In Yuba County between the North and Middle forks of Yuba River, northeast of Fosters Bar. The diggings developed around the Nevada House, a hostelry built in 1850 or 1851, on the Nevada City-Downieville Road. The place was named in 1854 for Robert Campton, the blacksmith. However, it was named earlier, according to William Bull Meek, who states that the miners drew up resolutions to form the Camptonville Mining District on December 6, 1852. Prospectors had sunk a shaft in 1852 and discovered a rich lode. It was on the rich Blue Lead, which stretched from Brandy City to North San Juan. A post office was established February 18, 1854. In 1855 the population of the town and vicinity was about 1,300. In 1858 the Sierra Mountain Water Company proposed the building of a canal to bring the needed water. The lead was not covered much, and hydraulic mining was extremely profitable. The shipment of gold reached the figure $600,000 for the year 1860. Brewer calls it "a miserable, dilapidated town" in 1862, with immense hydraulic diggings. "Bluffs sixty to a hundred feet thick have been washed away for hundreds of acres together." In 1905 there was an electric-powered mill with three stamps. It was here that Lester A. Pelton invented his famous water wheel.
- Erwin G. Gudde, 1975
"So September 10 we started on our way--first to Nevada, a few miles, a fine town in a rich mining region, then to San Juan North (there are several other San Juans in the state), then to Camptonville, a miserable, dilapidated town, but very picturesquely located, with immense hydraulic diggings about. The amount of soil sluiced away in this way seems incredible. Bluffs sixty to a hundred feet thick have been washed away for hundreds of acres together. But they were not rich, the gold has “stopped,” the town is dilapidated--but we had to pay big prices nevertheless."
- William Henry Brewer, 1860-1864
"This thriving mountain town is situated on the southeast one-half of section two, township 18 N., R. eight E., and covers one hundred and fifty-nine acres of ground. The old trail to Downieville led through this place, and as early as 1851, and perhaps 1850, J.M. & J. Campbell built a small mountain hotel here, called the Nevada House. Early in the spring of 1852, a company from Nevada, Sam. Whitesides, J. Compton, Wm. Cowan, Wm. R. Dixon, Hiram Buster, Chas. O’Hara, and Jeff. Van Metre came here prospecting, and at the instance of Whitesides a shaft was sunk on and gold struck in paying quantities. This was the opening of the rich hill diggings through this region. The hill was named Gold Ridge. In 1852, there was a log cabin belonging to a man who had built a little ditch for the purpose of irrigating his potato patch. The Campbell Brothers built a store in 1852, which was put under the charge of Mr. Fuller. In the spring of 1853, the place had grown to considerable size, and a large number of miners commenced work on Gold Ridge, which extended several miles. The Campbell Brothers built that year a large three-story hotel, the finest by far in the town. It was called the National Hotel. In 1861, or 1862, the ground on which it was built was sold for mining purposes and the building torn down. Ed. Brooks built a store in 1853, and in 1856 erected a large brick building, at a cost of twelve thousand dollars. J.R. Meek has owned the property since 1866. The Masonic Hall is located in the second story of this building. In 1853, the Van Metre and Arcade saloons were built. Over the latter was a hall for dancing and entertainments. Miss Goodwin gave a dramatic entertainment in this hall in October, 1854, the first in the town. A bowling alley was built in 1853 by William Green. The alley was made from one-half of a tree trunk, cut by a whipsaw. Robert Campton came in early 1853 or 1853, and opened a blacksmith shop. He was a general favorite, and in 1854 the town was named Camptonville, in honor of the sturdy artisan.
At a miners’ meeting, held in the bowling alley in the spring of 1854, it was decided that mining claims should be 75x75 feet, and town lots 75x150 feet. In the fall of 1854, the wagon road was finished to Camptonville, and in 1855, the California Stage Company commenced to run stages to the town. Previous to this, pack trains were the only means of transportation. Isaac Green started an opposition line, and finally compelled the other to abandon the route. When the road was completed to Downieville, the stage ran also to that city. Warren Green succeeded his brother in the stage business. In 1855, the town had become a place of considerable importance, the population was over three hundred, and in the voting precinct there were six hundred people. There were four hundred votes cast that year. There were four stores for mining supplies, one clothing store, four hotels, two livery stables, one brewery, two large and a number of small saloons, two blacksmith shops, one tin shop, one bowling alley, post office, and express office.
Elder Jones settled in the town in 1854 and held the first religious services in the school-room. There was no regular church organization. Elder Jones departed in 1857, and the same year Elder Seymour came and held regular services in the school house for two years. From this date there were occasional services, but no resident minister until 1873, when Rev. Joshua Beven, a Baptist clergyman, began preaching in Good Templars’ Hall. He moved away in 1876, and another minister of the same denomination, Rev. M.D. Gage, Principal of the School, held services every Sunday in the same hall. In 1857, Elder Seymour instituted a Sunday school with about twenty scholars, of which he was Superintendent. The school now has from sixty to seventy scholars, and is presided over by Rev. M. D. Gage. The first school in Camptonville was a private one in 1854, taught by Mrs. A. Brooks, at her residence. The same year a public school was opened, where the drug store now stands. Miss Budden, who still resides in town, was the teacher. In 1852, the Gold Ridge Ditch Company was formed. The company brought water in a ditch from Oregon creek to Gold Ridge mining district. The owners of the ditch were N. A. Watson, Jos. Demars, Bennet Demars, Wm. Wagner, Jas. Graham, Aaron Calvin, and Geo. Myers. For the first six months they charged fifty cents an inch for water, then reduced to twenty-five cents for the next two years. It was then reduced fifty per cent which price remained fixed. The great gravel mines were opened in 1857 by the Camptonville Ravine Tunnel Company. This company was composed of William Elwell, Charles Twig, J. H. Verril, Ellis Elwell and three others. After many trials a tunnel some two hundred feet long was run into the hill, and the rich gravel beds opened up. The hydraulic mining process has since that time been used here on a large scale.
The necessity of having good water in Camptonville was early recognized by Sanford Hall, and in 1857 he undertook the task of supplying it. From a large spring, two and a half miles east of the town, he constructed a flume, through which water was brought to a reservoir within the town limits. This reservoir had a capacity of twelve thousand gallons and was built of plank, at a cost of two hundred dollars. Another flume ran from the reservoir over the tops of the houses, from which water was drawn off in supply pipes for use by the citizens. In 1858, he laid down seven hundred feet of four inch pipe, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. In 1859, he sold the property to J. D. Andrews. In 1860, Everett, McClellan & Elwell built a flume from a spring in Oregon creek, two and three-fourths miles distant, and brought water into two reservoirs, 16x24 feet in size and ten feet deep. They laid twelve hundred feet of six inch main pipe in the town and eight hundred feet of supply pipe. They also furnished four fire plugs. These improvements cost six thousand five hundred dollars. In 1861, these gentlemen bought out Andrews, and consolidated the water business. The property is all owned at the present time by J. P. Brown."
- Thompson & West, History of Yuba County, 1879