EI Dorado the town

...a place in the KellyGang story 

Areas

Location

Half way between Wangaratta and Beechworth or between Beechworth and Chiltern.

Beginnings

Eldorado grew up with the discovery of gold in the area in about 1856. Eldorado was part of the Woolshed aluvial gold deposit. see (Argus8/2/64) (Argus15/8/64)
There was also tin to be mined (Argus1/8/70)

Importance of EI Dorado

Gold mining town

What was EI Dorado like in the late 1870s

Coaches
Royal Mail Coaches went to Beechworth

What was El Dorado like (Ensign26/4/1872)

Facilities in EI Dorado in the late 1870s

Population 4000 in about 1870

Empire Hotel
owned by the Klemm family
Martell's hotel (Argus13/9/81)
United Ovens Hotel Mr Bussy (Ensign26/4/1872)

School

Bank

Church

Oriental Bank Corporation

St Jude's Anglican Church (1870) Mr Green 1875

Post Office and Telegraph
There was a postal route between Beechworth and Tarawingee Station via Reid's Creek, Woolshed, Reidford, and Eldorado

See also El Dorado the squatting run
Doctor George Richard Walker

Licensing Magistrates
John Cock
Joseph Harrow

Mining
United Wellington Gold and Tin Mining Company Limited 1876
Guildford

Store keeper
Charles Schuppe

Links to the KellyGang

William Wallace was a trainee teacher at Eldorado (RC15081)

Const Hall was well known in Eldorado See the Jerilderie Letter

Const Dwyer was stationed at Eldorado (RC9392)

Did Steve Hart assault someone near Eldorado (Argus27/1/79)

On Sunday 16/2/1879 Det Ward and Sup Hare went to Eldorado to meet Aaron Sherritt, where there was a party of police in charge of Sconst Strachan. (RC1277)

Police from Eldorado went to arrest Aaron Sherritt (Argus1/7/79)

In early 1880 Joe Byrne wanted to know how much money they would likely get in Eldorado bank, and "John Jones" (Aaron Sherritt?) was directed to inform them that there would never be more than ten, twenty, or thirty pounds found in that bank. (RC13855)

 

Members of the El Dorado community

Sgt George Du Vernet and MConst Edward Carven and Const Edward McCabe were stationed at El Dorado

 

 

 

 

What happened at EI Dorado after the time of the Kelly Gang

Frank Becroft was a policeman stationed at El Dorado after the time of the KellyGang.

The Royal Commission said it was a grave error to reduce the size of the El Dorado police station (RC2ndReport)

Gold dredging continued in the area until the 1950s

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5-dec-11

What is happening at EI Dorado today - a part of the Kelly Country and Ned Kelly's story

The area near Eldorardo has produced Topaz, Citrine and Clear Quartz

Enjoy this wonderful part of our history, but Please respect the privacy of the current owners