History
Placer County was home to the peaceful Nisenan Native Americans for
hundreds of years before the discovery of gold in 1848 brought hordes of
miners from around the world. Only three years after the discovery of
gold, the fast-growing county was formed from portions of Sutter and
Yuba counties on April 25, 1851 with Auburn as the county seat. Placer
County took its name from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits
containing gold. Miners washed away the gravel, leaving the heavier
gold, in a process known as "placer mining."
Gold mining was a major industry through
the 1880s, but gradually the new residents turned to farming the fertile
foothill soil, harvesting timber and working for the Southern Pacific
Railroad. Auburn was settled when Claude Chana discovered gold in Auburn
Ravine in May 1848 and later became a shipping and supply center for the
surrounding gold camps. The cornerstone of Placer's beautiful and
historic courthouse, which is clearly visible from Interstate 80 through
Auburn, was laid on July 4, 1894. The building itself was renovated
during the late 1980s and continues to serve the public today with
courtrooms, a historic sheriff's office and the Placer County Museum.
Roseville, once a small agricultural center, became a major railroad
center and grew to the county's most populous city after Southern
Pacific Railroad moved its railroad switching yards there in 1908.
Loomis and Newcastle began as mining
towns, but soon became centers of a booming fruit-growing industry,
supporting many local packing houses. Penryn was founded by a Welsh
miner, Griffith Griffith, who turned from mining to establish a large
granite quarry. Rocklin began as a railroad town and became home to a
number of granite quarries. Rapidly growing Rocklin now vies with
Roseville for the honor of being Placer's largest city. Lincoln and
Sheridan continue to support ranching and farming. Lincoln also is the
home of one of the county's oldest businesses, the Gladding McBean terra
cotta clay manufacturing plant established in 1875.
Contributed by Kathie Kloss Marynik
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