Plumas County, California

Arthur W. Keddie Baccala Ranch Bear Dance Beckwourth Pass Beckwourth Trail - Beckwourth Pass Beckwourth Trail - Beckwourth Valley Beckwourth Trail - Head Waters of Feather River Beckwourth Trail – American Ranch Beckwourth Trail – Greenhorn Creek Canyon Beckwourth Trail – Grizzly Creek Beckwourth Trail – Haskins Valley Beckwourth Trail – New England Ranch Beckwourth Trail – Rich Valley Beckwourth Trail – The Road Forks Belden Benjamin W. Barnes Bransford & McIntyre Store Bransford & McIntyre Warehouse Bucks Ranch Hotel and Store Cedar Chalet Bakery Central California Traction Company 24 Char's Beauty Salon Chester Library Chester Veterans Memorial Plaza Cleve O’Rourke Memorial Stampmill Coburn-Variel Home Dave Stratford 1945 – 2001 "Dinky" Eby Stamp Mill Elizabethtown Emigrant Trail Emigrant Trail Engelmine Feather Publishing Co. Feather River Highway First Permanent Residence in Indian Valley Forest Stationers Frank D. Everts Fuller & Buell Gibsonville Goodwin Law Office Hamilton Dairy Hope Lodge No. 234 F & AM Humbug Valley In Memory of the Lumberjack Indian Valley Railroad Jackson, Ross, Tefft and Dempsey Memorial James P. Beckwourth James P. Beckwourth Ranch and Trading Post Jamison City, Eureka Mine and Mill, Johnstown Jamison City, Eureka Mine and Mill, Johnstown Jim Beckwourth Trading Post John Conly & Co. Bankers Johnsville Firehouse La Porte La Porte – Quincy Wagon Road La Porte’s Chinese Community Lexington Ski Hill Longboard Ski Races Lotta Crabtree Meadow Valley Historical Site Mohawk Hotel and Tavern Mt. Ingalls Lookout Mt. Lassen Club Oakland Camp Old Lake House Olde Towne Corner Store P. Linthiouh Pacific Crest Trail Peter Lassen Pioneer Ski Area of America Plumas Club Plumas County Honor Roll World War Two and Korea and Vietnam Plumas County Veterans Memorial Plumas County’s First School House Plumas Lodge No. 60 F&AM Port Wine Pullman Company 8300 Rabbit Creek House Railroad Rail Rainbow Lodge Reilly’s Saloon Rich Bar Round Lake Mine Sacramento Northern Railway 712 Seneca Sierra Valley History Sincerity Lodge 132 F.&A.M. Sloat Mill Site Sloat Towne Hall Soda Spring Southern Pacific Railroad MW208 Spanish Creek Mines Spanish Ranch Spring Garden Step Back In Time Stump Ranch Tasman Koyom Taylorsville Cemetery Taylorsville Veterans Memorial Taylorville General Store Thar’s Gold in Them Hills! The Alturas Snowshoe Club The Clough/Braden Home The Union Hotel Twenty Mile House Union Pacific Railroad 6946 Vardanega Spring Western Pacific 106 "Charles O. Sweetwood" Western Pacific Railroad 428 Western Pacific Railroad 484 Western Pacific Railroad 501 Western Pacific Railroad 6424 Western Pacific Railroad 805-A Western Pacific Railroad 925-C Western Pacific Railroad History Winter in the Sierra World War Memorial “Quick Silver Charley”
Plumas County, located in northeastern California, has a rich history dating back thousands of years. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, such as the Maidu and Mountain Maidu, who lived off the natural resources of the region. In the 1840s, European settlers arrived, with the first known settlement by James Beckwourth, an African American fur trapper, in 1851.

The discovery of gold in the 1850s brought an influx of settlers to Plumas County, resulting in the establishment of various mining towns, including Rich Bar, Rabbit Creek, and American Ranch. The period of gold mining was short-lived, and by the late 1860s, many mining operations had closed. However, the county continued to develop as agriculture took hold of the region, with farming, logging, and ranching becoming prominent industries.

Plumas County was officially established on March 18, 1854, and named after the Spanish word for "feathers" due to the abundance of feathers from the many bird species in the area. Quincy, the county seat, became a hub for trade and commerce. The county grew steadily throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the construction of transportation infrastructure, such as railroads and roads, connecting it to the outside world.

In the latter half of the 20th century, Plumas County experienced a shift towards a more tourism-centered economy. Its natural beauty, including lakes, forests, and national parks, attracted a growing number of visitors seeking outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, and wildlife exploration. Today, Plumas County remains a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering a blend of history, nature, and small-town charm.
Brief timeline of the history of Plumas County, California:

  • 1844 - John C. Fremont explores the region
  • 1850 - Plumas County is created as a county of California
  • 1851 - Gold is discovered in the area, leading to a gold rush
  • 1854 - Plumas County is divided into three separate counties: Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen
  • 1875 - Lassen County is split from Plumas County
  • 1895 - A devastating fire destroys nearly the entire town of Greenville
  • 1942-1945 - The Beckwourth Internment Camp, housing Japanese-Americans during World War II, is located in the county
  • 1984 - Plumas National Forest is established, protecting the county's natural resources
  • 2018 - Plumas County celebrates its 168th anniversary

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Plumas County, California.

Audiobooks about the history of California.