El Dorado County is the birthplace of the 1848 gold discovery that spurred the California Gold Rush and “the world rushed in.” These gold-rush miners, enamored with the beauty and opportunity of the “California Dream,” turned into ranchers, farmers, fruit growers, vintners, business owners, loggers, and more. The wagon trails turned into modern roads as the age of the automobile evolved. In 1923, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors entered into a contract with the Division of Motor Vehicles to employ two traffic officers at a salary of $175 per month. Six years later, at the inception of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in 1929, the Placerville Area was founded. The Placerville Area started with Captain Elwood A. Brewster, and a grand total of three patrol officers, Tom Eisenhuth, Richard Cornelson, and Burwell Reynolds. The officers were first stationed in the historic Placerville Superior Courthouse at 495 Main St. During the 1930s, staffing grew, and the CHP found a new home for the Placerville officers. The CHP obtained its first dedicated office in El Dorado County at 28 Broadway in the town of Placerville. The Placerville Area served the entirety of El Dorado County until the creation of the South Lake Tahoe Area Office. In the mid-1960s the Placerville Office was moved to its current facility at 3031 Lo Hi Way.
