Klamath County was a county of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
from 1851 to 1874. During its existence, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
moved twice and ultimately portions of the territory it once had were carved up and added to nearby counties. It was formed from the northwestern portion of
Trinity County, and originally included all of the northwestern part of the state, from the
Mad River in the south to
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
in the north, from the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
in the west to the middle of what is now
Siskiyou County
Siskiyou County (, ) is a county in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta. It falls within the Cascadia bioregion ...
in the east. It is the only county in California to be disestablished.
History
The original county seat was
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, on the county's southwestern coast. In 1854 the county seat was moved to
Crescent City, because of its larger population. But the western portion of the county was unrepresentative of the
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 ...
interests in the eastern portion of the county, and so, in 1856, the county seat was moved inland, to
Orleans Bar, now Orleans.
In 1857,
Del Norte County
), in California
, seat_type = County seat
, seat = Crescent City
, parts_type = Largest city
, parts = Crescent City
, unit_pref = US
, area_total_sq_mi = 1230
, area_land_sq_mi = 1006
, area_water_sq_mi = 223
, elevation_max_footnote ...
, including
Crescent City, was split off from Klamath County.
The county's economy was never healthy after the gold rush. The area was contested with Native American tribes. The "Klamath and Salmon River Indian "War" and the 1858-1864 "Bald Hills War" involved white vigilantes hunting down and killing most adult males and killing, capturing, or enslaving women and children. Many of the captive natives subsequently died of starvation and exposure at Fort Humboldt.
The white settler's economy suffered from the effects of the Indian "wars", which disrupted the supplies to the settlements from the coastal towns. Worse still was the devastating effects of the
Great Flood of 1862 which swept away the riverside settlements, mining works and ferries. In 1874 Klamath County was finally abolished, divided between
Siskiyou and
Humboldt counties. The official reason for dissolving of Klamath County was its electoral corruption. In one election there were many more votes tallied than voters. Present day
Del Norte County
), in California
, seat_type = County seat
, seat = Crescent City
, parts_type = Largest city
, parts = Crescent City
, unit_pref = US
, area_total_sq_mi = 1230
, area_land_sq_mi = 1006
, area_water_sq_mi = 223
, elevation_max_footnote ...
occupies part of Klamath County.
Towns and other settlements of Klamath County
*
Albeeville, 1862 - 1863, now in Humboldt County.
*
Bald Hills, 1867 - 1878, now in Humboldt County.
*
Bed Rock, 1870 - 1872.
*
Bestville
Bestville is an unincorporated community in on the North Fork Salmon River in Siskiyou County, California, just downstream from Sawyers Bar
Lawyers Bar (also, Sawyers Bar) was a settlement in Klamath County now Del Norte County, California
...
, 1850 -, now in Siskiyou County.
*
Black Bear
Black bear or Blackbear may refer to:
Animals
* American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species
* Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species
Music
* Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...
, 1869 - 1941, now in Siskiyou County.
*
Cecilville, 1879 -, now in Siskiyou County.
*
Cottage Grove, 1857 - 1898, now in Siskiyou County.
*
Crescent City, 1853 until made part of Del Norte County in 1857.
*
Elk Camp, 1859 - 1862, now in Humboldt County.
*
Forks of Salmon, 1858 - 1871, 1872 -, now in Siskiyou County.
*
Gullion's Bar, 1850 - on the
Salmon River, now in Siskiyou County.
*
Hoopa Valley Hoopa Valley ( Tolowa: ''Xee-stin’'')) is a valley on the lower course of the Trinity River between the confluence of South Fork Trinity River and the Klamath River. The valley opens up above the confluence of Campbell Creek with the Trinity Riv ...
, 1861 - to Humboldt County in 1875.
*
Johnson's, 1850 - on the
Klamath River
The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second large ...
, now in Siskiyou County.
[Theodore Henry Hittell, History of California, Volume 3, N. J. Stone, San Francisco, 1897, p.140](_blank)
/ref>
* Klamath River Reservation 1858 - 1894, to Humboldt County in 1875.
* McDonald's Ferry, now in Humboldt County.
* Martins Ferry, 1861 - 1891, to Humboldt County in 1875.
* Nearp’s Flat, 1850 - ?, on the Salmon River, now in Siskiyou County.[Hubert Howe Bancroft, History of California, Vol. VI, 1848-1859, The History company, San Francisco, 1888, p.370, note]Sawyers Bar
Lawyers Bar (also, Sawyers Bar) was a settlement in Klamath County now Del Norte County, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total are ...
, 1850 - to Siskiyou County in 1875.
* Sommes Bar, to Siskiyou County in 1875.
* Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, 1850 -, to Humboldt County in 1853.
* Weitchpec, now in Humboldt County.
* Wingate Bar, 1850 - ?, on the Klamath River.
* Yocumville 1869 - 1891, to Siskiyou County in 1875.
* Young's Ferry, now in Humboldt County.
See also
* List of former United States counties
This is a list of former United States counties, a list of United States counties (administrative subunits of a U.S. state) that no longer exist.
They were established by a state, provincial, colonial, or territorial government. Most of these ...
* List of California counties
The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties. The state was first divided into 27 counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen counties were formed through ...
References
Charles Kasch, Klamath County California, California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 3, Sep., 1955
External links
Klamath County, CA, hosted by rootsweb.ancestry.com
includes a map and documents from the defunct county.
Map of California with 1851 counties (incl Klamath) on US Library of Congress website
Counties as approved by state legislature in 1851.
Changing boundaries of California counties
Dynamic map of California counties (incl Klamath) showing boundary changes over time.
Map of Klamath County, California, at what may have been its largest extent, around 1851.
California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1850
California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1860
California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1870
California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1880
Colton's Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia. Published By G. W & C. B. Colton & Co. No. 172 William St. New York., 1869; David Rumsey Historical Map Collection website accessed January 17, 2012
Shows Klamath County, California and settlements within it.
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Former counties of California
History of Del Norte County, California
History of Humboldt County, California
History of Siskiyou County, California
History of California
1851 establishments in California
1870s disestablishments in California
Populated places established in 1851
Populated places disestablished in 1874