Mooney Flat | |
|---|---|
  Mooney Flat Location in California  Mooney Flat Mooney Flat (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 39°12′56″N 121°16′28″W / 39.21556°N 121.27444°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Nevada County |
| Elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
Mooney Flat was an important mining and transportation hub in western Nevada County, California, just east of the Yuba County line. It was situated on modern Mooney Flat Road, about 1 mile north of modern Highway 20, at an elevation of about 800 ft.
Mooney Flat lies at the western end of the auriferous channel that runs down the San Juan Ridge. The channel disappears past French Corral and then reappears around Mooney Flat for a few miles, encompassing the communities, from east to west, of Mooney Flat, Sucker Flat, Smartsville and Timbuctoo,[2] Smartsville was the principal town and still exists today. It is often hard to separate the history of Mooney Flat from the history of Smartsville. While the boundary drawn between Nevada County and Yuba County put Smartsville in Yuba County and Mooney Flat in Nevada County, in ensuing years, the Smartsville residents petitioned unsuccessfully to become part of Nevada County.[3]
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mooney Flat, California
- ^ Thompson, Thomas H. and West, Albert A., (1970 ed.) History of Nevada County-1880, (hereafter Thompson and West), p. 179.
- ^ Marysville Daily Appeal (hereafter MDA), May 20, 1869, March 16, 1878.