Waloupa, California facts for kids
Walloupa (sometimes spelled Waloupa) was a small town in California where people mined for gold a long time ago. It was in Nevada County, not far from another place called You Bet. The people who started the town named it after a leader from the Nisenan Native American tribe. It's important not to mix it up with a Nisenan village that had the same name, which was about 15 miles away.
How Walloupa Started
Gold Rush Beginnings
In the summer of 1852, gold miners from a nearby town called Little York came to this area. They crossed Steep Hollow Creek and started digging for gold. People quickly found out that the area was full of gold! It was part of an old riverbed that had gold in it, stretching across a large area.
Rich Gold Discoveries
One newspaper said that the gold mines around Walloupa were some of the best in the whole region. That winter, miners from the Brown Company were making about $50 a day. Some days, three men could even find $1500 worth of gold!
Water Problems and Solutions
However, there was a big problem: not enough water for mining all year round. Gold mining back then needed a lot of water to wash the gold out of the dirt. So, three men – Charles Marsh, James Churchman, and John McConnell – formed a company. They planned to build a long ditch to bring water from Steep Hollow Creek. This ditch was sometimes called the Williams ditch and was about 15 miles long.
Early Challenges
Building the ditch took a long time. Because of the water shortage, one report from 1853 said that "Walloupa starved to death." This meant that without water, people couldn't mine, and the town struggled to survive.
Life in Walloupa Town
A Slow Start for the Town
The town of Walloupa didn't grow quickly at first. Charles Marsh, who helped build the water ditch, also planned the town. He sold pieces of land to new people hoping to strike it rich. The winter of 1852-1853 was very harsh. Snow often covered the town, damaging houses and making food hard to find.
People Leave and Return
Without enough water for mining, many people started to leave. Even the owners of the Walloupa Bakery and Hotel decided to sell their business and go back home. But enough people stayed, waiting for the water ditch to be finished.
Walloupa's Best Years
Finally, at the beginning of 1855, the water ditch was completed! This was a great time for Walloupa. The town quickly grew, with nice houses, hotels, bars, and stores. Stagecoaches connected Walloupa to Nevada City, making travel easier. Walloupa became an important town, though not the biggest. In September 1855, 55 people voted in an election there, showing how many people lived in the area.
Miners Go on Strike
Water Price Dispute
After the water ditch was built in 1855, a problem came up the next winter. The miners needed water for their work, and the ditch owners charged for it. The miners refused to pay more than 25 cents for a "miner's inch" of water. A miner's inch was a way to measure how much water was flowing for mining. The ditch owners wanted 50 cents.
Standing Up for Their Rights
The owners then offered a price of 33 cents, but the miners stuck to their guns. They announced they would pay 25 cents and "nary cent over" (meaning not one cent more). In the end, the ditch owners gave in to the miners' demands. The miners went back to work in the spring of 1856.
The End of Walloupa
New Gold Discoveries
Around the time of the strike, miners found even richer gold deposits to the north. These new areas were on the other side of a place called Birdseye Canyon. In 1857, a man named Lazarus Beard opened a saloon there, and that spot became the town of You Bet.
Moving On
As the gold in Walloupa started to run out, miners moved north to the new, richer areas. They left Walloupa behind. Newspaper stories about Walloupa stopped appearing after 1861. Even though it was still shown on a map in 1873, the town was mostly abandoned. Today, you can't easily find any signs of Walloupa left.
