Macheto, CA
County:
Mariposa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Disestablished:
Comments:
Macheto (also, Ma-che-to and Machayto) is a former Awani settlement in Mariposa County, California. It was located at the foot of Indian Canyon in Yosemite Valley, near Notomidula, in present-day Yosemite National Park.
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Mammoth Cave, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Mammoth Cave is a former settlement in Calaveras County, California, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Mountain Ranch. A post office operated in Mammoth Cave from 1883 to 1887.
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Current Status:
Remarks:
Mammoth City, CA
County:
Mono
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
37°37′34″N 118°58′59″W / 37.62611°N 118.98306°W / 37.62611 -118.98306
Elevation:
8,015 ft (2,443 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
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Current Status:
Remarks:
Manchester, CA
County:
Mendocino
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
38°58’13″N 123°41’17″W
Elevation:
85 ft (26 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Manchester is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Point Arena, at an elevation of 85 ft (26 m).
Remains:
The Manchester post office opened in 1871, closed in 1876, and re-opened in 1877. The place was named after Manchester, England, an early settler’s former home.
Current Status:
The population was 195 at the 2010 census.
Remarks:
Manzanar, CA
County:
Inyo
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
36°44′24″N 118°04′50″W / 36.74000°N 118.08056°W / 36.74000 -118.08056
Elevation:
3,727 ft (1,136 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Manzanar (Spanish for “apple orchard”; formerly, Manzanar Gate and Francis) was a town in Inyo County, California found by Canadian-American water engineer George Chaffey. It is located on the former Narrow-gauge railway line of the Southern Pacific Railroad 9 miles (14 km) north of Lone Pine, at an elevation of 3,727 ft (1,136.0 m).
Remains:
A post office operated at Manzanar from 1911 to 1914. Manzanar served as a shipping point for the surrounding productive apple orchards prior to the early 1900s diversion of water by the Los Angeles Aqueduct from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Nearby, during World War II, the area was the location of the Manzanar Japanese American internment Camp.
Martendale, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Disestablished:
Comments:
Martendale is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located just south of Cawelo. Martendale was founded by Harry J. Marten in 1909, as a colony for Mennonites and Adventists. Soon thereafter, over 100 families had settled there. A post office operated at Martendale from 1909 to 1910.
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Masonic, CA
County:
Mono
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
38°21′45″N 119°06′45″W / 38.36250°N 119.11250°W / 38.36250 -119.11250
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Masonic (formerly Lorena) is a ghost town located about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bridgeport, Mono County, California, USA. The town consists of an upper, middle, and lower town; most of the few ruins remaining are in the middle town. Gold was first discovered in the 1860s, but production ceased near the start of the 20th century. The town’s population peaked at about 1,000.
Remains:
The town was founded by Freemasons, hence its name. Middle Town, the largest of the three towns, had a post office, boarding house, and a general store. It also housed the offices of the town’s newspaper: The Masonic Pioneer. The Lorena post office opened in 1905, changed its name to Masonic in 1906, closed in 1912, re-opened in 1913, and closed for good in 1927.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Masonic’s population in 1906 was about 500. The principal mine, called the Pittsburg-Liberty Mine, produced $700,000 in gold before closing in 1910. By 1911, Masonic was in decline, although some mines kept in production until the 1920s.
McLeans Bar, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Disestablished:
Comments:
McLeans Bar is a former settlement in Calaveras County, 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from the former settlement of Melones near the confluence of Coyote Creek and the Stanislaus River. It was across the river from McLeans Ferry.
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Current Status:
Remarks:
McLeans Ferry, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
McLeans Ferry is a former settlement in Calaveras County, 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from the former settlement of Melones near the confluence of Coyote Creek and the Stanislaus River. It was across the river from McLeans Bar.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:
Melones, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
38°58’13″N 123°41’17″W
Elevation:
955 ft (291 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Melones (also, Robinsons Ferry and Robinson’s) is a former settlement in Calaveras County, California, now submerged beneath a reservoir named New Melones Lake. It lay at an elevation of 955 ft (291 m). Melones was founded on the site of a ferry operated in 1848 by John W. Robinson and Stephen Mead. The town initially took its name from the ferry.
