Pulga is an
unincorporated community in
Butte County, California. It is located along the west slope of the
Feather River canyon. A variant name for the community is Big Bar.
History
The land was once occupied by
Konkow Maidu tribes.
In 1885, the town of Pulga was founded by William King, a sawmill owner and railroad geologist.
A post office was opened in 1906.
The area had attracted gold miners and miners of
vesuvianite, also known as "Pulga Jade".
The town was always small, and peaked in size in the 1930s and 1940s with a few hundred people.
The
Western Pacific Railroad
The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...
's
Feather River Route line ran through the town and offered Vista
Dome cars, designed and built with the scenery on this route in mind.
In the late-1960s, the this was no longer a train route and the mining business had dried up.
In 1994, the William King estate sold the town property, on which the Mystic Valley Retreat and School of Hypnotism was erected; most of the buildings have fallen into disrepair.
In 2015, the town was purchased by Betsy Ann Cowley.
Crowley opened it as a feminist artist retreat and event venue, also named Pulga.
In 2018, high tension lines near the
Poe Dam, north of Pulga, were the cause of the
Camp Fire
A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...
. Two buildings in Pulga were destroyed and others were damaged.
Geography
Pulgsa is at the mouth of Flea Valley Creek, which gives rise to the toponym.
A
Union Pacific Railroad passes through the settlement.
See also
*
Pulga Bridges
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Butte County, California
Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Unincorporated communities in California
Former Western Pacific Railroad stations