Placerville is keeping the nickname ‘Hangtown’ after removing a noose from its logo

A dummy named George hangs from a historical spot in Placerville, Calif. City officials recently voted to affirm the historical significance of its nickname “Hangtown” — a reference to a controversial form of justice meted out during the Gold Rush days. Two weeks after Placerville opted to nix a noose depicted on its city logo, officials affirmed that the area’s Gold Rush-era name, “Hangtown,” won’t be going anywhere. City Council members voted unanimously to recognize that “Old Hangtown” and “Old Dry Diggins,” another moniker tied to the majority-white town’s mining past, are historically significant. Discussion emerged suggesting the changes in Placerville could be “the beginning of a slippery slope, that it’s part of this whole grand scheme of taking down everything historical in the city,” Thomas said.