Remains:
The first post office opened in Robinsons Ferry in 1879, the name was changed to Robinson’s in 1895, and to Melones in 1902. The post office was closed in 1932, re-established in 1933, and closed for good in 1942.
Current Status:
In January 1923 Paramount Pictures chose Melones to construct a complete 1849 mining camp set there for the motion picture The Covered Wagon. The studio sent an authentic Sierra Railroad train built in 1897 to the location via the Angels Branch line to Melones.
Remarks:
Mentryville, CA
County:
Los Angeles
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
34°22′44.97″N 118°36′39.62″W / 34.3791583°N 118.6110056°W / 34.3791583 -11
Elevation:
1,609 ft (490 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Mentryville was an oil drilling town in the Santa Susana Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, USA. It was started in the 1870s around the newly discovered oil reserves in that area. The first oil strike was on September 26, 1876. The town is located at the terminus of Pico Canyon Road, four miles west of the Lyons Avenue exit from I-5 in Santa Clarita.
Remains:
The last caretaker of Mentryville was Francis “Frenchy” Lagasse, who moved into the old Mentry mansion with his wife and children in 1966. The property’s owner, Standard Oil of California, wanted to raze the remnants of the ghost town, but Lagasse persuaded the company to allow him to restore the town. With help from the Santa Clarita Historical Society, Lagasse eventually began offering tours of Mentryville. Lagasse was forced to leave Mentryville after the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged the house, and in 1995, Chevron (which had become the owner upon its acquisition of Standard Oil of California in 1977) donated the Mentryville site and the surrounding 800 acres (3.2 km2) in Pico Canyon to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. A group called the Friends of Mentryville was organized to restore the buildings and open the old town as a historic park with docent-led tours.
Current Status:
Mentryville was eventually abandoned, partially because the amount of oil slowed over time, and partially because of changes to the oil industry. During the 1930s, most of Mentryville’s remaining residents left, many tearing down their houses board by board and nail by nail, and taking it all with them. By 1962, Mentryville had become a ghost town, with only a caretaker family living in Mentry’s old 13-room house. A visitor to the camp that year reported that “rusted oil equipment cluttered the canyon,” toppled derricks lay rotting, and the cemetery was “choked with weeds, hidden and forgotten.”
Remarks:
The site is now registered as California Historical Landmark #516-2. A fire nearly destroyed Mentryville’s historic structures in 2003, and a storm in 2004 washed out the visitors’ parking lot and also flooded the historic buildings. Mentryville and Pico Canyon have become popular shooting locations. They were used in motion pictures, including Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” and “Walking Tall Part 2”, and in television series, including “The X-Files”, “The A-Team”, “Murder, She Wrote”, and “Highway to Heaven.”
Merced Falls, CA
County:
Merced
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
37°31′23″N 120°19′57″W / 37.52306°N 120.33250°W / 37.52306 -120.33250
Elevation:
348 ft (106 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Merced Falls is an unincorporated community in Merced County, California. It is located on the north bank of the Merced River 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Snelling, at an elevation of 348 ft (106 m). Merced Falls was named for a set of rapids on the Merced River.
Remains:
A post office operated at Merced Falls from 1856 to 1957. The town was founded here because, in the California Gold Rush, the three main crossings of the Merced River on the Stockton – Los Angeles Road was located within 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream of the rapids of Merced Falls. Closest to the falls was Phillips’ Ferry, then Belts Ferry (later Murray’s Ferry and Murray’s Bridge and near what later became Merced Falls), and then Young’s Ferry. Murray’s Bridge was washed away in the Great Flood of 1862 but was later rebuilt.
Current Status:
The rapids of Merced Falls were used in the 1890s to power several watermills located in the town. A pair of sawmills in Merced Falls cut wood for the Yosemite and Sugar Pine Lumber Company, which shipped lumber down from the Sierra Nevada on the Yosemite Valley Railroad. The city continued to function well into the 1920s as a hub for tourists travelling into Yosemite Valley via the railroad. With the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad north-south across the Central Valley, many towns including Merced Falls that were not on the railroad fell into disrepair. The rapids themselves were inundated by McSwain Dam, built across the Merced River in the 1960s. Merced Falls is now surrounded by irrigated farmland, and the community itself is almost abandoned.
