d BUTTE COUNTY PLACE NAMES A Geographical and Historical Dictionary Compiled by FORREST D. DUNN Occasional Publication Number 3 ASSOCIATION FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA K RECORDS AND RESEARCH A P.O. Box 3024 CHICO, CA 95927 \ z • U OFFICERS and DIRECTORS: 1976 -1977 ASSOCIATION for NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORDS and RESEARCH (ANCRR) President Joseph F. McGie, Gridley, CA Vice President Lois Halliday McDonald, Magalia, CA Vice President Andrew J. Osborne, Red Bluff, CA Secretary . Lola M. Starr, Paradise, CA Treasurer W.H. Hutchinson, Chico, CA Project Director and Curator Dr. Norris A. Bleyhl, Chico, CA A COLLECTION OF PLACES IN BUTTE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA v A GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF GOLD CAMPS, TOWNS, RAILROAD STATIONS, SCHOOLS, POST OFFICES, RIVERS, STREAMS, GULCHES, BARS, AND OTHER PUCE DESIGNATIONS; OR, WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BUTTE COUNTY BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO ASK Compiled by FORREST D. DUNN Occasional Publication Number 3 ASSOCIATION FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORDS AND RESEARCH P.O. Box 302)4 CHICO, CA 95927 I began researching a project connected with Butbo County about a year and a half ago. I made copious notes and after a few months, I found that I had notes in various notebooks, stuffed in corners and lost. In tracing down the location of where a particular event took place, I really dicta* t know any more than when I had started. I quickly learned that in order to have a workable base from which to start, I would have to create my own collection of identifiable places in time and geographic location,, These would preferably include map co-ordinates. Tiihen this was not possible I collected clues that might help in pinpointing the locationp which combined with later found evidence might lead mo one step closer. In most cases I was at least able to place in a Township, Range co-ordinate and most often in a Section of that co-ordinate. In a few cases the location has been entirely lost except for the information that it once existed and that It vras in Butte County and often the broad genera?, location is kuown. In most of these cases if the reader will draw some inferences from other entries he will probably cone up with a very close approximation0 And now I would like to explain something — I have listed very f**» cemeteries and these only because they offer the most tangible clue as to the location of an old camp or community. Tho reason for this being that of recent years there has been ami explosion of vandalism in old burial plots. There Is no reason to help those very sick people find now playgrounds. To beo:;e --eeele v;bo are -emu*. "vs'Ly Lvr-erostei in oom.rberlee ^ov historical or nobby purposes, -such as stoae rubbing or inscript'Loa collecting — Inquiries should be made to the local historical society either in Oroville or Paradise, I on quite sure that they will be very cooperative once they know that you are sincere in your interest. Much of historical interest has been lost to Butte County tlirough dam construction and dredging. You can*t find much evidence of a town when it is under a few hundred feet of water or has gone through the grizzly of a dredger. I have noted whore -the site is under water or has been dredged, Now a few observations that may be of interest to those not familiar with some of the early mining history. RANCHES - In the first few years of the gold rush probably over 90^ of the travel between Sacramento and the gold camps was made by men -walking. This was because most couldnTt afford the fare and being broke used the only means of transportation available to them0 The streams of men on the trail coming and going from the diggins resembled a line of ants. To accommodate these travelers other men set up what were known as ranches which were not even closely related to what we think of as ranches at present. Ranches were merely shelters of various kinds constructed of available materials, brush, canvas or boards. Most were open sided and offered slight protection from the elements. In these a miner could roll out his blankets on the ground, or mud in the winter, and pass the night. The charge for the use of this luxury ranged from two bits to a dollar* the fleas were .free. Same ranches offered meals and wore used as stage stops. In time some ranches developed into hotels and small communities. Co>p.iby there is hardly a square n.llo thab ab o:\! bio aid nob ha-/o SOMO raining acbivity. !%ost of those camps v;ore snorb lived and names, 1:1? they had a name, woro forgo btxi a far week;:; after tho minors moved o;i0 On orory stroan ami sand bar you -nay ho as Tared there was at least one camp, generally named after'tho stream or har0 V.herevei* you see a staek of rocks in s02.:e isolated canyon, there TOS a camp nearby. I lout minors lived in tents or under a tarpaulin stretched between trees. Many miners had no cover but slept under an oak or pine tree. The mortality from sickness brought on by exposure was high, and ?rauld have been higher had it not been for the youth of those who mined. Only the very richest diggins remained long enough to gain a memory or a place in -written history and very few attracted cabins or houses enough to leave indications enough to see that man had ever "boon there. -And so for every eamp that we can find on old maps or mentioned in newspapers and journals, there probably existed ten others that we will never know about -~- but we can try. The early miners were mostly young men between the ages of sixteen and thirty. With the hard work of mining and the exuberance of the young, they gave tho'r camps some strange names. I for one am inclined to think that they named most of them just for the hell of it, and left it to later generations to think up cutesy little stories to explain the ribald name of tho or town. After the county settled up a little and agriculture became important tho researcher runs into references to towns that he never hoard of, most of those were loose communities with no central tovmsitoa Ifosb consisted of a group of farming or mining families who thought of themselves as a community, and had a point of mutual interest around which they organised many used tho name of the local toe b ObbicOj,, mUIob was ebLee. in, am individuals homo. Obhors identified with trio school or a prominent geographical point, and some identified with, a prominent local land holder. Very often In going over old maps you will find on different maps that tho same term or camp is in a little different position by anywh.oro from a quarter of a mile to a mile or more. It is easy to say that it was because the surveyor made a mistake way back then. But even with their crude instruments don't maize the mistake of selling those old boys too short. Many times over the years these towns migrated for various reasons. It may have been because some fellow set up a better bar down the road a piece, or that the post master moved his residence or place of business* It may have been that the mine or mill closed and people moved nearer to the store or stage stop0 You will come across places described as being in Concow Township or Oro Township, these have nothing to do with township, range map oo-ordinates, but were county political divisions somewhat like modern supervisorial districts. Concow Township was one very large chunk op Butte County6 And now a word about the organization of this collection,. First I would recommend that it be used with a modern map that shows township and section co-ordinates. On some of the early maps township and section co-ordinates are not used, but by comparison to various features and measurement the location can bo approximated Yory closely0 I have indicated that I have arrived at this location as my best guess by prefacing tho co-ordinate with the words, "at about," "probably" or "approximately." V. C-breams, rivers and g-ulchos are indicated by looabioa of section where it runs into another stream or river, i'ro i this point it may easily be traced back to its source. Entries are in alphabetical order and also list other spellings o* names, whom, the alternate spelling is very near the original no seperato entry is made, if spelling is different another entry is ;nado refer ring back to the main entry. In Butte County we are very fortunate to have accessible for our use several sources of information. The Butte County Library System that has a collection of books pertaining to local history and a collection of local maps. California State University, Chico> which has a large reference book collection and a very well organised map library. The Butte Community College with it's very adequate library. The Butte County governmental offices who can be the sources of many different types of information. We are also fortunate to have at least two very active historical societies, whose research and bulletins are of the highest ordero In conclusion I would like to express my thanks to the very courteous staffs of the various libraries that I have frequented and especially Ross Olmsted who went that extra mile to help me get this done.