Relief, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Relief Hill
Relief
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 Relief Hill
Location in California
Relief Hill
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Nevada County |
| Elevation | 3,947 ft (1,203 m) |
Relief Hill (sometimes called Relief) is a small, unincorporated community in Nevada County, California. It's located in California, about halfway between the towns of North Bloomfield and Washington. It sits high up, at about 3,947 feet (1,203 meters) above sea level. A post office was set up here in 1894 and was called 'Relief.' This name appeared on some old maps. However, most people who lived there and historians called it Relief Hill. The post office closed down in 1921.
Contents
Discovering Relief Hill's Past
Before the California Gold Rush, the area around Relief Hill was a summer home for the Nisenan people, who were a group of Maidu Native Americans. The road that exists today, Relief Hill Road, is thought to follow an old trail used by the Maidu.
How Relief Hill Got Its Name
There are two different stories about how Relief Hill got its name. Both stories involve people feeling "relief" after a difficult time.
The Donner Party Story
One story says that in 1847, a rescue team met some survivors of the famous Donner Party near this spot. The Donner Party was a group of pioneers who got stuck in the Sierra Nevada mountains during winter. When the rescue team found them, everyone felt a great sense of relief. This story might have come from old writings, but some local historians believe the meeting place was actually in a different area, about 10 miles south.
The Miners' Gold Discovery Story
Another story, which many people believe, happened in 1853. Four miners named Taylor, Bonham, Moore, and Rogers were looking for gold in the area. They hadn't found anything and were running out of supplies. They were about to give up when one of them finally found gold! He shouted "Relief!" because they were so happy and relieved.
A person who lived there at the time wrote a letter describing it: "Around 1853, four miners decided to search for gold together in the mountains of Nevada County. They found some promising signs near what is now Logan's Cañon. They worked very hard for two months but found no gold. They were running out of money and food. They were about to give up when one of the hungry miners found a shining vein of gold. He was so happy he shouted 'Relief!' That's how the hill got its name."
Relief Hill Grows and Changes
After gold was found, the town of Relief Hill grew very quickly.
- By 1856, about 75 people lived there.
- The town had two saloons, a store, a butcher shop, a blacksmith shop, and two boarding houses.
- By 1858, there were 100 registered voters, showing how many people lived there.
Early Mining Methods
In the early days, miners often dug "coyote holes." These were like wells dug straight down into the ground. Miners would pull up dirt and rocks by hand or with a simple crane. They also dug tunnels into the sides of hills to follow the gold-rich gravel. These early mining methods were dangerous because the shafts and tunnels often didn't have enough wood supports. Cave-ins were common. A big cave-in in Relief Hill in 1859 killed two miners. This, along with a dry spell (drought), caused the town to shrink for a while.
Hydraulic Mining and Revival
Later, other mining towns started using "hydraulic mining." This method uses powerful streams of water, like a giant hose, to blast away hillsides and wash out the gold.
By 1863, the drought was over. More mining ditches were built to bring water from higher places with strong pressure. This helped Relief Hill start growing again with hydraulic mining. Some of the main mines were called Blue Gravel, Union, Great Eastern, Relief, Penn Cut, and Waukesha.
In 1866, Chinese miners found a huge gold boulder worth almost $7,000! The town also got a school, and then a church in 1872. In its best years, Relief Hill had a hall for dances, a baseball team, and even a brass band.
Mining Challenges and Decline
In 1884, a federal court made a rule against many types of hydraulic mining. This was because the mining waste was causing problems for farmers and others living downstream. In Relief Hill, some miners went back to digging tunnels. Others continued hydraulic mining secretly. They had a warning system, including riders on fast horses and a new telephone line. This allowed them to shut down their operations before inspectors from Sacramento could catch them.
In 1893, the U.S. Congress passed the Caminetti Act. This law allowed hydraulic mining to continue if the mining waste could be held back in special dams. It's not clear how much this helped Relief Hill. By the early 1900s, the town was getting smaller. Some people left their homes or sold them to mining companies. Others moved a short distance north, closer to what is now Relief Hill Road.
As the old town became empty, some residents started mining in the old town site itself. People were so eager to find gold that they even washed away the foundations of their own homes, causing the houses to fall into the river!
Mining continued in Relief Hill until the 1950s. By the 1960s, the old town site was completely empty. Today, not much is left except for the cemetery.
