Volcano, California
Encyclopedia
Volcano is a census-designated place
in Amador County
, California
. It lies at an elevation of 2070 feet (631 m). The population was 115 at the 2010 census. It is located at 38°26′35"N 120°37′51"W, just north of Pine Grove. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark
#29. The community is in ZIP code
95689 and area code 209
.
The town is named for its setting in a bowl-shaped valley
which early miner
s thought was caused by a volcano. The early morning fog
rising from the valley floor only reinforced that belief. The area was first known designated by Colonel Stevenson's men, who mined Soldiers Gulch in 1849. In 1851 a post office
was established and by April 1852 there were 300 houses. By 1853 the flats and gulch
es swarmed with men, and there were 11 stores, 6 hotels, 3 bakeries, and 3 saloons. Hydraulic mining operations, begun in 1855, brought thousands of fortune seekers to form a town of 17 hotels, a library, a theater, and courts of quick justice. During the Civil War
, Volcano's gold served the Union
— the Volcano Blues smuggled the cannon
"Old Abe" to intimidate rebel sympathizers. The cannon was cast by Cyrus Alger & Co. in Boston in 1837 and is the first of two 6-pounders made on the same day to be stamped with serial number 4. The cannon was never fired. The other cannon still survives at Shiloh Battlefield and is called "Shiloh Sam". Abe is the only cannon of that age in the U.S. still on a nineteenth century wooden carriage, and has had an interesting history all on its own.
The landmark St. George Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Volcano almost became the county seat
in 1854 and again in 1857, but the newspaper closed in 1857 and afterwards, the town began to decline.
Although small, Volcano is a town of many "firsts":
The observatory was established by George Madeira
and is where the Great Comet of 1861 was discovered (in the U.S.). It is registered as California Historical Landmark #715.
Volcano is also home to Black Chasm Caverns, a National Natural Landmark
.
Community theater, first established in 1854, continues in the town through the efforts of the Volcano Theater Company. The company conducts a full season each year, performing in both the 35-seat Cobblestone Theater and in the larger outdoor Volcano Amphitheater.
A post office opened in Volcano in 1851.
was 76.6 people per square mile (29.6/km²). The racial makeup of Volcano was 109 (94.8%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 2 (1.7%) Native American, 2 (1.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 0 (0.0%) from other races
, and 2 (1.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7 persons (6.1%).
The Census reported that 115 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 55 households, out of which 10 (18.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 23 (41.8%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 5 (9.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 5 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3 (5.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 1 (1.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 18 households (32.7%) were made up of individuals and 4 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09. There were 33 families
(60.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.52.
The population was spread out with 20 people (17.4%) under the age of 18, 3 people (2.6%) aged 18 to 24, 11 people (9.6%) aged 25 to 44, 53 people (46.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 28 people (24.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.1 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
There were 70 housing units at an average density of 46.6 per square mile (18.0/km²), of which 37 (67.3%) were owner-occupied, and 18 (32.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 14.3%. 83 people (72.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 32 people (27.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Volcano is located in the 1st California State Senate District, and in the 10th California State Assembly District. Federally, Volcano is located in California's 3rd congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +7 and is represented by Republican Dan Lungren
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in Amador County
Amador County, California
Amador County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,091. The county seat is Jackson.Amador County bills itself as "The Heart of the Mother Lode" and lies within the Gold Country...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It lies at an elevation of 2070 feet (631 m). The population was 115 at the 2010 census. It is located at 38°26′35"N 120°37′51"W, just north of Pine Grove. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
#29. The community is in ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
95689 and area code 209
Area code 209
209 is the North American telephone area code for California that covers Stockton, Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Winton, Atwater, Livingston, Manteca, Ripon, Tracy, Lodi, Sonora, Los Banos, San Andreas, Mariposa, and Yosemite, as well as the northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Foothills...
.
History
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
which early miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s thought was caused by a volcano. The early morning fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
rising from the valley floor only reinforced that belief. The area was first known designated by Colonel Stevenson's men, who mined Soldiers Gulch in 1849. In 1851 a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established and by April 1852 there were 300 houses. By 1853 the flats and gulch
Gulch
A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Occasionally, sudden intense rainfall may produce flash floods in the area of the gulch....
es swarmed with men, and there were 11 stores, 6 hotels, 3 bakeries, and 3 saloons. Hydraulic mining operations, begun in 1855, brought thousands of fortune seekers to form a town of 17 hotels, a library, a theater, and courts of quick justice. During the 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...