Remarks:
Midland, CA
County:
Riverside
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
33°51′40″N 114°48′08″W / 33.86111°N 114.80222°W / 33.86111
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Midland is a ghost town in Riverside County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California. It is adjacent to the Little Maria Mountains and located about 20 mi (32 km) northwest of Blythe. It is accessible from Blythe in the south via Lovekin Boulevard and Midland Road, and from Rice in the north via Midland Road.
Remains:
From 1925 to the 1960s, Midland was a company town owned by the U.S. Gypsum Co. The company had mined vast amounts of gypsum found in the area. Midland was also the site of a large plant that produced wallboard and plasterboard. For some time, there was a three-part railroad between the quarry and the crusher, the last part being a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line running few miles. The town’s water was shipped from Blythe by rail. At its peak, the town had a population of approximately 1,000.
Current Status:
A majority of the buildings of Midland were torn down, and today only foundations remain.
Remarks:
Many winter scenes in Hollywood films during the 20th century utilized faux snow that originated from Midland. In the 1960s, an abandoned gypsum mine 3 mi (4.8 km) west of the plant was converted into a fallout shelter. As the character of the gypsum found in the area was considered too heavy as the years went on, company activity in Midland subsided and then ended in 1966.
Midway, CA
County:
Alameda
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
37°42’53″N 121°33’29″W
Elevation:
358 ft (109 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Midway is a former settlement in Kern County, California, USA. It was located near the site of present-day Fellows.
Remains:
Midway is an unincorporated community in Alameda County, California, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-southeast of Altamont. It lies at an elevation of 358 ft (109 m). A post office operated in Midway from 1870 to 1918.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Mill Valley, CA
County:
Marin
Zip Code:
94941, 94942
Latitude / Longitude:
37°54’22″N 122°32’42″W
Elevation:
79 ft (24 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
1900
Disestablished:
Comments:
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about 14 miles (23 km) north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.
Remains:
Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay, and the eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais. Beyond the flat coastal area and marshlands, it occupies narrow wooded canyons, mostly of second-growth redwoods, on the southeastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais. The Mill Valley 94941 ZIP code also includes the following adjacent unincorporated communities: Almonte, Alto, Homestead Valley, Tamalpais Valley, and Strawberry. The Muir Woods National Monument is also located just outside the city limits.
Current Status:
The first people known to inhabit Marin County, the Coast Miwok, arrived approximately 6,000 years ago. The territory of the Coast Miwok included all of Marin County, north to Bodega Bay and southern Sonoma County. More than 600 village sites have been identified, including 14 sites in the Mill Valley area. Nearby archaeological discoveries include the rock carvings and grinding sites on Ring Mountain. The pre-Missionization population of the Coast Miwok is estimated to be between 1,500 (Alfred L. Kroeber’s estimate for the year 1770 A.D.) to 2,000 (Sherburne F. Cook’s estimate for the same year). The pre-Missionization population of the Coast Miwok may have been as high as 5000. Cook speculated that by 1848 their population had decreased to 300, and down to 60 by 1880. As of 2011, there are over 1,000 registered members of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria which includes both the Coast Miwok and the Southern Pomo, all of whom can date their ancestry back to the 14 survivors’ original tribal ancestors.
Remarks:
By 1834 the Mission era had ended and California was under the control of the Mexican government. They took Miwok ancestral lands, divided them, and gave them to Mexican soldiers or relatives who had connections with the Mexican governor. The huge tracts of land, called ranchos by the Mexican settlers, or Californios, soon covered the area. The Miwoks who had not died or fled were often employed under a state of indentured servitude to the California land grant owners. In 1834, the governor of Alta California José Figueroa awarded to John T. Reed the first land grant in Marin, Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio.
Minear, CA
County:
Mariposa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Minear is a former settlement in Mariposa County, California. It was located 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Jerseydale.
