Graniteville (previously: Eureka and unofficially Eureka South)[3] is a small, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Nevada County, California, United States.[4] The town sits on the San Juan ridge separating the Middle and South Forks of the Yuba River, approximately 26 miles (42km) northeast of Nevada City.[5] The elevation of Graniteville is 4,977 feet (1,517m) above sea level. As of the 2020 census, the population was just one, down from eleven in the 2010 census.
First settled in 1850, it was the original town in Eureka Township and an early gold mining center for Nevada County.[7] As was popular at the time, the town was named Eureka, the state motto (“I have found it”), in honor of California's admission in September, 1850, to the Union.[8] Many other early Nevada County sites carried the Eureka name, including Eureka Hill, Eureka Mine, Eureka School District, Eureka Heights Residential District in Grass Valley, and Eureka House, an early tavern and inn built in 1850-1851.[9]
Due to its proximity to another town of Eureka in Sierra County, however, as early as the 1850s it was often referred to as Eureka South to avoid confusion.[10] In 1857, Goddard's Map recorded the town as Eureka South.[11] When a United States Post Office was established on August 26, 1867, the town's name officially became Graniteville, because there already was a Eureka post office in Humboldt County.[12] However locals and historians continued to call it Eureka for some time.
Graniteville was the first settled town in Eureka Township, situated on Poorman Creek[13] between the Middle and South Yuba Rivers.[14] By the mid 1850s, Eureka had a winter population of about 1000 residents, although dry season population often dropped to about 200 individuals due to poor water supply.[15] As in many similar early mining towns, early Eureka was a raucous environment, populated mostly by men and used to settling disputes with violence. For example, in January, 1854, a riot erupted between Irish and English miners over priority to a claim. Shots were exchanged and a woman passer-by was wounded. The involved parties were arrested and five individuals were fined $60.00 each, a substantial sum at the time.[16] In spite of its somewhat unruly beginnings, the town established stores, hotels, a livery stable, saloons, a bakery and a brewery.[17] By 1855, there were enough local children to warrant a school.[18] By the 1870s, a Catholic church had been established.[19]
Eureka was a stage line terminus and the last local town for outfitting miners for the higher elevations,[20] along with being an important distribution point for reservoir waters that were fed via ditches to the lower hydraulic mines.[21] It was connected to the world's first long distance telephone line, established in 1878 to link the mining communities around the San Juan Ridge.[22] It was also an important stop on the Henness Pass road connecting Marysville and Nevada County with what was to become Nevada.[23] Establishment of a United States Post Office in 1867 allowed for tri-weekly mail delivery by stage from Nevada City when weather allowed. When inclement weather prohibited stage delivery, foot express delivery from Moore's Flat, about 6 miles west, was periodically feasible.[24] As of 1867, Eureka was one of the few Nevada County towns that had not suffered from disastrous fires.[25] On August 12, 1878, however, fire destroyed much of the original town, at a loss of $50,000.00.[26] By then, under the name of Graniteville, the town partially had come back to life, and by 1880 there was a population of around 300.[19]
Mining
Gold mining started in 1850 around Eureka, with the diggings opening in 1851.[27] During the early years, little capital was needed to begin mining activity, as gold was easily found. “Restless, roving prospectors” were able to find surface gold with little effort in the rivers and ravines.[28] During the early 1850s, numerous ditches for water transport were dug, one of the largest being the 30 mile long “Memphis Race.” Started in 1853 by Dr. James Weaver, and constructed over several years, it was built to take water from the Middle Yuba to the town.[29] Due to poor and short-sighted mining practices, however, and the fact that early miners wanted quick access to the gold, placer mining around Eureka was nearly played out within a few years, businesses closed, and the town struggled.[30] By about 1856, Eureka was in decline, with a greatly reduced population.[23]
Some quartz veins were discovered in the early and mid 1850s, but this initial quartz mining momentum did not last. In spite of building some solid mines and stamp mills around Eureka, the endeavors were not long-lasting.[31] A secondary effort at quartz mining, however, rejuvenated the region by about 1867. An influx of new miners revived the severely decreasing population, which by early 1866 had dropped to 20 residents. In May, 1866, Eureka's population was hovering around 400, with it remaining stable at about 350 for several years, due to mining success.[32]
The most extensive quartz mining in the region was done on the gravel range along the flats, partially worked by hydraulic mining.[33] The Eureka Quartz District was similar in ledge size and formation to those in the Nevada District and equally successful. Some of the most profitable quartz ledges near Eureka included the Jim, the Liberty, the Birchville, the Veatch and Powell, the Dillon and Russel, the Black and Young, the Mohawk, the Booth, and the Eclipse. One of the largest mines was the Boston Mine, owned by the Eureka Lake and Yuba Land Company, and formed by the consolidation of several earlier, smaller claims.[31]
