Graniteville, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Graniteville
census-designated place & unincorporated community
Location of Graniteville in Nevada County, California.
Graniteville, California Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Nevada
Area
• Total	1.488 sq mi (3.853 km2)
• Land	1.488 sq mi (3.853 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	4,977 ft (1,517 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	11
• Density	7.4/sq mi (2.85/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95959
Area code(s)	530
FIPS code	06-06057
http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq

Graniteville is a very small place in Nevada County, California. It's an unincorporated community, which means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government. It's also a census-designated place (CDP), which is an area the government defines for counting people.

Graniteville is located about 26 miles (42 km) northeast of Nevada City. It sits high up on the San Juan ridge, between two parts of the Yuba River. The area is about 4,977 feet (1,517 meters) above sea level. In 2010, only 11 people lived there.

A Look at Graniteville's Past

Graniteville was first settled in 1850. It was originally called Eureka, which means "I have found it!" This name was popular because California had just joined the United States in September 1850. Many other places in Nevada County also used the name Eureka.

Why the Name Changed

Because there was another town called Eureka in Sierra County, people often called this place Eureka South to avoid confusion. In 1857, a map even showed it as Eureka South.

When a post office opened here on August 26, 1867, the name officially changed to Graniteville. This was because there was already a Eureka post office in Humboldt County. Even after the official change, some locals still called it Eureka for a while.

Life in Early Graniteville

Graniteville was one of the first towns in Eureka Township. It was built near Poorman Creek, between the Middle and South Yuba Rivers. In the mid-1850s, about 1,000 people lived there in winter. However, in the dry season, the population dropped to around 200 because there wasn't enough water.

Like many early mining towns, it could be a rough place. For example, in 1854, a fight broke out between miners over a gold claim. People were arrested and fined. Despite this, the town grew. It had stores, hotels, saloons, a bakery, and even a brewery. By 1855, there were enough children for a school. Later, in the 1870s, a Catholic church was built.

Graniteville was an important stop for travelers and miners. It was the last town where miners could get supplies before heading to higher elevations. It was also a key place for distributing water to hydraulic mines through a system of ditches. In 1878, it was connected to the world's first long-distance telephone line, which linked mining communities.

Fires and Rebuilding

In 1867, Graniteville was one of the few towns in Nevada County that hadn't had a major fire. But on August 12, 1878, a fire destroyed much of the town. The damage was about $50,000, which was a lot of money back then. Even so, the town, now known as Graniteville, slowly recovered. By 1880, about 300 people lived there.

Gold Mining in Graniteville

Gold mining started in the Graniteville area in 1850, with serious digging beginning in 1851. In the early days, it was easy to find gold. Miners could find surface gold in rivers and ravines without much effort.

Water for Mining

To help with mining, many ditches were dug to transport water. One of the biggest was the "Memphis Race," which was 30 miles long. It was started in 1853 to bring water from the Middle Yuba River to the town. However, early miners often used methods that quickly used up the easily found gold. This meant that within a few years, the easy gold was gone, and many businesses closed. By 1856, Graniteville's population had dropped a lot.

New Mining Methods

Some quartz veins (rock containing gold) were found in the 1850s, but this type of mining didn't last long at first. However, a second effort at quartz mining brought new life to the area around 1867. More miners arrived, and the population grew again. By May 1866, about 400 people lived in Eureka, and the population stayed around 350 for several years because of successful mining.

The most extensive quartz mining happened along the flats, partly using hydraulic mining. This method used powerful jets of water to wash away gravel and expose gold. Some of the most profitable quartz mines near Eureka included the Jim, Liberty, Birchville, and Boston mines.

End of Hydraulic Mining

Hydraulic mining continued until 1884. A court decision, known as the Sawyer decision, largely stopped it. This decision banned miners from dumping their waste gravel (called tailings) into the Yuba River, which Poorman Creek flowed into. This greatly reduced mining activity.

Graniteville Today

Even though gold mining mostly ended by the 1900s, there was some activity again in the 1930s and briefly after World War II.

In 1924, Graniteville still had an active school. The Graniteville Post Office operated until 1959. The Golden Hotel was a central place for social life and business for 50 years until it burned down in 1948.

The Graniteville Cemetery, established in 1855, is still used today. It's located a short distance south of the town.

Today, the paved roads end miles before Graniteville, and the roads are not cleared of snow in winter. As of 2017, people still live in Graniteville. In 2010, the population was 11. Some residents only stay on weekends or in the summer, so the number of people living there changes. Life in Graniteville is still quite rugged, much like it was in the early days. There are no stores or businesses, but there is a volunteer fire department.

See also

In Spanish: Graniteville (California) para niños