Holcomb Valley
Encyclopedia
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...
about five miles north of Big Bear Lake
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...
, was the site of the most gold mined in Southern California
Southern 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...
. It was named after 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...
, who discovered gold there in 1860. That year started the largest gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in Southern California to the area. The boomtown
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,...
of Belleville
Belleville, California
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...
grew up near there and flourished for about ten years before being abandoned.
Gold
In May 1860, goldGold
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...
was first discovered here 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...
and Ben Choteau. They were miners who had been prospecting at Bear Valley. Holcomb found gold while he was tracking a bear in the valley later named after him. After Holcomb and Ben Ware filed mine claims on five sites in May 1860 at the County Recorder's office, word spread quickly and prospectors rushed to the area.
Before long, a gold camp sprang up east of where the gold was first discovered. It became a town and, after the first child Belle was born, the new town was named Belleville
Belleville, California
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...
in her honor. It soon became the largest town in San Bernardino County
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...
with a population of 10,000, and was nearly made the county seat. Filled with rough characters competing over gold, it was a place of violence and hanging justice. It was the third and fourth largest town in Southern California during these years
Holcomb Valley produced the most wealth from gold of any Southern California mining district. With time, major placer and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
mining declined, followed by the departure of most of the population of Belleville after 1870. Hard rock mining continued at the Gold Mountain Mine until 1919. Some mining activity continues today, with 2,000 claims by hobbyists.
The valley is the site of the Holcomb Valley Scout Ranch
Scouting in California
Scouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs related to their environments.-Early history :...
(formerly of Old Baldy Council), on the site of the old Hitchcock Ranch. It provides opportunities for youth to have experience in ranching, hiking and related outdoor skills.