Founded on August 7, 1849 by George Phipps and his party, Georgetown was nicknamed Growlersburg for the heavy nuggets that “growled” in miners’ pans. It became the hub of an immensely rich gold area. After the disastrous fire of 1852, the old town was moved from the canyon in lower Main Street to its present site. In a unique feature of early planning, Main Street was laid out 100 feet wide and side streets 60 feet wide. Its population was 3,000 in 1854–56.