Indian Gulch | |
|---|---|
  Indian Gulch Location in California  Indian Gulch Indian Gulch (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 37°26′22″N 120°11′49″W / 37.43944°N 120.19694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mariposa County |
| Elevation | 968 ft (295 m) |
Indian Gulch (formerly, Indiangulch and Santa Cruz)[2] is a former settlement in Mariposa County, California.[1] It lies at an elevation of 968 feet (295 m).[1]
Indian Gulch was established in the 1850s as a gold mining community. The town had a church, hotel, blacksmith shop, and an estimated population of several hundred. By 1910, the church was no longer active and was deeded to the Catholic Church in 1914. When the church was moved to Mariposa in 1973, the town was down to one resident.[3] The church later burned.[4] A cemetery and a few scattered buildings remain today.
A post office operated at Indian Gulch from 1855 to 1912, with a closure during part of 1901.[2] The place was originally called Santa Cruz from the nearby Santa Cruz Mountain 1.25 miles (2 km) to the north-northwest of the town.[2] Indian Gulch once had telephone service, but supposedly never had electricity.[4]
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Indian Gulch, California
- ^ 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. 785. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ "One resident remains in onetime gold mining town". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, CA. November 25, 1973. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Rasmussen, Dick (May 3, 1993). "Gordo's Gulch? Mining days of Indian Gulch recalled". Merced Sun-Star. Merced, CA. Retrieved December 8, 2023.