Lake City, Nevada County, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake City
Unincorporated community
Lake City Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Nevada
Elevation	3,386 ft (1,032 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95959
Area code(s)	530

Lake City is a small, unincorporated community located in Nevada County, California. It sits high up in the mountains, about 3,300 feet above sea level. This historic spot is found where several roads meet today: North Bloomfield, Back Bone, and Lake City Roads. In the mid-1800s, Lake City was a very important place for mining and transportation during the California Gold Rush.

The Early Days of Lake City

Lake City began in 1853 when a man named Israel Joiner built a cabin there. Just two years later, a mining group called the Dutch Hill Company started digging for gold. In 1855, the Bell brothers built a hotel, and for a short time, the town was even known as Bell's Ranch.

How Water Helped the Town Grow

In 1857, the Irwin ditch, a long channel that brought water from Poorman's Creek about twelve miles away, reached Lake City. This water was super important for a type of mining called hydraulic mining. With plenty of water, the town quickly grew and became a busy center for this kind of mining. Many early settlers were French, so French culture and language were common.

Naming the Town and New Buildings

In 1858, the Eureka Lake Company, which had taken over the Irwin ditch, planned out the town. They were inspired by a large water reservoir, or "lake," they had built, so they named the town Lake City. That same year, the Lake City Hotel, also known as the French Hotel, opened with a restaurant and a saloon. In 1862, another hotel, the Bordas, opened nearby. Besides hotels, the town had several stores, a tailor shop, and a saw mill, which unfortunately burned down in 1871. There was also a canvas hose factory and many homes.

Community Life in Lake City

Lake City had its own school and even its own election area. A Catholic church was built in 1872. At its busiest, the town had about 300 people. However, by 1880, the town had shrunk to just one hotel, one store, one saloon, a blacksmith shop, a stable, and a few homes. The census that year counted 93 residents.

Important People of Lake City

Many interesting people lived and worked in Lake City, helping it grow and thrive.

Henry Arnold's Hotel and Apples

Henry Arnold took over the Bell Brothers hotel. After it burned down in 1859, he rebuilt it and called it Arnold House. He hosted many fancy parties there. Henry also experimented with growing fruit trees on his ranch and was known for producing very large apples. Sometimes, Lake City was even called Arnold's Ranch because of him.

Julius Poquillon and the Yacht Club

Julius Poquillon was a well-known miner and engineer. In 1858, he opened the Lake City Hotel, which included a French restaurant. It's said that he even sold memberships to the "Lake City Yacht Club," which sounds fun for a town without a real lake!

The Bremond Family's Hotel

In 1860, Poquillon sold his hotel to Marius Dominique and Henrietta Bremond. They renamed it Bremond House and ran it until it burned down in 1872. The Bremond family continued to operate a hotel in nearby North Bloomfield.

P. A. Paine's Orchard Success

In 1866, P. A. Paine bought 300 acres in Lake City and took over the Bell Brothers/Arnold hotel. Mr. Paine continued the successful apple orchard, once growing an apple that weighed one and a half pounds!

Francis M. Pridgeon, a Community Leader

Francis M. Pridgeon was elected to the county Board of Supervisors for many years, representing the Lake City area. People thought highly of him, with one newspaper saying he was "one of the best supervisors this county has ever had." His wife, Elizabeth, managed the hotel after they took it over from Mr. Paine.

William and Bridget Waldron's Store

William and Bridget Waldron owned the town's general store and stable. They also held several other important positions in the community.

Fires in Lake City

Like many mining towns built mostly of wood, Lake City faced a constant danger from fires. The town experienced several big fires:

• In 1859, the Bell Brothers hotel burned down.
• In 1868, the Lake House hotel and several other buildings were destroyed by fire.
• In 1869, the school and blacksmith shop burned down.
• In 1872, the Bremond House hotel and other buildings were lost to fire. People even suspected someone started it on purpose.
• In 1873, another fire "threatened the destruction of the town," but luckily, it was saved.

