Briceburg (formerly, Bear Creek)
is an
unincorporated community in
Mariposa County,
California.
It is located on the
Merced River
The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...
near the confluence with Bear Creek, north-northwest of
Midpines,
at an elevation of 1138 feet (347 m).
It is accessed via a bridge over the Merced River that connects
Highway 140 with Briceburg Road. The bridge is a suspension bridge built by the US Forest Service in 1937 and constructed by 30 Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees. Forest Service Engineer J.W. Nute was in charge of construction. The community name honors William M. Brice, who built a store at the location in 1926.
After a 2019 fire, Pacific Gas & Electric decided to create a self-reliant power system rather than rebuilding poles and wires to serve the remote community. The stand-alone power grid includes solar panels, batteries and a backup generator.
References
Unincorporated communities in California
Unincorporated communities in Mariposa County, California
{{MariposaCountyCA-geo-stub