, Volcano's gold served the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
— the Volcano Blues smuggled the cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
"Old Abe" to intimidate rebel sympathizers. The cannon was cast by Cyrus Alger & Co. in Boston in 1837 and is the first of two 6-pounders made on the same day to be stamped with serial number 4. The cannon was never fired. The other cannon still survives at Shiloh Battlefield and is called "Shiloh Sam". Abe is the only cannon of that age in the U.S. still on a nineteenth century wooden carriage, and has had an interesting history all on its own.
The landmark St. George Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Volcano almost became the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
in 1854 and again in 1857, but the newspaper closed in 1857 and afterwards, the town began to decline.
Although small, Volcano is a town of many "firsts":
- 1854 First theater group in California
- 1854 First debatingDebateDebate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
society in California - 1854 First circulating libraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
in California - 1855 First private schoolPrivate schoolPrivate schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
s in California - 1855 First private law schoolLaw schoolA law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
in California - 1856 First legal hangingHangingHanging 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...
in Amador County - 1860 First astronomical observatory in California
- 1978 First solar stillSolar stillA solar still is a low-tech way of distilling water, powered by the heat of the sun . Two basic types of solar stills are box and pit stills. In a solar still, impure water is contained outside the collector, where it is evaporated by sunlight shining through clear plastic...
in California
The observatory was established by George Madeira
George Madeira
George David Madeira was a mining engineer and mineralogist who founded the first astronomical observatory in California in the town of Volcano....
and is where the Great Comet of 1861 was discovered (in the U.S.). It is registered as California Historical Landmark #715.
Volcano is also home to Black Chasm Caverns, a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
.
Community theater, first established in 1854, continues in the town through the efforts of the Volcano Theater Company. The company conducts a full season each year, performing in both the 35-seat Cobblestone Theater and in the larger outdoor Volcano Amphitheater.
A post office opened in Volcano in 1851.
Notable residents
- James T. FarleyJames T. FarleyJames Thompson Farley was an American politician.He was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, and moved to Missouri and then California at an early age...
, United States Senator for California (1879–1885) - Harry B. LiversedgeHarry B. LiversedgeBrigadier General Harry Bluett Liversedge , whose regiment figured in the historic raising the flag on Iwo Jima, was a United States Marine who died in 1951 after almost 25 years of service...
, two-time track star at both the 19201920 Summer OlympicsThe 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
and 1924 Olympics1924 Summer OlympicsThe 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
and later Brigadier General best known as the leader of the regiment figured in the historic Iwo Jima flag raisingRaising the Flag on Iwo JimaRaising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.The photograph was extremely...
. - Angelo Joseph RossiAngelo Joseph RossiAngelo Joseph Rossi was a U.S. political figure who served as the 31st mayor of San Francisco. He was the first mayor of 100% Italian descent of a major U.S city Angelo Joseph Rossi (January 22, 1878 – April 5, 1948) was a U.S. political figure who served as the 31st mayor of San Francisco....
, 31st Mayor of San Francisco, California (1931–1944).
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Volcano had a population of 115. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 76.6 people per square mile (29.6/km²). The racial makeup of Volcano was 109 (94.8%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 2 (1.7%) Native American, 2 (1.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 0 (0.0%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2 (1.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7 persons (6.1%).
The Census reported that 115 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 55 households, out of which 10 (18.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 23 (41.8%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5 (9.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 5 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3 (5.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 1 (1.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 18 households (32.7%) were made up of individuals and 4 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09. There were 33 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(60.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.52.
The population was spread out with 20 people (17.4%) under the age of 18, 3 people (2.6%) aged 18 to 24, 11 people (9.6%) aged 25 to 44, 53 people (46.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 28 people (24.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.1 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
There were 70 housing units at an average density of 46.6 per square mile (18.0/km²), of which 37 (67.3%) were owner-occupied, and 18 (32.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 14.3%. 83 people (72.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 32 people (27.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Volcano is located in the 1st California State Senate District, and in the 10th California State Assembly District. Federally, Volcano is located in California's 3rd congressional district
California's 3rd congressional district
California's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. It covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +7 and is represented by Republican Dan Lungren
Dan Lungren
Daniel Edward "Dan" Lungren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...
.