2017-2018 Nevada County Gold Magazine 2017-2018_Nevada County Gold Magazine | Page 124

PIONEERS
H I S T O R Y
By in the Blink
of an eye By Don Baumgart
C
AMPTONVILLE IS THE CLASSIC
“blink and you’ll miss it” town
that zooms past drivers heading
from Nevada City to Downieville. Like both
those towns, Camptonville’s history is
buried in the Great California Gold Rush.
It sits on a ridge between the middle and
north forks of the Yuba River.
At one time, the little town was a stage-
coach stop with a population of 1,500
people. The 2010 Census showed residents
had dropped to 158 people and more
recent counts put that number of inhabi-
tants at 172. At one time there were 50
saloons in town to help water down the
thirsty gold miners at day’s end. Visitors
didn’t find much in Camptonville in its
working days. Writer William H. Brewer
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described the 1863
community as
“…a miserable,
dilapidated
town.”
Today’s travelers will find places to eat,
buy gas and groceries. A stroll around town
can be a welcome tonic for city dwellers.
What’s there today is typical of many
wooden building Gold Rush towns that
were swept by a succession of fires and
then rebuilt. Camptonville suffered major
fires in 1889, 1908, and 1959.
The town’s most notable claim to fame is
that the Pelton Wheel was invented there
in the 1870s by Lester Pelton. That famous
wheel was put to work, driven by the
region’s abundant rushing water, to
produce electrical
current to light and freshen the search
for gold as it went underground.
For today’s passing traveler, a stop in this
family friendly town offers a bit of quiet
time for a stroll around town and perhaps
along the path down to the river.
More on Pelton Wheel See Page 129
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CALIFORNIA HISTORY ROOM,
CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.
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Serving Lunch and Dinner
11 am to 10 pm
Located in the
heart of downtown
Camptonville
in the Historic
Mayo
15315 Cleveland Avenue, Camptonville, CA • [phone]
124
N E VA D A C O U N T Y G O L D