Belden in Plumas County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Rich Bar

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 31, 2012

1. Rich Bar Marker

Inscription. Gold first found here July 1850 by miners coming over the mountains from the Yuba Diggins. Much production during early ‘fifties along this east branch of the Feather River’s North Fork. Here “Dame Shirley” (Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe) wrote her “Letters from the California Mines,” one of the foremost classics of the gold rush.

Erected 1957 by California State Park Commission in cooperation with Las Plumas del Oro Chapter of E Clampus Vitus. (Marker Number 337.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks, and the E Clampus Vitus series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1850.

Location. 40° 0.721′ N, 121° 11.58′ W. Marker is in Belden, California, in Plumas County. Marker is on Highway 70 (California Route 70 at milepost 19), on the left when traveling west. The Rich Bar marker is approximately 24 miles west of Quincy via Highway 70. The marker is at a pullout/scenic vista east of the intersection of Rich Bar Road on the south side of Highway 70. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Quincy CA 95971, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Pacific Crest Trail (approx. 3.1 miles away); Feather River Highway

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(approx. 3.1 miles away); Belden (approx. 3.1 miles away); Eby Stamp Mill (approx. 3.1 miles away); Spanish Ranch (approx. 8.4 miles away); Meadow Valley Historical Site (approx. 9 miles away); Seneca (approx. 9 miles away); Bucks Ranch Hotel and Store (approx. 9.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belden.

Also see . . .
1. California Gold Rush Camps. High up in the Northern Sierra Nevada, the icy Feather River carves a rugged course through a remote, spectacular canyon. Steep walls, forested in pine, fir, and madrone, rise majestically to several thousand feet. Along this serpentine channel of the Feather River's East Branch lie the stark remains of Rich Bar, a lucrative mining settlement among the early California gold camps. (Submitted on June 21, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

2. “Dame Shirley” Describes Life at a California Gold Mining Camp. The author of this letter, who used the pseudonym “Dame Shirley,” was Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clapp (1819–1906). The letter was written to Clapp’s sister, Molly, in Massachusetts,
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 31, 2012

2. Rich Bar Marker
but was subsequently published as one of a series of twenty-three in the Pioneer, a California literary magazine. (Submitted on June 21, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

View of Rich Bar from the Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 31, 2012

3. View of Rich Bar from the Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,058 times since then and 68 times this year. Last updated on December 11, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 20, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.