Colorful Characters of Calaveras County

There were “good guys” and “bad guys.” It almost feels like a good ole-fashioned western. Instead, it’s the bountiful portfolio of the colorful characters of Calaveras County.
Tucked away between Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe, Calaveras County is adorned with rolling hills that are peppered with vineyards and framed with alpine lakes and rivers. But, it’s the rich history of resident characters that peaks the curiousities of intrigued visitors.
To begin this trip down memory lane and to soak in the local color, the Calaveras County Museum and Angels Camp Museum are good places to start as they feature exhibits that illustrate the riches of California’s Gold Country and its fascinating history. Aside from the iconic jumping frog, made famous by Mark Twain in his book entitled “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” this Gold Rush community is home to some of the most notorious and opportunistic characters.
First, and perhaps the most infamous, is Black Bart.
Black Bart, born Charles E. Boles in 1829, was an American outlaw noted for the poetic messages he left behind after his robberies. Considered a gentleman bandit with a reputation for style and sophistication, he was one of the most notorious stagecoach robbers to operate in and around Northern California and southern Oregon during the 1870s and 1880s. On July 26, 1875, Boles robbed his first stagecoach in Calaveras County on the road between Copperopolis and Milton. He spoke with a deep and resonant tone as he politely ordered stage driver John Shine to “throw down the box.” The contents netted him $160. Black Bart’s last holdup took place on November 3, 1883, at the site of his first robbery on Funk Hill, southeast of the present town of Copperopolis. In between his notorious robberies, Black Bart and two of his brothers took part in the California Gold Rush, beginning their mining career at the North Fork of the American River in California. For more on Black Bart, visit www.calaverashistory.org/black-bart.
Also a legend in his own time is Joaquin Murieta Carrillo.
Joaquin Murieta Carrillo, born in 1829, was referred to sometimes as the Robin Hood of the West. He was a figure of disputed reputation, known as a notorious outlaw in California during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s. While evidence about Murrieta is scarce, contemporary documents record testimony in 1852 concerning a minor horse thief of that name. Newspapers reported bandidos named Joaquin, who robbed and killed several people during the same time. A California Ranger named Harry Love was assigned to track down Murrieta and was said to have brought his head in for the bounty. The popular legend of Joaquin Murrieta was that he was a forty-niner, a gold miner and a vaquero from Sonora. Although known to some as peace loving, Murieta was driven to revenge after his brother and he were falsely accused of stealing a mule. His brother was hanged, Murrieta was horse-whipped and his young wife was raped. Swearing revenge, he hunted down the men who had violated his wife, then he embarked on a short but violent career to kill his Anglo tormentors. The state of California offered a reward up to $5,000 for Murrieta, “dead or alive.” He was reportedly killed in 1853, but the news of his death was disputed. For more on Joaquin Murieta, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquin_Murrieta
Criminals weren’t the only notorious residents of Calaveras County.
As a matter of fact, the county was also home to innovators of a special breed.
Take for instance Rasmus Nielson who was known for his full-body tattoos.
Rasmus Nielson, also known as Big Nels, was born in Denmark in the late 1800s. He worked as a blacksmith and lived in Angels Camp for several years. He became known for his full-body tattoos and for lifting heavy objects, some weighing more than 200-pounds, with his body piercings. Nielsen made the decision to join the show business world but found the tattooed man slot on the sideshow platform crowded. So, he chose to pierce his chest and develop a weightlifting act using those piercings. Nielsen is known in the sideshow world as a self-made freak because he was not born with any abnormality that would win him this position on the show platform. The earliest photo of Nielsen is from the late 1920s or early 1930s showing a full front and back view of Nielsen’s tattoos, which include a large Statue of Liberty back piece topped with eagle, shield and flags. Christ heads are seen on his ribs and his legs carry such designs as a portrait of Bill Cody and the giant sequoias. In 1940, Nielsen arrived in San Francisco to work at the Golden Gate Exposition for the famous Robert Ripley’s Believe it or Not Odditorium. For the next decade, Rasmus Nielsen worked as a sideshow attraction with the likes of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was often billed as the “Tattooed Wonderman” or the “Tattooed Strongman.” He also did the tongue lift. One of the archived photos is of Nielsen at the annual Calaveras County Frog Jump in Angel’s Camp where he is seen with a group of locals. For more on Rasmus Nielson, visit www.tattooarchive.com/history/nielsen_ramus.php
Innovation takes many forms and Calaveras County boasts its share of free thinkers. Take for instance America’s first Nobel Prize winner, Albert Michaelson.
Albert Michaelson was born in Posen, Prussia in 1852, but resides/ed on Main Street in Murphys. Although he was an immigrant, Michaelson was an American physicist best known for his research on finding the speed of light, which earned him a Nobel Prize for Physics and the first American to earn such an illustrious accolade. Michaelson created and designed the interferometer, which is a device used to split a beam of lights into two parts. He conducted an experiment known as the Michelson-Morley experiment with his equipment to determine the speed of light, which he discovered with fellow scientist Edward Williams. After the experiment, he concluded that light travelled at about 299,853 km per second. Later on, he developed another device that gave him the exact speed at which light travels, that is, 299,774 km per second. As a scientist, he earned an enviable reputation as a Nobel Prize winner, as well as a recipient of the Copley Medal, Henry Draper Medal and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, before he passed away in 1931. For more on Michaelson, visit www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_A._Michelson
Bandits, a circus “freak” and intellectuals aren’t the only colorful characters of Calaveras County. We’ve saved the icing on the cake, “Cheesecake” that is, for dessert.
Betty Brosmer Weider may not be a household name, but in her day, she graced the covers and pages of many magazines as a pin up girl. Her face and figure are legendary, among the likes of Bettie Page, Anita Ekberg and Marilyn Monroe. Though the term did not yet exist in her era, Brosmer was the leading supermodel of the 1950s, with a status something like a Kate Upton, Elle MacPherson or other cover models. Brosmer’s figure was considered to be the definitive hourglass shape with the measurements of 38”-18”-36,” which earned her the credit of having the “impossible waist.” Brosmer’s playful, slightly risqué photos helped define the ’50s idea of a pinup girl. Not only was Brosmer astonishingly gorgeous, she was also an intelligent woman who knew her value. As the first model to demand rights for her photographs, she profited well and became the highest paid glamour model of the 1950s. While Brosmer was featured in almost every men’s magazine throughout her career, the one opportunity she turned down was the most popular of them all — Hugh Hefner’s Playboy, because she refused to pose nude. Brosmer’s career later took an interesting twist when she became a fitness advocate and bodybuilding expert alongside her husband, bodybuilding pioneer Joe Weider, proving she was more than just good looks and a perfect body. The pair spent decades promoting healthy lifestyles through bodybuilding and exercise and it was then that Brosmer’s pinup career gave way to her interest in writing as she became a contributor to Muscle and Fitness and even started her own columns “Body By Betty” and “Health By Betty,” to encourage strength and healthy habits. Today, Weider lives part time in Calaveras County and continues to advocate for health and fitness through the production of Shape magazine and writing columns for Power and Beauty. She is also an honorary member of the Olympic Committee, educating the world, especially women, about proper nutrition and physical activities. For more on Brosmer, visit www.groovyhistory.com/betty-brosmer-weider-young-pinup-fitness