Remains:
A post office operated at Minear from 1895 to 1896. The name honors John J. Minear, its first postmaster.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Mount Ophir, CA
County:
Mariposa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
37° 30′ 53″ N, 120° 3′ 53″ W
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Mount Ophir is a ghost town in Mariposa County, California. It was a mining town founded in 1850 during the California Gold Rush and was the site of the Mount Ophir Mint, the first authorized mint, in California.
Remains:
Mount Ophir during the early 1850s was a large camp, and stores and tents straggled along the main road for quite a distance. In 1854, Louis Trabucco purchased the stone-walled trading post in Mount Ophir, which was patronized by miners and packers. Its ruins now stand next to the foundation of a large two-story frame hotel built in 1852. The Post Office opened in 1852 under the name “Ophir” but was changed in 1856 to “Mount Ophir” because of the name conflict with Ophir in Placer County.
Current Status:
Much of the coinage produced by the Mount Ophir Mint was later melted down into government ingots. By 1853 the mint was closed. The ruins of the mill are still visible.
Remarks:
The gold stamping mill was built in 1850-51 by Moffat and Company, operating under the authority of Augustus Humbert, who had been appointed by President John Tyler to be the federal assayer for the new state of California. The Mount Ophir Mint produced Octagonal Gold Slugs with a fifty-dollar denomination.
Miramonte, CA
County:
Fresno
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
36°41’33″N 119°03’08″W
Elevation:
3,094 ft (943 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Miramonte (formerly, Rancho Miramontes) is an unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It is located on Mill Creek 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Dunlap, at an elevation of 3094 ft (943 m).
Remains:
The first Miramonte post office opened in 1909, was discontinued in 1912, and re-established in 1923.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Monterio, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Monterio is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located 20 miles (32 km) west-northwest of Rosamond. A post office operated at Monterio from 1895 to 1899.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:
Moore’s Flat, CA
County:
Nevada
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
39°25′09″N 120°51′03″W / 39.41917°N 120.85083°W / 39.41917
Elevation:
4,144 ft (1,263 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Moores Flat (variant: Moore’s Flat; formerly, Clinton) is a former settlement in Nevada County, California. It is situated at an elevation of 4,144 ft (1,263 m) above sea level. Moores Flat is located on the 4.25 miles (6.8 km) north-northeast of North Bloomfield.
Remains:
Moores Flat was settled between 1851 and 1852 as a gold rush site with “Marks & Co.” one of its few known gold dust dealers. Gold was found buried in tertiary gravel channels. In 1880, the population was 50. By the early 1900s, its town declined quickly.
Current Status:
The Clinton post office opened in 1854; the name was changed to Moores Flat in 1857. It closed for a time in 1903 and closed for good in 1910. The miner and California State Assemblyman, S. L. Blackwell, was associated with the town’s post office in 1880.
Remarks:
The name honors H.M. Moore who built the first house and a store there in 1851.
Mormon Island, CA
County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
38°42′13″N 121°07′03″W / 38.7035°N 121.1174°W / 38.7035 -121.1174
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Mormon Island was once a mining town, which had an abundance of Mormon immigrants seeking gold in the American River during the California Gold Rush. Its site is in present-day Sacramento County, California.
Remains:
Early in March 1848, W. Sidney, S. Willis, and Wilford Hudson, members of the Mormon Battalion, set out from Sutter’s Fort to hunt deer. Stopping on the south fork of the American River, they found gold. They told their story on returning to the fort, and soon about 150 Mormons and other miners flocked to the site, which was named Mormon Island. This was the first major gold strike in California after James W. Marshall’s discovery at Coloma. The population of the town in 1853 was more than 2,500. It had four hotels, three dry-goods stores, five general merchandise stores, an express office, and many small shops. The first ball in Sacramento County was held here on December 25, 1849. A fire destroyed the town in 1856, and it was never rebuilt. The community dwindled after the California gold rush and only a scattered few families were left in the 1940s.
Current Status:
Mormon Island is now registered as California Historical Landmark #569. Because the former site is under Folsom Lake, the historic marker is placed at the Folsom Point picnic area of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area.
