Omega, California

Omega
Former settlement
Omega is located in California
Omega
Omega
Location in California
Coordinates: 39°20′00″N 120°44′58″W / 39.33333°N 120.74944°W / 39.33333; -120.74944
Country United States
State California
CountyNevada County
Elevation4,304 ft (1,312 m)
Population
 • Total50
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)

Omega (originally, Delerium Tremens)[3] was a former settlement in Nevada County, California, United States, first populated in 1850 by a single miner, J.A. Dixon, working a claim during the California Gold Rush.[4] The town was located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) east-southeast of the present-day unincorporated town of Washington, California.[3] A sister town, Alpha, located at what is now the site of the historical Omega Hydraulic Diggings, was about 1 mi (1.6 km) north of Omega. In the mid 1850s, following the introduction of hydraulic mining operations nearby, the town prospered. Omega had a post office (which operated from 1857 to 1891),[3] and needed to convert a residence into a jail in late 1858.[4]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Omega, California
  2. ^ "Nevada County GenWeb Nevada County History". cagenweb.com. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  3. ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 533. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. ^ a b Alpha-Omega Lookout and Monument; at malakoff.com; accessed May 2014