Northern Calaveras County (Images of America)

Northern Calaveras County stretches eastward from the valley towns of Wallace and Jenny Lind, through the Campo Seco and Mokelumne Hill gold country, to the county seat in San Andreas and finally extends to the upcountry mining camps and logging settlements of West Point and Railroad Flat. Historically water and trails connected these diverse regions. The Mokelumne River and its tributaries―diverted into flumes and ditches―brought water to the river bars, mines, ranches, settlements, and towns and provided their lifeblood. Trails first followed Native American paths and then developed into stage roads, railroads, and state highways. These routes connected the valley to the mountains and carried pioneers seeking gold, water, timber, fertile land, and recreation to new lands and new lives.