Belleville, California
Encyclopedia
Belleville, California was a gold mining boomtown
in the San Bernardino Mountains
of San Bernardino County, California
. It grew up rapidly following the discovery of gold
by William F. Holcomb
in Holcomb Valley
early in 1860. Belleville was named after Belle, the first child born in the new town. It was a busy mining town
for ten years, it was virtually abandoned before the end of the 19th century. It is now a ghost town
.
began. Stamp mill
s required to crush the rock were built at different sites in the valleys.
At first prospectors had to travel to Holcomb Valley from San Bernardino by a wagon road into the Upper Santa Ana Canyon, and then north by pack mule up the mountains to Bear Valley
and on to Holcomb Valley. In June 1861, Jed Van Dusen built a wagon road down the north side of the mountains through Hesperia
and then south through the Cajon Pass
, at a cost of $1,500. This enabled travelers to reach the town of Belleville in two days by a regular stage from San Bernardino.
By the time of the elections in September 1860, Belleville had a population of nearly 10,000, the largest in Holcomb Valley
. It was proposed for the location of the county seat. The matter was decided in the election, in which the smaller city of San Bernardino
narrowly won the contest by two votes. Some of the ballots from a precinct in Belleville were said to have been burned by "accident".
With easier access, Belleville grew quickly. Soon it had a store, two butcher shops, two laundries, a bakery, three carpenter shops, two blacksmiths, a stamp mill and a sawmill. It also had several saloons and the Octagon House, featuring dancers who entertained the miners. The many rough and single men made it a violent place. By 1862, Holcomb Valley had 50 murders. A large hanging
tree was designated where many men paid for their crimes.
Soon the placers began to run out and the population declined. The remaining miners engaged in the more difficult Quartz reef mining
. Belleville was eventually abandoned. The gold rush in Holcomb Valley lasted about 10 years, from 1860-1870. Hard rock mining
continued for decades more in the mountains. For example, Lucky Baldwin
's Gold Mountain Mine produced from 1860 until 1919.
to take control of weapon arsenals, secede from the Union, and join the Confederacy
in the American Civil War
. The U.S. government sent Federal troops on August 25, 1861 to San Bernardino to prevent such actions. The troops traveled secretly at night to avoid an expected ambush. No revolt occurred, despite rumors of secessionists' mobilizing in Belleville and the Mojave Desert
. The appearance of a squadron of First U.S. Dragoons in town on election day quelled an incipient secessionist riot in San Bernardino. A few days later a robbery on the pack trail to Bear Valley was attributed to the secessionists.
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
of San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
. It grew up rapidly following the discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
by William F. Holcomb
William F. Holcomb
William Francis "Grizzly Bill" Holcomb , was an American prospector and the first to discover gold in the region which became known as Holcomb Valley, near present-day Big Bear Lake, California. Holcomb Valley had the most gold of any Southern California field. The boomtown of Belleville grew up...
in Holcomb Valley
Holcomb Valley
Holcomb Valley, located in the San Bernardino Mountains about five miles north of Big Bear Lake, was the site of the most gold mined in Southern California. It was named after William F. Holcomb, who discovered gold there in 1860. That year started the largest gold rush in Southern California to...
early in 1860. Belleville was named after Belle, the first child born in the new town. It was a busy mining town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
for ten years, it was virtually abandoned before the end of the 19th century. It is now a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
History
The first phase of mining was by small groups or individuals for placer gold, by people with claims along stream beds. With better transportation, more prospectors with equipment arrived in the area. When the Bear Valley Mining District was founded, quartz miningQuartz reef mining
Primary gold typically occurs in quartz veins. The extraction of gold ore from these hard quartz veins was historically referred to as quartz reef mining....
began. Stamp mill
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
s required to crush the rock were built at different sites in the valleys.
At first prospectors had to travel to Holcomb Valley from San Bernardino by a wagon road into the Upper Santa Ana Canyon, and then north by pack mule up the mountains to Bear Valley
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...
and on to Holcomb Valley. In June 1861, Jed Van Dusen built a wagon road down the north side of the mountains through Hesperia
Hesperia, California
Hesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert north of San Bernardino. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the High Desert...
and then south through the Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
, at a cost of $1,500. This enabled travelers to reach the town of Belleville in two days by a regular stage from San Bernardino.
By the time of the elections in September 1860, Belleville had a population of nearly 10,000, the largest in Holcomb Valley
Holcomb Valley
Holcomb Valley, located in the San Bernardino Mountains about five miles north of Big Bear Lake, was the site of the most gold mined in Southern California. It was named after William F. Holcomb, who discovered gold there in 1860. That year started the largest gold rush in Southern California to...
. It was proposed for the location of the county seat. The matter was decided in the election, in which the smaller city of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
narrowly won the contest by two votes. Some of the ballots from a precinct in Belleville were said to have been burned by "accident".
With easier access, Belleville grew quickly. Soon it had a store, two butcher shops, two laundries, a bakery, three carpenter shops, two blacksmiths, a stamp mill and a sawmill. It also had several saloons and the Octagon House, featuring dancers who entertained the miners. The many rough and single men made it a violent place. By 1862, Holcomb Valley had 50 murders. A large hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
tree was designated where many men paid for their crimes.
Soon the placers began to run out and the population declined. The remaining miners engaged in the more difficult Quartz reef mining
Quartz reef mining
Primary gold typically occurs in quartz veins. The extraction of gold ore from these hard quartz veins was historically referred to as quartz reef mining....
. Belleville was eventually abandoned. The gold rush in Holcomb Valley lasted about 10 years, from 1860-1870. Hard rock mining
Hard rock mining
Underground hard rock mining refers to various underground mining techniques used to excavate hard minerals, mainly those containing metals such as ore containing gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel and lead, but also involves using the same techniques for excavating ores of gems such as...
continued for decades more in the mountains. For example, Lucky Baldwin
Lucky Baldwin
Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin was a prominent California businessman and investor of the second half of the 19th century.-Biography:...
's Gold Mountain Mine produced from 1860 until 1919.
Civil War era
During the national crisis in 1860-1861, Belleville was a hotbed of secessionist sympathizers. United States officials feared they were organizing with others in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
to take control of weapon arsenals, secede from the Union, and join the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The U.S. government sent Federal troops on August 25, 1861 to San Bernardino to prevent such actions. The troops traveled secretly at night to avoid an expected ambush. No revolt occurred, despite rumors of secessionists' mobilizing in Belleville and the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
. The appearance of a squadron of First U.S. Dragoons in town on election day quelled an incipient secessionist riot in San Bernardino. A few days later a robbery on the pack trail to Bear Valley was attributed to the secessionists.