Remarks:
What was left of Mormon Island was eventually razed, as the Folsom Dam project was set to flood the town. The only visible remnant of this community is Mormon Island Cemetery, a relocation cemetery located south of the lake on the dry side of Mormon Island Dam (off of Green Valley Road in Folsom, California). The cemetery also contains remains exhumed from other cemeteries that were inundated by the creation of Folsom Lake as well as relocated graves from Prairie City which were unearthed during construction of an on-ramp to U.S. Route 50 from Prairie City Road.
Mountain House, CA
County:
San Joaquin
Zip Code:
95391
Latitude / Longitude:
37°46’26″N 121°32’39″W
Elevation:
82 ft (25 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Mountain House is a census-designated place and planned community in San Joaquin County, California. An exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area, Mountain House is 5 miles (8 km) from the City of Tracy near Interstate 205. The community of Mountain House in San Joaquin County lies two miles (3 km) northeast of and borrows the name of Alameda County’s historical Mountain House, a halfway stop for forty-niners passing over the Altamont Pass (historic Livermore Pass) on their way to the gold country of the Sierra Nevada foothills located at the base of the Diablo Range on the western edge of California’s Central Valley.
Remains:
In November 2008, the community appeared in national news reports as having the highest percentage of negative equity in the United States – the most homes “underwater” (worth less than their mortgage). In 2012, despite a partially outdated land plan and a lack of retail and industrial centers, Mountain House was experiencing economic recovery. In 2010 CDP’s population was 9,675. In 2015, the population was around 14,000. The Cholbon triblet of the Northern Valley Yokuts were the original inhabitants of the Mountain House area. Their territory ran along Old River a distributary of the San Joaquin River.
Current Status:
As of 2018, Mountain House includes the established villages of Altamont, Bethany, Wicklund, Questa, Hansen, and the developing sixth village of Cordes. At the end of 2012, approximately 3,500 homes were in Mountain House. Some 15,500 households or approximately 40,000 people are anticipated when Mountain House is fully completed. Construction began in 2001, but expansion stopped because of the Great Recession. Development accelerated through 2011 and 2012. Questa had six neighborhoods in various stages of completion, and three additional neighborhoods scheduled for 2013 openings. Also completed is Questa’s K-8 school and a village park. Mountain House High School opened for the 2014-2015 academic year. All schools are part of Lammersville Unified School District.
Remarks:
Mountain House was projected to be a small full-fledged city developed over a 30-year period by Trimark Communities. The community covers 4,784 acres (1,936.0 ha) in San Joaquin County. The town was planned for 12 distinct neighborhoods including 10 family neighborhoods and two age-restricted neighborhoods each organized around a center containing a neighborhood park, a K-8 school, and a small commercial area.
Moseman, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Moseman (also, Moseman Stage Station) is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located in the Walker Basin on Walker Basin Creek near that creek’s exit from Walker Basin.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:
Muroc, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
34°55′23″N 117°52′20″W / 34.92306°N 117.87222°W / 34.92306
Elevation:
2,283 ft (696 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Muroc (also, Rogers, Rod, Yucca, and Rodriguez) is a former settlement in Kern County, California in the Mojave Desert. It was located on Rogers Dry Lake 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Edwards, at an elevation of 2283 ft (696 m).
Remains:
A post office operated at Muroc from 1910 to 1951. The name honors early settlers Ralph and Clifford Corum — their surname spelled backward is “Muroc”.
Current Status:
Muroc still appeared on maps as of 1942. Muroc’s site is now on Edwards Air Force Base.
Remarks:
Nadeau, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
33° 57′ 56″ N, 118° 14′ 35″ W
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Nadeau is a former settlement in the Tehachapi Mountains, in Kern County, California.
