Inside the Travel Channel's favorite California hotel

"MOKELUMNE HILL, Calaveras County - Every September, fourth graders visit the Hotel Leger to fall back into California's past. "The hotel has been a big part in visually explaining to them what the Gold Rush was - especially in our little town," manager Jessica Hughart told SFGATE on a recent visit. The cream-colored stone structure opens with a long porch along Main Street in the enduring boomtown of Mokelumne Hill."

"Though it's often cited as one of the oldest operating hotels in the state, Hotel Leger doesn't rest on dusty laurels. In keeping with modern improvements at small hotels, check-in is entirely online. The tall, slender front entrance that has welcomed visitors since the mi-1850s has been modified with an electronic keypad, so guests can come and go without the need for a front desk."

"Today - having continuously accommodated visitors through devastating fires, ghostly stigmas, a reality TV revamp and numerous owners - it's become an icon for California hospitality that defines Mokelumne Hill. The hotel is the literal and geographical center of the quiet town off Highway 49. The entire community, a few intertwined streets that locals call "Moke Hill," is a registered historical landmark. The state called it "one of the principal mining towns of California," but now, its economy hinges on either tourism or agriculture."

Hotel Leger occupies a cream-colored stone building on Main Street in Mokelumne Hill with a long porch and a second-floor balcony overlooking Sierra foothills. Recently refurbished rooms retain sturdy stone walls and ornate wooden bedposts that reflect Victorian roots. Check-in and access have been modernized with online check-in and an electronic keypad replacing a traditional front desk. The hotel has continuously accommodated visitors through devastating fires, ghostly stigmas, a reality TV revamp, and numerous owners, and serves as the literal and geographical center of the registered historical landmark community known as Moke Hill. Two brothers purchased and updated the 12 guest rooms in 2023.

Read at SFGATE