Greasertown, California facts for kids

Greasertown, also known as Petersburg, was a small settlement in Calaveras County, California. It was located about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of San Andreas, near the Calaveras River. This town was once a busy place during the California Gold Rush.

The name "Greasertown" was rumored to come from its early residents. A schoolteacher named Margaret Blanc described it as a "straggling settlement." It had canvas tents and wooden shanties. Many of its first residents were Mexican people. They used mules to carry supplies to miners working near the Mokelumne and Calaveras rivers. Blanc noted that the town was actually very diverse. People from many different countries lived there. She wrote that about 30 children of "all classes, nationalities and ages" lived in Greasertown.

Life in Greasertown

In the late 1850s, Petersburg was home to about 200 Chinese immigrants. They mined for gold along the Calaveras River. Around 25 white men also lived and worked there.

A Miner's Conflict

Author J. Rush Bronson shared a story about a conflict between miners. On May 15, Chinese and white miners fought over a dam. The white miners wanted to keep it, but the Chinese miners wanted to destroy it. The fight lasted over an hour. Miners used rocks, clubs, and shovels as weapons. About 20 Chinese miners were hurt. After being forced away, they had the white men arrested.

Fires and Expulsions

During the Gold Rush, there were often tensions against "foreign" miners. Petersburg faced a big challenge when it was destroyed by fire on September 14, 1852. Some people in town blamed Mexican and Chilean residents for starting the fire.

An article in the Daily Alta California newspaper on September 20, 1852, described what happened next. Miners living nearby decided to force out all Mexican and Chilean people they could find. They marched to the camp and expelled hundreds of people. The article claimed this place was a center for "desperate" groups.

Miners in a nearby town called Vallecito also held a meeting. They decided that Spanish-speaking people had to leave within 12 hours. The newspaper reported that Americans in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties seemed determined to remove Spanish American people. This situation could have led to more violence.

Another large fire struck Petersburg in early July 1854. The Sonora Herald newspaper reported on this fire. It started in a building on the corner of Holden and Lyons Street, in the area called Greasertown. The flames spread quickly. Firefighters and citizens worked hard to put out the fire. They saved the town from total destruction. However, about 12 buildings were destroyed.

Community Spirit

For many years, Petersburg remained divided by different groups of people. A newspaper report from November 19, 1857, said that the "Greasertown" part of the city was full of "desperate characters." These people were disturbing the peace of other citizens.

However, Petersburg residents also showed kindness. The Marin Journal newspaper reported on October 18, 1862, about a relief fund. This fund helped sick and wounded soldiers. Calaveras County contributed to it. A small town in Calaveras County, with only about 50 voters, donated $404. This generous place was Greasertown.

The End of Greasertown

After heavy rains in 1907, the city of Stockton faced severe flooding. Residents wanted to build a dam on the Calaveras River to prevent future floods. The land where Petersburg stood was needed for this project.

The process to take over Petersburg was finished on June 25, 1924. This cleared the way for the first dam on the Calaveras River. When the dam was completed in 1930, the old mining town was flooded. It was covered by 115,000 acre-feet of water. The dam was named after Walter Byron Hogan. He was an engineer and city manager for Stockton.