Remains:
It was located on the railroad 5 miles (8 km) east of Cameron, and 4 miles (6 km) west of Tehachapi, California.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Narka, CA
County:
Inyo
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
35° 56′ 12″ N, 117° 54′ 24″ W
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Narka is a former settlement in Inyo County, California. It was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of the current settlement of Little Lake. Narka began as a railroad camp before Little Lake was settled. A post office operated at Narka from 1909 to 1913, when the service was transferred to Little Lake.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:
Neil, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Neil is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located on Rogers Dry Lake 1 mile (1.6 km) north-northwest of Muroc.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:
Negro Flat, CA
County:
Siskiyou
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
41° 14′ 30.98″ N, 123° 16′ 51.02″ W
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Negro Flat was a placer gold mining camp on the Salmon River, now located in Siskiyou County, California. It was located originally in Trinity County, in 1850.
Remains:
Negro Flat was one of the largest gold producers in Trinity County in 1850, along with Gullion’s Bar, Bestville, and Sawyers Bar. In 1851, it became part of Klamath County. In 1874, its site became part of Siskiyou County, when Klamath County was finally abolished and divided between Siskiyou and Humboldt counties.
Current Status:
Remarks:
Neuralia, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
35°11′55″N 118°02′43″W / 35.19861°N 118.04528°W / 35.19861 -118.04528
Elevation:
2,395 ft (730 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Neuralia is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Mojave, at an elevation of 2395 ft (730 m). Neuralia still appeared on maps as of 1947.
Remains:
A post office operated from 1914 to 1916. The name is derived from “new railroad”.
Current Status:
Remarks:
New Almaden, CA
County:
Santa Clara
Zip Code:
95042
Latitude / Longitude:
37°10’34″N 121°49’15″W
Elevation:
492 ft (150 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
New Almaden is an unincorporated community in Santa Clara County, California, United States. New Almaden is 11 miles (18 km) south-southeast of downtown San Jose. New Almaden has a post office with ZIP code 95042, which first opened in 1861. The community is named after the New Almaden mine, which opened in the area in 1848. New Almaden was the childhood home of former Arizona Cardinals All-Pro safety Pat Tillman and also the childhood home of long-time professional Equestrian Clayton Jackson a noted trainer of Hunters, Jumpers, and Equitation horses.
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Newburyport, CA
County:
Inyo
Zip Code:
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Newburyport is a former settlement and small unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Independence.
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Current Status:
There are no residents in Newburyport according to the 2000 U.S. Census, and no homes.
Remarks:
New Idria, CA
County:
San Benito
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
36°25′1″N 120°40′28″W / 36.41694°N 120.67444°W / 36.41694
Elevation:
2,648 ft (807 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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New Idria was an unincorporated town in San Benito County, California. It was named after the New Idria Mercury Mine, which closed in 1972, resulting in a ghost town.
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The community was established to support the mine, which mainly extracted mercury since cinnabar was abundant in the local rock formations. Mercury mining at the location began in 1854. At one time, the New Idria mines were America’s second most productive mines, with the New Almaden mines in the vicinity of San Jose, about 82 miles (132 km) northwest, being the first.
Current Status:
In 2011, New Idria was re-listed as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site, owing to unchecked mercury run-off and contamination. As of June 2012, the entire section of the former townsite on the south side of New Idria/Clear Creek road is fenced-off.
Remarks:
The New Idria Mining Company was formed soon after the discovery of cinnabar (quicksilver ore) in the southern Diablo Range of central California in 1854. The town of New Idria began around 1857 and about 300 men were employed at the mine by 1861. The first school opened in 1867 and the New Idria Post Office opened in 1869, with Edward A. Morse as the first postmaster. In 1894, the New Idria Post Office dropped the word “New” and the town become known as Idria. The New Idria Quicksilver Mining Company closed in 1972 and the town has since become a ghost town.
Newtown, CA
County:
Mariposa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
37°42′12″N 120°11′31″W / 37.70333°N 120.19194°W / 37.70333
Elevation:
2,447 ft (746 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Newtown (formerly, New town) is a small unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is located 2.25 miles (3.6 km) south of Camino, at an elevation of 2447 ft (746 m). The ZIP code is 95667. The community is inside area code 530.
Remains:
A post office operated at Newtown from 1854 to 1912, with a closure in 1875.
