SHADES OF HANGTOWN

Placerville, California 

aka Old Hangtown

Sometimes in the evening

When the sun is sinking low,

And the pines are silhouetted

And I’ve nowhere else to go,

I remember good ol’ Placerville

In the distant days of yore,

And I’d very nearly sell my soul

To walk its streets once more.

When its avenues were dusty

And its storefronts weathered wood,

When the girls were thin and lusty

And the Ivy House still stood;

When Main Street ran a rutted course

And blooms were yet a bud,

The only ride to town, a horse,

And gold was in our blood;

When the Hangman’s Tree served nickel beer,

The Cary House was new;

Lamp-lit saloons exuded cheer

And frosty mugs of brew,

The three mile house was always full,

Lake Tahoe days away,

And folks who stopped at Hangtown

Almost always came to stay.

Father in Heaven, hear my prayer.

Dear God, please grant my plea.

If I could just awaken there.

If time could set me free.

If once more I could stroll its streets

And once more breathe its air,

I know there’s soul’s aplenty Lord

Who could benefit from prayer.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer