Downieville

Downieville, County Seat of Sierra County, was founded in 1849 upon discovery of gold near the confluence of the North Yuba and Downie Rivers. First called The Forks, it was renamed Downieville after Major Downie, who is said to have offered to throw a pan of gold dust in the street if the town was named after him., In 1852, the town had a population of about 3,000. The placer mines in the area were fabulously rich, one site reportedly yielding $300 to the pan for a brief time. The Tin Cap Diggins, which was located on the right bank above the second bridge was said to have been so rich that the owners worked each day until they had a tin drinking cup full of gold., Downieville had its share of tragedies. The town suffered disastrous fires in 1852, 1858 and 1864, and a raging flood in 1938. Many of the buildings, however still remain., The above picture is a detailed drawing made by a Forest Service illustrator from a photograph taken in about 1880. In the drawing, note the absence of trees on the hillsides around the town. The forest was cut by early day settlers and miners to meet their needs for fuel and construction materials. In the meantime, with a little help and fire protection from man, Nature has since reforested these early day clearcuts.