Early History of the Stanislaus Region

Early settlements in the great Central Valley of California were established along the only transportation routes available at the time - the rivers. In 1832, the Hudson Bay Company first established "French Camp" rendezvous and trapped the valley rivers. Explorers such as John C. Fremont camped on the rivers, and in 1846 New Hope or Stanislaus City, a Morman colony, was established.

With California's gold rush in 1849, a stampede of people flooded the state, all seeking their fortunes. Many stayed to establish towns and cities in Northern California. In 1854, Stanislaus County was organized with a population under 1,000 people. The county was named after Estanislao, a Native American who had fought battles along the rivers in the area. A statue was recently dedicated in the Stanislaus County Courthouse Park to honor Chief Estanislao.

Within one year, Stanislaus County had three county seats - Adamsville, Empire City and La Grange. In 1860, when the gold mining town of Knights Ferry was annexed to the county, it became he fourth county seat.

Wheat was the primary crop grown in the region, and the years of the Civil War kept the need for wheat, barley and grain at a high level. The late 1860s saw riverboats such as Tulare, Enterprise, Empire City and Hartlett used on the rivers for passengers and transportation of crops.

Paradise City and Tuolumne City prospered, and 1868 was a banner year for wheat. It was also the year that construction began on the railroad through the Central Valley in earnest, and any city that didn't pay for the privilege of having the railroad run through it, was bypassed. New towns, laid out by the railroad, took their place.