Onion Valley

Onion Valley, California is a former California gold rush mining settlement and supply station in Plumas County, California, United States.

Geography
Onion Valley was located on Onion Valley Creek northeast of La Porte, California at the foot of Pilot Peak.

Note that the California counties of Inyo, Sierra, Placer, Amador and Calaveras have other locations with the same name.

History
As a Gold Rush community, population may have peaked at 1,500 in 1851. By 1853, only 120 settlers are noted.

Organized ski club downhill speed races were held at Onion Valley in 1861, 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.

The 1880 population was listed as 23. A hotel and the Eclipse mine was in the area.

Photographs capture the decline of the area's human structures from 1905 to 1953.