Harriet A Levina Smith

SOME EARLY BUTTE TOWNS

A characteristic feature of this early period was the establishment of "mushroom towns." Thus, when society was in its first formation, towns arose and disappeared in this period. Communities that flourished one week would vanish the next as entirely as if the earth had swallowed them. For timber in the early diggings was scarce and sawmills few; and so when a miner moved to new diggings, if not too far away, he would literally carry his house with him, and often not a mark would be left to indicate where a "city" had stood.

Few of you have heard the names of some of these early cities. One was Veazie City, another Fredonia, and still another Yatestown. Ophir was located on the present site of Oroville. The city was named Troy, but its location has been forgotten even more than its famous namesake. Columbia was a city on the north bank of the Feather River between Oroville and Hamilton. There was another town on the Sacramento River near Deer Creek, but pioneers have even forgotten its name.

In its issue of September 27, 1855, the Alta Daily Californian of San Francisco had an exciting account of the establishment of Oroville, which describes the character of town building during this period. Says that paper: "Mining towns, like mushrooms, spring up in a night. A party of prospecting miners strike a good lead and pitch their tents ; others crowd in ; a board shanty is put up and some enterprising individual starts a store with a hundred dollars worth of picks, shovels, flannel shirts, and boots; soon an express is started to the nearest town, and they are in full blast."

While the imposing name of the city was given to these mining camps, they were far from being cities as we now understand the term. The houses were mostly of canvas, supported by a few poles. Fire was an ever-present menace, and the history of these communities contains an account of one or more disastrous conflagrations in all of them.

How the gold miners spread over the county is indicated by the settlements made by them.

Hamilton Bend on the Feather River below Oroville was located in Hamilton, the first county seat of the county. In the spring of 1850, several parties were reported living there. Among them was a nephew of Alexander Hamilton, who gave his name to the place and located the town with A. N. Morgan. On the same bank of the river between Hamilton and Oroville was Columbus. This was originally the site of an Indian rancheria. Its population was predominantly Chinese. During the brief period when steamboats operated to Oroville in the Fifties, Columbus was a stopping place for those vessels.

The City of Bagdad was located two miles below Oroville.

At the present site of Oroville was Ophir. This was one of the country's first settlements as early as October 1849. In 1852, a discovery at White Rock, four miles above Ophir, practically depopulated the place.

Long's Bar, about two miles above Oroville, was named after the Long Brothers, who had a store there. This became one of the most important of the early mining camps of the State. Across the river from Long's Bar was Adamstown. Lynchburg was a prosperous community of the early Fifties, which occupied the ground upon which Oro Vista, a suburb of Oroville, is now located.

Between Lynchburg and Oroville was another city" called Middletown. Thompson's Flat was first settled in 1848 when it was called Rich Gulch. In 1854, the population became so large that the site of the town was changed so as not to interfere with the diggings. George Thompson, who had a hotel there, gave his name to the place.

Bidwell Bar was on the Middle Fork of the Feather River at its junction with the South Fork. On the South Fork of the Feather River was Stringtown, which derived its name from how its buildings were "strung out." Enterprise was located a mile above Stringtown and was named after the Union Enterprise Mining Company, which operated there. Above Enterprise lay Forbestown. Between 1850 and 1860, it is estimated that 3,000 people were living in Forbestown and its vicinity. Clipper Mills was established in the same period and was located as a lumbering camp to supply timber to the mines.

On the North Fork of the Feather River was Potter's Bar. In the territory draining into the North Fork were many mining camps, the best known among which were Spanishtown and Frenchtown. Yankee Hill fell heir to what Spanishtown and Frenchtown had to bequeath when they passed on and out.

Morris Ravine received its name from an employee of Samuel Neal, who 1848, guided a party of Oregonians from the Neal Ranch to the Feather River diggings.

A band of Cherokee Indians, who came here in company with a Yankee school teacher teaching in the Indian Territory, gave the name to Cherokee. Wyandotte was located by Wyandotte Indians, who, in 1850, found gold there.

Evansville, Dicksburg on Honcut Creek, and old Honcut City near Bangor all sprang into being at about the same time.

Bangor was settled in 1855. L. C. Hyland and the Lumbert Brothers opened stores about a mile apart that year. Hyland was a booster, for he laid out a town about two hundred blocks from his store on paper. Squares were reserved for public use, but Hyland was the only man ever built there. The Lumbert Brothers came from Bangor, Maine, and they gave the settlement the name of their home city.

This period also marks the settlement of the Magalia Ridge. Powellton in Kimshew Township was located in 1853 by R. P. Powell. In 1855, George Lovelock discovered the place that still bears his name. Inskip was found by a man named Kelly. The mines of Inskip were prosperous, and hundreds of miners congregated there. Dogtown, later called Magalia, was also located in this period, as were Helltown, Diamondville, and Centerville.