Mormon Island was once a

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historical mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendig ...

, which had an abundance of Mormon immigrants seeking gold in the

American River The American River is a List of rivers of California, river in California that runs from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range to its confluence with the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento. Via the Sacramento River, it ...

during the

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 ...

. Its site is in present-day

Sacramento County, California Sacramento County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, California, Sacramento, which has been the List ...

History

Early in March 1848, W. Sidney, S. Willis, and Wilford Hudson, members of the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to Jul ...

, set out from Sutter's Fort to hunt deer. Stopping on the south fork of the American River, they found gold. They told their story on returning to the fort, and soon about 150 Mormons and other miners flocked to the site, which was named Mormon Island. This was the first major gold strike in California after James W. Marshall's discovery at Coloma. The first ball in Sacramento County was held there on December 25, 1849. The population of the town in 1853 was more than 2,500. It had four hotels, three dry-goods stores, five general merchandise stores, an express office, and many small shops. R. C. Chambers had moved to Mormon Island in July 1850, prior to his mining successes in Montana and Utah. A fire destroyed the town in 1856, and it was never rebuilt. The community dwindled after the

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 ...

and only a scattered few families were left in the 1940s. What was left of Mormon Island was eventually razed, as the

Folsom Dam Folsom Dam is a concrete Dam#Gravity dams, gravity dam on the American River of Northern California in the United States, about northeast of Sacramento, California, Sacramento. The dam is high and long, flanked by earthen wing dams. It was com ...

project was set to flood the town. The only visible remnant of this community is Mormon Island Cemetery, a relocation

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

located south of the lake on the dry side of Mormon Island Dam (off of Green Valley Road in

Folsom, California Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 72,203 residents at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History The Nisenan tribe of Ind ...

). The cemetery also contains remains exhumed from other cemeteries that were inundated by the creation of Folsom Lake as well as relocated graves from Prairie City which were unearthed during construction of an on-ramp to

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

from Prairie City Road. Mormon Island is now 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 ...

#569. Because the former site is under

Folsom Lake Folsom Lake is a reservoir on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, United States. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, which encompasses the lake, is one of the most visited parks in the California park system. Locate ...

, the historic marker is placed at the Folsom Point picnic area of

Folsom Lake State Recreation Area The Folsom Lake State Recreation Area surrounds Folsom Lake in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The majority of it is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. It is located n ...

Geographical information

The "island" was formed by the

to the western, northern, and eastern sides and a man-made canal formed the southern side. The canal was used to divert water in an effort to find gold deeper within the river bed. Over time, the bulk of the town formed south of this site. When the lake is at very low levels, some foundations of buildings and an arched bridge can be seen. Some outskirts of the town were exposed in late 2013 and early 2014 when Folsom Lake was at a record low due to the 2012–14 North American drought, but most of the town remains underwater.

References

External links

Negro Hill Cemetery Relocation
from the

US Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

, Sacramento District
Mormon Island History
from myfolsom.com
Pictures of Mormon Island during a drought
Raise The Stakes Editions {{authority control Ghost towns in California Mining communities of the California Gold Rush Former settlements in Sacramento County, California American River (California) California Historical Landmarks Folsom, California History of the Latter Day Saint movement The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California

History

Geographical information

See also

References

External links