School and Voting in Lake City

Lake City had its own school district and schoolhouse, as well as its own election district for voting.

The Schoolhouse

The original schoolhouse burned down in 1869. By 1873, the "new" schoolhouse was in poor condition and needed to be replaced. At that time, the school had 32 students and one teacher. In 1880, there were 43 students, but by 1888, the number dropped to 20. In 1894, the school district was closed, and students had to go to school in North Bloomfield.

The Election District

In 1865, the county leaders created an election district in Lake City. Voting was most active in local elections. For example, in the 1873 county election, 61 people voted. However, in the 1880 presidential election, only 16 votes were cast. By 1892, only 14 people voted in a local election, so the election district was soon closed, and residents had to vote in North Bloomfield.

Mining in Lake City

Lake City was part of the North Bloomfield mining district. This area was rich in gold-bearing gravel beds that ran along the San Juan Ridge. One particularly rich branch went through Lake City.

Hydraulic Mining and Its Decline

Hydraulic mining became very popular in Lake City once water from ditches arrived. The main water source was the Eureka ditch, which brought water from dams high in the Sierra Nevada mountains through the Irwin ditch to Lake City. Important mines in the area included the North Star, McDonald, I XL, and Ballarat.

However, hydraulic mining caused a lot of environmental problems because it washed tons of mining waste into rivers. In 1884, a court decision, known as the Sawyer decision, made it illegal to dump mining debris into the Yuba River or its smaller streams. After this ruling, hydraulic mining quickly stopped. Even though it was estimated that 130 million cubic yards of gold-rich gravel still remained, it couldn't be mined using this method.

Later Mining Efforts

In the early 1900s, there were some attempts to restart hydraulic mining, but most efforts focused on drifting (digging tunnels) or quartz mining (mining gold from rock veins). People like F. M. Phelps, the El Oro Mines Company, and the Paine Brothers tried these methods, but they didn't seem to be very successful.

Transportation Hub

Lake City's location was perfect for transportation. It was at the crossroads of the main roads connecting Nevada City to many mining towns on the San Juan Ridge. Later, it was also on one of the roads leading to the Henness Pass and the mines in Nevada. This made Lake City an important stop for travelers and teamsters (people who drove wagons).

Roads and Stagecoach Lines

For many years, the road to Nevada City was a toll road, meaning you had to pay to use it. Toll roads were usually kept in good condition. Interestingly, if the Central Pacific Railroad had decided to build the Transcontinental Railroad through the Henness Pass, the planned route would have gone right through Lake City!

Lake City was a stop for several stagecoach and express lines. These included the Gregory & English line between Nevada City and Graniteville, the Summit City Stage Line from Grass Valley, and Dornin's Express Line between North San Juan and North Bloomfield. The town was also connected to the Ridge Telephone Company's long-distance phone line.

Hotels for Travelers

The Bell Brothers hotel, built in 1855, operated for many years under different owners, including Henry Arnold, P.A. Paine, Elizabeth Pridgeon, and Frank Kropp. Mr. Kropp ran it well into the 20th century, even attracting visitors with a "monster" rattlesnake with 13 rattles on display! The Lake City Hotel opened in 1858 and later became Bremond House. There was also a third hotel, the Bordas, open in the 1860s.

Lake City Today

Lake City began to decline as hydraulic mining stopped, especially after the 1884 Sawyer decision. By 1886, a local newspaper reported that "Lake City, like nearly all the hydraulic mining towns in this county, looks much like a deserted village."

Over the last century, ranching and growing plants have slowly replaced mining. In 1939, someone described Lake City as "a picture of decay," with only "two or three decrepit houses and a forlorn hotel... its balcony sagging drunkenly." Today, Lake City is a very rural place with a few ranches, homes, and a vineyard planted about 30 years ago. There are no stores or businesses, and it's hard to see any clear signs of its historic past.