Forest Home, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Forest Home
Former settlement
Forest Home Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Amador County
Elevation	581 ft (177 m)

Forest Home was a small community in Amador County, California. It was located about 6.25 miles (10.06 km) west of Plymouth. The area is 581 feet (177 meters) above sea level. Forest Home was still shown on maps from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) in 1944.

What Was Forest Home?

Forest Home was once a busy place because of gold mining. It was north of a town called Ione. People used different ways to find gold there.

Gold Mining in Forest Home

Miners at Forest Home used two main methods to get gold:

• Placer mining: This is when miners look for gold in riverbeds or streams. They would often use pans or sluice boxes to separate gold from sand and gravel.
• Hydraulic mining: This method used powerful jets of water to wash away hillsides. The goal was to find gold buried deep in the ground.

After most of the gold was gone, people started mining for copper instead.

The Forest Home Post Office

Forest Home had its own post office for many years. It opened in 1862 and stayed active until 1905. The post office even moved to a new spot once, in 1886.