California Genealogy

The town of Deadwood is situated upon a high narrow ridge of land, or promontory it might be called, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the eastern part of Placer County, between El Dorado Canon on the north, and the north fork of the Middle Fork of the American River on the south-east, at an altitude of 4,000 feet above the level of the sea. The town is isolated, the country surrounding it not admitting of any settlements nearer than El Dorado Canon and Michigan Bluff on one side, and Devil’s Basin and Last Chance, on the other. … Read more

County Officers Office Officer County Judge E. H. Vandecar Sheriff L. L. Bullock Clerk H. Gooding County Recorder W. A. Selkirk District Attorney Jo. Hamilton Treasurer E. M. Banvard Coroner James Platt Public Administrator Rufus Smith Superintendent of Public Schools H. S. Greenwood District Court, Eleventh Judicial District. Hon. B. F. Myres, Judge. Meets at Auburn on the second Monday in January, April and July, and the third Monday in October. County Court. Hon. E. H. Vandecar, Judge. Meets on the fourth Monday in January, April and July, and third Monday in October. Court of Sessions. Hon. E. H. Vandecar, … Read more

Methodist Episcopal Church of Auburn Methodist Episcopal Church of Auburn organized in June 1852, by Rev. James Hunter, P. C., and Rev. J. D. Blain, P. E. Present Pastor, Rev. N. R. Peck. Number of members, 15. Cost of church building and furnishing same, about $4,000. The Sunday school of the M. E. Church of Auburn was organized in October 1852, by Rev. James Hunter. Present number of members, 93; average attendance, about 40; number of volumes in the library, 600; Number of teachers, 7. The officers for the year 1861 are: H. Hazell – Superintendent. J. R. Crandall – … Read more

Below Bird’s Valley about three miles are Stony Bar and Rester’s Bar, on the North Fork of the Middle Fork, both of which were esteemed rich by the miners of ’49 and ’50. The diggings were shallow, and the greatest difficulty to contend with was the large stones which had to be removed by the miner in order to sink a hole to the bed-rock. Some of the stones were of immense weight, and as there were no blasting tools to be procured in that part of the country, and no blacksmith’s forge at which to sharpen tools, they had … Read more

The settlement at Bath was first made in the summer of 1850, by a man named John Bradford, a merchant, at that time doing business at Stony Bar. His attention was first drawn to the place by the excellent pasturage it furnished for his mules, and the beauty of the location for a stock ranch. He therefore built a cabin in which to reside and store his goods upon their arrival from Sacramento in wagons, to be packed to the store at Stony Bar as they were required or as occasion served, and also built a brush fence around the … Read more

The town of Auburn is one of the oldest in the State, having been a “mining camp” of considerable importance early in 1849. Of the first discovery of gold upon its site, or in its neighborhood, there is at this time no reliable account; but when the writer of this article passed the spot in the first days of July, 1849, the ravines which converged in what is now the Plaza showed signs of having been wrought to some extent during the previous rainy season. The only persons at work, however, at that time (July) were two Chilenos “panning” in … Read more