Hydraulic mining continued until it was largely shut down by the 1884 Sawyer decision, which banned the discharge of tailings (gravel which had been stripped of its gold) into the Yuba River, of which Poorman Creek was a tributary.[34]
Eureka Township
Eureka Township was an early civil township located in the northern portion of Nevada County, with borders extending to the summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains.[35] Aside from Eureka, other early towns in the township included Moore's Flat, Orlean's Flat, Woolsey's Flat and South Fork. Eureka Township functioned as an organized political body during the formative mining years, as noted by the fact that in 1867, several local men filled positions as justices and constables for the township.[16]
Graniteville in the 20th and 21st Centuries
While mining was greatly diminished by the start of the 20th century, some activity surfaced again in the 1930s and briefly in the mid-to-late 1940s after World War II.[36] In 1924, Graniteville still had an active school district[37] and the Graniteville Post Office functioned until it was discontinued in 1959.[38] The Golden Hotel served as Graniteville's "center of social and business life" for 50 years until it burned down in 1948.[39] Established in 1855, Graniteville Cemetery continues to function as an active cemetery. It is located about ¼ miles south of the town and can be reached via the graveled N. Bloomfield-Graniteville Road.[40] The paved roads end miles before Granitevlle, and the roads are not snowplowed in winter. As of 2017, Graniteville still is inhabited.[41] In 2010, the population was shown as 11 residents.[42] Due to the fact that some residents are weekend and/or summer-time residents only, the actual population figure shifts regularly. Their existence is a hardy one, reminiscent in many ways of the town's pioneer days.[43] There are no commercial establishments, but there is a volunteer fire department.
Nevada County is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, its population was 102,241. The county seat is Nevada City. Nevada County comprises the Truckee-Grass Valley micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Sacramento-Roseville combined statistical area, part of the Mother Lode Country.
French Corral is an unincorporated community approximately five miles west of California State Highway 49 in Nevada County, California, United States.
Lake City is an unincorporated community in Nevada County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3300 ft. about 10 miles northeast of Nevada City as the crow flies, and about three miles southeast of North Columbia, and three miles southwest of North Bloomfield. It is located at the junction of modern day North Bloomfield, Back Bone and Lake City Roads. It was an important mining and transportation center in the second half of the 19th century.
Moore's Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge about 19 miles northeast of Nevada City, California and about 5 miles northeast of North Bloomfield, California. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba at an elevation of about 4200 ft. On either side of it, lay the mining towns of Orleans Flat and Woolsey's Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled around 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats." All three were part of Eureka Township.
Orleans Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge about 20 miles northeast of Nevada City, California and about 5 miles northeast of North Bloomfield, California. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba River at an elevation of about 4200 ft. To the west lay the mining towns of Moore's Flat and Woolsey's Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled around 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats." All three were part of Eureka Township.
Woolsey Flat or Woolsey's Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge, located about 17 miles northeast of Nevada City and about 3 miles northeast of North Bloomfield. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba at an elevation of about 4200 ft. To the east lay the mining towns of Moore's Flat and Orleans Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled in 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats. All three were part of Eureka Township.
Snow Point was a historic mining town in Nevada County, California on the San Juan Ridge about 2 miles east of Moore's Flat and about 6 miles west of Graniteville. It was located at an elevation of 4321 ft just off present day German Bar Road about midway between that road's intersections with present day Moore's Flat Road and Hagerty Road.
Snow Tent was a historic settlement in Nevada County, California. The name derives from a tent set up by the first resident in 1850. Snow Tent grew into a gold mining and lumbering center, then vanished sometime after 1880.
Maybert was a mining town in Nevada County, California. It was located on the south side of the South Yuba River, about 6 miles east of the town of Washington, at an elevation of 3,245 ft (989 m). Fall Creek empties into the South Yuba slightly to the northwest of the town site.
Alpha was a gold mining town in Nevada County, located about 2 miles southeast of the town of Washington, California and about 15 miles northeast of Nevada City, California. It lay at an elevation of 4120 feet, about 2 miles below the South Yuba River and just west of Scotchman Creek.
Birchville is a historic mining and agricultural community in Nevada County, California. Birchville is located about 10 miles northwest of Nevada City and about 2 miles northeast of French Corral. It is situated at an elevation of 1,765 ft (538 m) above sea level.
