Elizabethtown, California was a

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

town established in 1852 in

Plumas County, California Plumas County () is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 19,790. The county seat is Quincy, and the only incorporated city is Portola. The largest comm ...

. It was named after Elizabeth Stark, who was known to local miners.Elizabethtown Pioneer Trails 1927 Monument Speech - 79.29 (29th submission submitted to county museum in 1979) - Plumas County Museum The value of gold taken from the Elizabethtown area is believed to be in the millions of dollars, beginning with other

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

camps in and around American Valley (where

Quincy, CA Quincy (formerly Quinsy) is a census-designated place and the county seat of Plumas County, California. The population was 1,630 during the 2020 Census, down from 1,728 during the 2010 Census, and 1,879 during the 2000 Census. History Before ...

is now located). In 1852, a wagon train that included 10-15 families came over Beckwourth Pass (named for

James Beckwourth James Pierson Beckwourth (April 26, 1798/1800 – October 20, 1866) was an American fur trapper, rancher, businessman, explorer, author and scout. Known as "Bloody Arm" because of his skill as a fighter, Beckwourth was of multiracial descent, b ...

, one of the first pioneers in the area). They brought a large supply of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s, oxen,

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

, and supplies, and were among the first European settlers in American Valley. Upon their arrival, they met a population of hundreds of

Maidu The Maidu are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather River, Feather and American River, American ...

Indians, who were peaceful and friendly. In 1852 Alexander and Frank Tate discovered gold in what is known as Tate ravine. Later, Lewis Stark, Peter Day, and George Ferrier went to Elizabeth ravine one morning, and by noon, they had panned out an ounce of

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 ...

. After dinner they found several ounces using a rocker. After digging a small ditch, they discovered one 28 ounce gold nugget. Soon, many

miners A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

came to search for gold, leading to the development of the village of Elizabethtown, which was later known as Betysburg after a rivalry with nearby Quincy. The winter of 1852-1853 was harsh, and provisions were low. In the spring of 1853, the Stark family went to

Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River. It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California ...

and returned with cattle to provide meat for the starving families. In 1854, a

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

was built in Elizabethtown, and a post office was established with Lewis Stark as

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. W.A. Blakesley was the Deputy and used his house as the office. In January, 1855, the post office was moved to Quincy. The rich mining claims of 1853 and 1854 were: The Wahoo, by Joseph Kelley & Co.; Fowler, by Fowler & Co.; Varner, by Varner & Co.; Plumas, by L.F. Cate & Co.; O'Neill, by Captain O'Neill; Gloyd, by D.J. Gloyd; and Betsy Guilch, by Stark & Co. The population of Elizabethtown rose to 2000-2500 people between 1853 and 1856. Over 30 county licenses were issued for businesses in the area during the first year that business licenses were available. The main street extended across the entire town. There were many stores, two-story buildings,

saloons Saloon may refer to: Buildings and businesses * One of the bars in a traditional British pub * An alternative name for a bar (establishment) * Western saloon, a historical style of American bar * The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francis ...

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

houses, shops,

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

palaces,

lodging Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shel ...

houses, and eating houses. They also had a lodge for the Sons of Temperance (see

Temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

) which had over 200 members. In 1857 and 1858, there was some demoralization within the town due to competition from the Comstock mines in Virginia City, Nevada (see

Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the U ...

). Many residents moved to Indian and Honey Lake valleys. Many buildings were moved to Quincy and rebuilt there. Slowly, Elizabethtown dissolved into history. After the "New Year's Flood" in January, 1997, a local resident discovered the cobblestone corner of a foundation had been exposed by the high water flow through the creek bed. The former

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

of the brick foundation have been covered over and are no longer visible. There is a stone and metal monument to the town, placed by the Native Sons and Daughters of Quincy and dated September 9, 1927.

Quincy Brass Band in Elizabethtown photo taken at Plumas County Museum, Quincy, CA and posted here with permission.

References

External links

Plumas County Museum
{{authority control Former settlements in Plumas County, California Mining communities of the California Gold Rush California Historical Landmarks History of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Quincy, California Populated places established in 1852 1852 establishments in California Former populated places in California