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Dogtown, Mariposa County, California

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Unincorporated community in California, United States

Unincorporated community in California, United States
Dogtown
Unincorporated community
Dogtown is located in CaliforniaDogtownDogtownLocation in CaliforniaShow map of CaliforniaDogtown is located in the United StatesDogtownDogtownDogtown (the United States)Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 37°42′08″N 120°07′41″W / 37.70222°N 120.12806°W / 37.70222; -120.12806
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyMariposa County
Elevation2,582 ft (787 m)

Dogtown is a former settlement in Mariposa County, California, United States. It was located on Maxwell Creek 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Coulterville, at an elevation of 2582 feet (787 m).

Dogtown was a major hydraulic mining center in the late nineteenth century. At its peak, the town boasted numerous hotels, saloons, a dance hall, and a red light district. The town was supposedly named for the many stray dogs that roamed the area during the Gold Rush. A dam failure flooded much of the townsite in 1899; by 1989, only "scattered building foundations and half a dozen wooden structures on the verge of collapse" remained at the site.

Several unrelated communities and mining camps in California also had the name Dogtown during the nineteenth century; including one in Mono County, one in neighboring Merced County, another in Butte County (now Magalia), one in Calaveras County, and a later settlement in Marin County.

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dogtown, Mariposa County, California
  2. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 766. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  3. Hillinger, Charles (April 9, 1989). "How Dogtown got its name". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, CA. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  4. Thome, Joe (October 15, 1987). "Merced's Dogtown chronicled". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, CA. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  5. Raymond, Rossiter W. (1873). Silver and Gold: An Account of the Mining and Metallurgical Industry of the United States, with Reference Chiefly to the Precious Metals. New York, NY: J.B. Ford and Company. p. 73.
  6. "Town gets a barking name". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, CA. May 13, 1976. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
Municipalities and communities of Mariposa County, California, United States
County seat: Mariposa
CDPs
Mariposa County map
Unincorporated
communities
Former
settlements


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