Onion Valley
Onion Valley, California | |
|---|---|
Former settlement | |
  Onion Valley, California  Onion Valley, California | |
| Coordinates: 39°47′45″N 120°52′55″W / 39.79583°N 120.88194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Plumas |
| Elevation | 6,292 ft (1,918 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 5379432[1] |
| Reference no. | 723 |
Onion Valley, California is a former California gold rush mining settlement and supply station[2] in Plumas County, California, United States.
Geography[edit]
Onion Valley was located on Onion Valley Creek northeast of La Porte, California at the foot of Pilot Peak.
History[edit]
As a Gold Rush community,[3] population may have peaked at 1,500 in 1851.[4] By 1853, only 120 settlers are noted.[5]
Organized ski club downhill speed races were held at Onion Valley in 1861,[6] with Sierra longboard skis referred to as "Norwegian snow-shoes". California Historical Landmarks No. 723 and 724 reference Onion Valley as a pioneer organized ski club in America.[7]
The 1880 population was listed as 23. The Eclipse mine was in the area.[8]
Photographs capture the decline of the area's human structures from 1905[9] to 1953.[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ Potter, Theodore Edgar (1913) The Autobiography of Theodore Edgar Potter Rumford Press ISBN 9781981542611 page 99
- ^ McIlhany, Edward Washington (1908) Recollections of a '49er Hailman Printing Company LCCN 08-29358 pp49-53, 69-70
- ^ Rensch & Hoover (1966) Historic Spots in California Stanford University Press ISBN 9780804700795 p281
- ^ Hutchings (1856) Onion Valley and Pilot Peak Hutchings' Illustrated California Magazine v1 #5 p194
- ^ "Snow Shoeing" Daily National Democrat Vol 6 #50:3 (10 Apr 1861)
- ^ Pioneer Ski Area of America Historical Landmark California State Parks
- ^ Gudde, E. (2009) California Gold Camps University of California Press ISBN 9780520261440 pp106, 251-252
- ^ Snowy View of Onion Valley, 1905 Calisphere
- ^ Onion Valley, 1953 Calisphere