Blue Tent is a historic 19th century gold mining community located about six miles northeast of Nevada City, California.
Cherokee is a former gold mining community in Nevada County, California. The community has also been known as Patterson, Melrose, and Tyler. It is located on the San Juan Ridge about 4 miles east of North San Juan. Its elevation is 2,516 ft (767 m) above sea level.
Spenceville was a ranching, farming and mining community located in the southwestern part of Nevada County, California, on Spenceville Road just east of Waldo Road, about 17 miles from Grass Valley. Its elevation was about 400 feet. The former townsite is now part of the Spenceville Wildlife Area.
Little York is the name of one of the first gold mining towns established in Nevada County, California as well as the name of the township in which it was situated. The town was located on the Lowell Ridge between Steephollow Creek and the Bear River, about 13 miles east of Nevada City, California and about 1 mile southwest of Dutch Flat, California at an elevation of about 2800 feet.
Meadow Lake was a historic mining town in Nevada County, California. It was located on the southwest shore of Meadow Lake, about 18 miles northwest of Truckee as the crow flies. Situated at an elevation of 7,290 ft (2,220 m) above sea level, the reservoir of the same name is one of the highest lakes in elevation within the Tahoe National Forest.
Gaston is the site of a former mining community in Nevada County, California. Gaston lies at an elevation of 5062 feet on the Gaston Ridge. The Gaston Ridge historically, was often referred to as God's Country, because of its wild and somewhat inaccessible beauty. Gaston is located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) south of Graniteville and about 4 miles northeast of the town of Washington. It is near the intersection of what are now Gaston and Hoosier Roads, in the Tahoe National Forest.
Sebastopol was a historic mining community located on the San Juan Ridge, about 13 miles north of Nevada City. It lay midway between Sweetland and North San Juan, around the intersection of modern Sweetland and School Roads, at an elevation of about 2000 feet.
Walloupa was a historic mining community in Nevada County, located about 1/2 mile south of You Bet. It was named by its white developers after a Nisenan chief, and should not be confused with the Nisenan village of Walloupa, which was located about 15 miles to the west near Rough and Ready.
Ormonde was a gold mining community located about 3 1/2 miles east of the town of Washington on present day Maybert Road on the north side of the South Yuba River. The Ormonde townsite is best accessed with a four-wheel drive vehicle with good clearance.
↑ The author is indebted to Jacqueline Finley, a member of the Nevada County Historical Society, for researching and drafting a preliminary version of this history.
↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Graniteville, California. Retrieved on 2017-06-07.
↑ Durham, D. L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazateer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press; Brown & Dallison. (1856; reprinted 2001 by Maria E. Fields Brower) Nevada, Grass Valley and Rough & Ready Directory, p. 14; Poingdestre, John E. (1895) Nevada County Mining and Business Directory, p. 107.
↑ Thompson, Thomas H. and West, Albert A. (1970 ed.) History of Nevada County -1880, p. 62. Brown & Dallison. (1856; reprinted 2001 by Maria E. Fields Brower), op. cit., p. 15; Nash, James, The Union July 19, 1998, Tiny Mining Town Beats Odds, p. A-9.
↑ Gudde, E. G. (1975) California Gold Camps, University of California Press.
↑ E.g., Nevada Journal, April 18, 1851; Sept. 13,1851.
↑ Lee, Clinton H. Graniteville Part I, (hereinafter Graniteville I) Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin, Vol. 26, No.2, (Apr. 1972) p. 2.
↑ Janicot, Michel (1994) A History of Nevada County Post Offices, p. 19.
↑ There are other Poorman's Creeks in the gold country. Local lore has it that the name was given to areas so rich that a person who could not mine a pound of gold in a day was a 'poor man." Graniteville I p. 3.
↑ Thompson and West, op. cit., p. 62; Brown & Dallison, op. cit., pp. 14-15.
↑ Graniteville Historical Marker found in Comstock, David A. and Zimmerman, Bernard (2017 electronic edition) Exploring Nevada County, #141.
↑ Bean, E. F. (1867) Bean's History and Directory of Nevada County, p. 401.
↑ Thompson and West, op. cit., p. 63; Grass Valley Union, July 29, 2000, Fire Swept Town.
↑ Thompson and West, op. cit., p. 62; For a discussion of the Graniteville mining district, see MacBoyle, Errol (1918) Mines and Mineral Resources of Nevada County,, pp. 11-13.
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