Daniel Woodford started his hotel, The Sign Of The Elephant, sometime between 1849 and 1857. Reflecting a popular expression of the day for finding something unique or notable, the hotel served travelers along the Old Emigrant Trail and provided an important waypoint between Genoa, Nevada and Placerville, California. An 1865 newspaper ad described it as having "The choicest brands of wines, liquors, and cigars, and the table with the best the market affords. Good stabling with hay and grain always in abundance." Woodford was appointed the local postmaster in 1858, and thereafter the town became known as Woodfords. The hotel was consumed by fire in 1860 but immediately rebuilt, and another fire destroyed the second hotel in 1900. Today, the Alpine Christian Community Church that occupies the site is still a focal point of the community.