Camanche (originally, Limerick; also, Clay's Bar) is a former settlement in Calaveras County,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Located at an elevation of 220 feet (67 m), the town was once called Limerick before it was renamed to Camanche (after

Camanche, Iowa Camanche () is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 4,570 at the time of the 2020 census. History A post office has been in operation in Camanche since 1837. The community was named after ...

) in 1849.

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

at nearby Cat Camp, Poverty Bar, and Sand Hill brought its population to a peak of 1,500.

Mokelumne River The Mokelumne River ( or ; ''Mokelumne'', Miwok for "People of the Fish Net") is a -long river in northern California in the United States. The river flows west from a rugged portion of the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the Ce ...

water was brought in by Lancha Plana and Poverty Bar Ditch. A fire on June 21, 1873, destroyed Camanche's large Chinatown. Buhach, an insect powder made from a plant, was manufactured on the nearby Hill Ranch. Camanche is now inundated by Camanche Reservoir. The settlement is registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#254. A post office was opened in Clay's Bar in 1861 and renamed Camanche in 1864 before closing in 1886; it was re-established in 1887 and closed for good in 1962. In front of the Camanche Post Office in 1962, after it had closed.

References

Former settlements in Calaveras County, California Former populated places in California California Historical Landmarks Submerged settlements in the United States Destroyed towns 1849 establishments in California {{CalaverasCountyCA-geo-stub