while Dad stuffed his pipe from the Old English Tabacco box.