Groveland, formerly called “First Garrote,” was associated with the hanging of a Mexican for stealing a horse. Adobe buildings still standing in 1949 had been built in 1849, as shown by a dated adobe brick taken from a partition. Gold was discovered here in 1849, and thousands in placer gold were taken from mines on Garrote Creek, Big Creek, and other diggings. Deer Flat, Noisy Flat, and The Rancheria were well-known nearby places in its heyday.