Oregon City, California

Oregon City
Castleberry Covered Bridge in March 2021
Castleberry Covered Bridge in March 2021
Oregon City is located in California
Oregon City
Oregon City
Location in California
Coordinates: 39°35′38″N 121°31′46″W / 39.59389°N 121.52944°W / 39.59389; -121.52944[1]
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyButte County
Elevation1,184 ft (361 m)
Reference no.807[2]

Oregon City, formerly Bloomingdale and Hengy,[3] is a ghost town located between Oroville and Cherokee in Butte County, California. One of the first mining camps in the county, it was established in the autumn of 1848 by a party of Oregonians,[4] who came to California over the Applegate and Lassen trails. Little more than a year later their captain, Peter H. Burnett, became the first civil Governor of California. For a time, Oregon City prospered as a gold mining and supply center, then it declined into virtual oblivion. It lies 1,184 feet (361 m) above mean sea level.

The historic schoolhouse, built in 1872

The Hengy post office operated from 1894 to 1900 and from 1901 to 1902; it was named after the first postmaster, Jessie Hengy.[3] The Bloomingdale post office operated from 1902 to 1905.[3]

The site of the camp is now a California Historical Landmark.[2]

The Oregon City Covered Bridge, also known as the Castleberry Covered Bridge, is located near Oregon City.

  1. ^ a b "Oregon City". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b "Oregon City". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  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. 288. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. ^ Varney, Philip (2001). Ghost Towns of Northern California. St. Paul, MN: Voyageur Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-89658-442-6.