Tuolumne County California

Tuolumne County, Organized in 1850. Bounded northwest by Calaveras, north by Alpine, east by Mono, south by Mariposa, and southwest by Stanislaus. Area, 1,944 square miles. Assessed valuation of property for 1874, $1,447,675.

County seat, Sonora. Principal towns. Big Oak Flat, Chinese Camp, Columbia and Springfield.

Tuolumne is one of the oldest and formerly was one of the most prosperous of the mining counties. The great wealth of the placers overshadowed every other interest, and the care for and development of other resources were neglected. With the exhaustion of the easiest worked placers came discouragement, and the bright hopes that had impelled the miner to superhuman exertions and to undergo every privation in the search for gold were changed to doubt; the venturesome spirit which had turned rivers from their beds and pierced mountains with tunnels requiring the labor of years was considered as un-business like, the accumulated treasures were taken for investments in the cities and farming regions which promised a more certain return, if not so large, and the mountains were abandoned by the greater portion of their population. But, the resources of the mining countless are not only unexhausted but are scarcely developed. Tuolumne is an example of the others.

In the production of fruits there is no locality or country on earth superior to that portion of the Sierra below the line of deep snows. Grapes grow to perfection, and the wine and brandy manufactured is of the best quality. The mulberry tree flourishes luxuriantly, and the silkworm that feeds on the leaves is healthy and spins a superior quality of silk. Vegetables of the finest varieties are produced, and grain is successfully cultivated. Such is proven to be the capacity of Tuolumne, and a greater wealth than ever the mines produced awaits the prosecution of the agricultural interest, of which the leading branches shall be horticulture and sericulture.

Perfect titles to land, whether mining or farming, are the great desideratum. The mines, however, are by no means exhausted, but by the aid of improved processes and a better knowledge of industry, new and encouraging developments are made that give promise of restoring the great mining interest to its former importance. With abundant population and well directed labor the placer and quartz mines will continue to furnish their treasures for ornamentation and circulation from the midst of fertile fields, vine-clad hills, and prosperous manufactories.

The great canals that have been constructed to conduct the water from the deep canons to the mountain ridges will furnish means for irrigation and propelling machinery, thus saving the labor of the past for lasting and useful purposes. Tuolumne occupies a section of the western slope of the Sierra, the eastern portion being high and difficult of access, gradually descending to the western extremity. Forests of pine and oak are found in every part, adding to that natural wealth and aiding in the development of the resources.

The principal rivers are the Stanislaus, running along the northern border, and the Tuolumne, with many branches in the interior.

Officers: Henry B. McNeil, County Judge; Isaac J. Potter, Clerk, Recorder, and Auditor; Edward K. Galvin, District Attorney; David F. Baxter, Sheriff, and Tax Collector; Daniel M. Kenfield, Treasurer; Thomas C. Birney, Assessor; A. B. Beauvais. Surveyor; Charles Burden, Coroner, and Public Administrator; John Murnan, Superintendent Public Schools.

California Gazetteer | AHGP California

Source: Pacific Coast Business Directory for 1876-78, Compiled by Henry G. Langley, San Francisco, 1875