A flourishing settlement, exists in Mosquito Valley, about six miles southeast from Garden Valley, or nine miles east from Placerville, having nearly the altitude of Georgetown. The visitor is astonished to find in this hidden place so many enterprising and well-to-do farmers, as may be seen without inquiry, observing the fine dwellings, large barns and thrifty fields of grain and clover ; the numerous cattle, sheep and hogs, and fine looking orchards. As early as 1849, mines were discovered in Mosquito canyon and the placers worked ; the population of early days settled in two different places or villages ; one called Nelsonville, and the other known as the Big House or Lower town, the latter was built and inhabited by Spaniards principally. At Nelsonville two or three stores had a good trade, and one of them was kept by John D. Skinner until later years, when it burned out. The mining paid well here in early days, and especially Little Mosquito was noted for chunks of gold found there of from 2 oz. up to 100 dollars weight, by Mr. Dickinson and others. At the present day quartz mining is going on to some extent. To provide the canyon with a stream of water a ditch had been built in 1853 or '54, at an expense of above $20,000 owned by the Mosquito Ditch Co., now the property of James Summerfield ; it is 16 miles in length and takes its water out of Slab creek. The water now is used to a great deal for irrigation of orchards and gardens. The first farm work in this district was done by Brown and Palmer, who grew the first crop of potatoes : this however, was only a first trial, but Mr. Dickinson in company with Peter Robinson took it up and to them is due the claim of being the first actual settlers and cultivators of garden and orchard ; their first attempt in agricultural work was made in 1853. And it is a well known fact that all standard fruits are doing very well in this canyon ; only a light snow is falling here in the winter. A saw-mill was built here in One Eye canyon,--named after the first man engaged there being one-eyed,--in 1851 or '52, by Benjamin Summerfield and John Bennett.

     The first school in the settlement was opened in 1862, by Oliver Chubb; he taught school first in a granary owned by John Cobb, on the place now owned by James Summerfield. A Public School dist5rict was established here together with a Postoffice in 1881 ; the latter with Mrs. Dickinson as postmistress. Mr. John Agnews from Sidney, Australia, was the first white woman in the canyon, and the first marriage was that of Waldo. Mosquito has always carried the name of being a quiet peaceful settlement, the record of crimes is very short, but notwithstanding it includes one case of Lynch law : A white man getting out shakes, in early days, had been killed by the Indians, one of the Indians was caught and hung by the excited population.

     Mosquito is connected with Placerville by a good wagon-road and a suspension bridge across the South Fork of the American river, a trail is running in the direction of Kelsey, the township center. Dixon Summerfield, Adam Melchior, Christopher Finnan, John Selleck, and Mrs. Couchlen and John Markel are the present inhabitants.