Blue Canyon, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blue Canyon
Unincorporated community
Blue Canyon Location in California Show map of California Blue Canyon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Placer County
Elevation	4,695 ft (1,431 m)

Blue Canyon (sometimes spelled Blue Cañon) is a small community in Placer County, California. It's not an official town, but a place where people live without a formal local government. Blue Canyon is located about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Emigrant Gap. It sits high up in the mountains at 4,695 feet (1,431 meters) above sea level.

People think Blue Canyon might have gotten its name from the blue smoke that rose from logging camps in the 1850s. Another idea is that it was named after a miner from that time, known as "Old Jim Blue." The community had a post office that operated at different times, from 1867 to 1927, and again from 1936 to 1942, and from 1948 to 1964.

Exploring Blue Canyon's Past

How Blue Canyon Started

After the big California Gold Rush in 1849, a miner named Jim Blue searched for gold in this area. He set up a small mining camp, which was the very beginning of Blue Canyon.

The Railroad Arrives

In 1859, the Towle Brothers built a lumber mill here, which helped the area grow. A few years later, in 1866, something really important happened: the tracks for the first Transcontinental Railroad reached Blue Canyon from Sacramento. This meant daily train service began, connecting Blue Canyon to other places.

With the railroad came many new services. A train station was built, along with a hotel and homes for railroad workers. There was also a lunch counter, a cookhouse, and facilities for trains like a turntable (to turn trains around), and places to get water and fuel.

Life in the Early Days

By the 1870s, Blue Canyon was even shipping fresh water from its natural springs to hotels in Sacramento. Because of the risk of fires, a special "fire train" was always kept ready, with its steam engine running all the time.

In 1882, about 162 people lived in Blue Canyon. The community had two hotels and a one-room schoolhouse with 22 students.

Changes with the Railroad

In 1907, Blue Canyon became a place where train crews would change shifts. This meant more railroad workers moved to the area, and the population grew. During the time of Prohibition (when alcohol was illegal), Blue Canyon also became a spot for "bootleggers" (people who illegally made or sold alcohol). This led to more visitors coming to the area.

Blue Canyon's Decline

By 1926, the railroad finished adding a second set of tracks. This meant trains no longer needed to change crews in Blue Canyon. Many workers were moved to other locations, and the population of Blue Canyon dropped a lot.

The last active mine in the area closed by 1936. Then, in the 1950s, diesel engines started replacing the old steam trains. By 1964, the railroad services in Blue Canyon were no longer needed and were shut down. The community's population became very small, almost like a ghost town, and the post office closed for good.

Understanding Blue Canyon's Weather

Blue Canyon has a type of weather called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means its summers are usually warm with cool nights. Winters are moderately cold and get a lot of snow, even though the average low temperature never drops below freezing.