Horstville, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Horstville
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 Horstville
Location in California
Horstville
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Yuba County |
| Elevation | 112 ft (34 m) |
Horstville is a place in Yuba County, California, that used to be a busy town but is now mostly empty. It's sometimes called a "ghost town" because most of its buildings are gone and people no longer live there. Horstville is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Wheatland. It sits at an elevation of 112 feet (34 meters) above sea level.
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What Was Horstville?
Horstville was not a typical town that grew over time. Instead, it was a special kind of community called a company town. This means it was built and owned by a single company or person to support their business. In this case, Horstville was created by a local rancher named Emil Clemens Horst.
A Town Built for Farming
Emil Clemens Horst owned large farms in the area. He grew a plant called hops, which is used to make beer. To help with his farming, he needed many workers. So, he built Horstville as a place for these workers to live and work.
Life in Horstville
Life in Horstville was centered around the hop farms. The town had important buildings for the workers, including:
- A post office, which was open from 1898 to 1901.
- A dining hall where workers could eat their meals.
- A store where they could buy supplies.
- Houses for the workers and their families.
What Happened to Horstville?
Horstville's main purpose was to support the hop farms. However, things changed during a time in American history called Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933, it was illegal to make, sell, or transport alcoholic drinks in the United States. This meant there was no longer a market for hops, as they were mainly used for beer.
With no demand for hops, the farms changed what they grew. Horstville then built a fruit cannery. A cannery is a factory where fruits are preserved in cans so they can be stored and eaten later. This helped the town continue to have a purpose, even after the hop business slowed down.
Horstville Today
Today, very little remains of the original Horstville. Most of the buildings from the hop farming days are gone. However, the fruit cannery building was still standing as of 2009. It serves as a reminder of Horstville's past as a busy company town built around farming.