Current Status:
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Notable residents have included John Augustus Raffetto, father of radio star Michael Raffetto. The Raffetto home is now a bed and breakfast and offers a room in the name of that family.
Nome, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Nome is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of downtown Bakersfield.
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Noonday Camp, CA
County:
Inyo
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
35° 48′ 39″ N, 116° 6′ 15″ W
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Noonday Camp, also known as Mill City, Noonday City, and Tecopa, is a ghost town located in the Mojave Desert east of Tecopa in Inyo County, California. Upper Noonday Camp is located at 35°48’39″N 116°06’15″W, while Lower Noonday Camp is located just south of it at 35°48’01″N 116°06’05″W.
Remains:
The Finley Company built the town in the 1940s to support the nearby War Eagle, Noonday, and Columbia lead mines. It was later used by the Anaconda Copper Company, which constructed the lead ore concentration mill during 1947–1948. The town was abandoned in 1972. Compared to other mining ghost towns in the region, Noonday Camp became a ghost town quite recently. Lead mining ended in 1957 when the U.S. government reached its strategic stockpile goal. The Tecopa and Darwin lead mines – which worked three shifts during the war years – closed.
Current Status:
Foundations of the supervisors and guest houses, several slabs that supported the kitchen, boarding house, and bunkhouses are evident, along with a lot of debris. Prominent is the cinder block vault that held the script currency the miners could use at the company commissary. Roads from the site of Noonday Camp go to the Noonday and War Eagle mines. The large white open pit of the talc mine is on Western Talc Road. Talc went out of favor due to its asbestos content. Visible from Highway 127 and the Old Spanish Trail is the landmark Tecopa bins, built in 1944. One was for lead, the other talc. The lead ore was trucked to the UP siding at Dunn and shipped to smelters in Utah.
Remarks:
The remains of the mining operation can be found, collapsed timber structures, foundations, slabs, rock walls, and equipment pads.
Norristown, CA
County:
Sacramento
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
38° 33′ 28″ N, 121° 25′ 4″ W
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Norristown, or Hoboken, was an ephemeral California Gold Rush settlement and steamboat landing on the American River in present-day Sacramento County, California.
Remains:
It was located on the south bank of the American River, four miles east of Sacramento on a road leading to the goldfields, that later became L Street, in the vicinity of what is now the California State University Sacramento.
Current Status:
Norristown was built above the reach of flooding by the river, unlike Sacramento below it. During the flooding of Sacramento in 1852–53, it began as a settlement called Hoboken, for citizens of Sacramento who fled the inundation of their city. Sam Norris who owned the land tried to make it a permanent settlement, however, most of the refugees returned to Sacramento and Norristown failed to grow and soon vanished.
Remarks:
North American House, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
North American House is a former settlement and waystation in Calaveras County, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Valley Springs.
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North Muroc, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
35°00′18″N 117°49′08″W / 35.00500°N 117.81889°W / 35.00500
Elevation:
2,290 ft (698 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
North Muroc is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located 8 miles (13 km) south-southeast of Castle Butte, at an elevation of 2290 ft (698 m). North Muroc still appeared on maps as of 1947.
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North Shore, CA
County:
Riverside
Zip Code:
92254
Latitude / Longitude:
33°30′46″N 115°55′38″W / 33.51278°N 115.92722°W / 33.51278 -115.92722
Elevation:
-69 ft (-21 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
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Comments:
North Shore is a census-designated place in southeastern Riverside County, so named because of its location along the northeast shore of the Salton Sea. It was once a popular vacation destination spot before the ever-increasing salinity and pollution of the Salton Sea shut the tourist trade down. The town traces its beginnings to 1958 when developers Ray Ryan and Trav Rogers purchased the land on which the town would sit and began to sell individual parcels in 1960.
Remains:
North Shore is notable as the home of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1930 by a presidential proclamation and with an original area of over 35,000 acres (140 km2), only about 2,200 manageable acres (8.9 km2) remain due to flooding caused by the Salton Sea. A proposed system of dikes that will help control the increasing salinity of the Salton Sea will also serve to stop further encroachment on the refuge.
