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

Calaveras County Calaveras County (), officially the County of Calaveras, is a County (United States), county in both the Gold Country and Sierra Nevada, High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. Located at an elevation of 220 feet (67 m), the town was once called Limerick, before it was renamed to Camanche in 1849. The settlement of Camanche is now submerged under

Camanche Reservoir Camanche Reservoir is an artificial lake in the San Joaquin Valley in California in the United States, at the juncture of Amador, Calaveras, and San Joaquin counties. Its waters are impounded by Camanche Dam, which was completed in 1963. Cam ...

History

In 1849, it was renamed 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 ...

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

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 C ...

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. 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. The settlement is registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

#254.

References

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

History

See also

References