Butte County CA Archives History - Books .....Yankee Hill 1882
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 26, 2006, 10:38 pm

Book Title: History Of Butte County

YANKEE HILL.

    Parties from the east discovered the mines in what has since been known as
Rich gulch, as early as 1850. It was one of the first camps on the east side of
the West branch. Hundreds of miners soon congregated there, who were largely
from New England. Owing to the beauty of the location and the abundance of
timber, several of their number erected their cabins on the hill, and were
designated as the Yankees, by which means the hill got its singular name. Yankee
hill was the successor to Rich gulch and Spanishtown, both places having faded
from the memories of all but old settlers.

    The first store opened in Rich gulch displayed its wares in 1851. In 1854, a
supply-depot was started at Yankee hill in the interest of the Frenchtown Canal
and Mining Company. In 1856, Yankee hill became a village, and in 1858, M. H.
Wells erected the first regular store kept in the place. It continued to grow in
importance, and at one time there were three hotels, with a town population of
three hundred souls.

    The development of the Comstock and other rich mines in Nevada called most
of the men of means and enterprise away from the embryo village.

    The Yankee-hill ledge has proved very productive. Six thousand dollars have
been taken out in a day. In 1856, the first mill was erected by the Virginia
Company on the Yankee-hill ledge. In the same year the "49 and 56" ledge was
located by M. H. Wells. These ledges have produced in the aggregate some
$800,000. Both are covered by patents and owned by San Francisco capitalists.
The southern end of the township is a mass of unprospected ledges, and when
capital is employed on them it is thought that they will prove the finest
quartz-mining section in the state.

    At the present writing, 1882, Yankee hill has one store and hotel, both kept
by M. H. Wells, who is also postmaster. Mr. Wells has been actively concerned
from the time he settled there in developing the country about him. He has one
of the finest libraries in the county. Yankee hill is one of the most sightly
and beautiful locations to be found on the western slope of the Sierras. Should
the proposed railroad from Quincy ever be built, Yankee hill will probably be a
point on the route, in which case it will again become a town of importance. The
altitude of the hill is 1,900 feet above the sea level.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF BUTTE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA,
IN TWO VOLUMES.

I.
HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA FROM 1513 TO 1850.
BY FRANK T. GILBERT.

The Great Fur Companies and their Trapping Expeditions to California.
Settlement of the Sacramento Valley. 
The Discovery of Gold in California.
BY HARRY L. WELLS.

II.
HISTORY OF BUTTE COUNTY,
From its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. 
BY HARRY L. WELLS AND W. L. CHAMBERS.

BOTH VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED WITH VIEWS AND PORTRAITS.
HARRY L. WELLS,
517 CLAY STREET, SAN FRANCISCO
1882.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by HARRY L. WELLS, in
the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

FRANCIS, VALENTINE & Co., Engravers & Printers
517 Clay St., San Francisco


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