Terra Cotta, California
Encyclopedia
Terra Cotta, California is a former mining town in Riverside County
. It was established in 1887, in the Warm Springs Valley northwest of the town of Lake Elsinore
, and later incorporated into the City of Lake Elsinore.
Coal was found on the site by John D. Huff in the late 1880s along with clay deposits, and the Southern California Coal and Clay Company was formed to mine them. The town site of Terra Cotta was laid out and was given a post office in 1887. A plant for the manufacture of sewer and water pipes was built using the coal to fire ceramic pipes in the four kilns. The finished product had to be shipped by wagon six miles through Lake Elsinore to the La Laguna rail station at the mouth of Railroad Canyon
until 1896 when a spur line was built through Lake Elsinore and Terra Cotta to the new clay deposits in Alberhill
. The coal mined was also used locally as fuel for the stamping mill at the Good Hope Mine
and was shipped elsewhere in the state.
Almost abandoned by 1901, Terra Cotta was revived in 1906 when the California Fireproof Construction Company built a new plant there to make ceramic pipes. In 1912, the plant was closed and torn down by 1925 along with most of the buildings in the town. The clay mine in the townsite continued to be operated by the Pacific Clay Products Company until 1940, when they transferred all their operations to Alberhill.
The abandoned site still remains with its old grid of dirt streets laid out through the sagebrush. It can be accessed from Lakeshore Drive by Terra Cotta Road or from the I-15 Freeway by Nichols Road.
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
. It was established in 1887, in the Warm Springs Valley northwest of the town of Lake Elsinore
Lake Elsinore, California
For the lake see Lake Elsinore.Lake Elsinore or LE is a city in western Riverside County, California. The population was 51,821 at the 2010 census...
, and later incorporated into the City of Lake Elsinore.
Coal was found on the site by John D. Huff in the late 1880s along with clay deposits, and the Southern California Coal and Clay Company was formed to mine them. The town site of Terra Cotta was laid out and was given a post office in 1887. A plant for the manufacture of sewer and water pipes was built using the coal to fire ceramic pipes in the four kilns. The finished product had to be shipped by wagon six miles through Lake Elsinore to the La Laguna rail station at the mouth of Railroad Canyon
Railroad Canyon
Railroad Canyon, also known as San Jacinto Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and Annie Orton Canyon, lies along the course of the San Jacinto River at the point where the river passes south through the hills from Perris, California, through Canyon Lake, California, then west to Lake Elsinore, California...
until 1896 when a spur line was built through Lake Elsinore and Terra Cotta to the new clay deposits in Alberhill
Alberhill, California
Alberhill is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California. Alberhill is located on northwest of Lake Elsinore. It lies at an elevation of 1234 feet ....
. The coal mined was also used locally as fuel for the stamping mill at the Good Hope Mine
Good Hope Mine
Good Hope Mine was the principal gold mine in the Pinacate Mining District, Riverside County, California.Good Hope Mine was reputedly discovered by a Frenchman named Mache, although the washes in the area were originally placer mined by Mexicans in the 1850's during the California Gold Rush using...
and was shipped elsewhere in the state.
Almost abandoned by 1901, Terra Cotta was revived in 1906 when the California Fireproof Construction Company built a new plant there to make ceramic pipes. In 1912, the plant was closed and torn down by 1925 along with most of the buildings in the town. The clay mine in the townsite continued to be operated by the Pacific Clay Products Company until 1940, when they transferred all their operations to Alberhill.
The abandoned site still remains with its old grid of dirt streets laid out through the sagebrush. It can be accessed from Lakeshore Drive by Terra Cotta Road or from the I-15 Freeway by Nichols Road.
Sources
- Tom Hudson, Lake Elsinore Valley, its story 1776-1977, 2nd Ed., Published by author, 1988. ISBN 0-931700-01-9