(InEDC) BY Adventures in California History Published: 08/23/23 7:47 PM PST
The photo shows Fred’s Place and a wood cutout of a Highway Patrol Car, c.1950s.
It was meant to slow people down as Fred’s was on a steep downhill section of the road, and people can still, to this day, pick up too much speed.
There were a series of them made by a man in Placerville. Not sure where the others were placed.
Fred’s was built in 1918 next to the Champlain House, a Gold Rush-era stop noted for its watering trough. Seems it was a very popular place in its day. 1918-1960’s is a decent run!
“I remember it in the middle 1950s when we camped at Wright’s Lake. Fred was the local supplier for many of the cabin owners on Wrights, Dark and Shadow Lakes….People would order supplies and pick them up there, Pollock Pines, or Placerville” – Michael G. Brattland