Current Status:
The population was 3,477 at the 2010 census.
Remarks:
One building is particularly noteworthy. The North Shore Beach and Yacht Club, an Albert Frey design, opened in 1962 and was inactive use until 1984; rising water levels destroyed the jetty in 1981, thereby making it impossible for boats to dock there. As recently as the early 2000s, it was possible to enter the lobby prior to its being boarded up, although stairs leading to the second floor had been removed prior to its abandonment. The lobby was once littered with hotel receipts from the neighboring North Shore Motel (razed in 2008) dating back to the club’s last days. The yacht club has been restored under a $3.35 million grant and since 2011 is open to the public as a Community Center and historical landmark. The Salton Sea History Museum was relocated to Mecca, California in February 2012.
Nortonville, CA
County:
Contra
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
37°57′28″N 121°52′50″W / 37.95778°N 121.88056°W / 37.95778 -121.88056
Elevation:
801 ft (244 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Nortonville is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Kirker Creek 5.5 miles (9 km) north-northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 801 ft (244 m). It is now a ghost town.
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Nortonville is located on Nortonville Road just outside the city of Pittsburg in Contra Costa County. The townsite is now part of the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. Nortonville was founded by Noah Norton in 1855. He, along with three partners named Cutler, Matheson, and Sturgis, started the Black Diamond coal mine at Nortonville in 1860. The mine was incorporated as the “Black Diamond Coal Mining Company” in June 1861.
Current Status:
Nortonville was also the southern terminus of the six-mile-long Black Diamond Coal Mining Railroad (also known as the “Black Diamond Railroad”), built in 1868. The railroad connected Nortonville with the San Joaquin River, at Black Diamond Landing, California, with a stop at Cornwall, California (the latter two towns are now a part of the city of Pittsburg, California).
Remarks:
Norval, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
38°11′04″N 120°50′29″W / 38.18444°N 120.84139°W / 38.18444 -120.84139
Elevation:
689 ft (210 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Norval is a former settlement in Calaveras County, California, along the Southern Pacific Railroad. It lay at an elevation of 689 ft (210 m). It only appears on the 1944 15′ Valley Springs series USGS quad.
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Notomidula, CA
County:
Mariposa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Notomidula (also, No-to-mid-u-la and Notomidoola) is a former Awani settlement in Mariposa County, California. It was located in Yosemite Valley 400 yards (0.37 km) east of Macheto.
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Olig, CA
County:
Kern
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
35°19′30″N 119°39′23″W / 35.32500°N 119.65639°W / 35.32500 -119.65639
Elevation:
1,030 ft (314 m)
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Olig is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of McKittrick, at an elevation of 1030 ft (314 m). Olig still appeared on maps as of 1912.
Remains:
Olig is within the boundaries of the huge McKittrick Oil Field, and gives its name to one of the oil pools within the unit, which was also the first to be discovered (1896).
Current Status:
Remarks:
Opie, CA
County:
Mariposa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Opie is a former settlement in Mariposa County, California. It was located 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Coulterville. A post office operated at Opie from 1896 to 1898.
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Oregon Bar, CA
County:
Calaveras
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
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Time Zone:
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
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Comments:
Oregon Bar is a former settlement in Calaveras County, California, 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Valley Springs on Mokelumne River. The site of Oregon Bar was drowned in the Camanche Reservoir.
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Current Status:
Drowned in the Camanche Reservoir
Remarks:
Owensville, CA
County: Inyo
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37°24′03″N 118°20′44″W / 37.40083°N 118.34556°W / 37.40083
Elevation: 4,117 ft (1,255 m)
Time Zone: Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Owensville (also, Glen Mary) is a former settlement in Inyo County, California. It was located west of the future site of the modern-day town of Laws. Owensville was started as a mining camp in 1863.
Remains: A post office operated at Owensville from 1866 to 1870, when it was transferred to Bishop (then called Bishop Creek). From 1868 to 1869, the town was called Glen Mary. The site is now registered as California Historical Landmark #230 as the “First Permanent White Habitation in Owens Valley”.
Current Status: By 1871 it had been abandoned.
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