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Volcano, California




The town is named for its setting in a bowl-shaped Valley which early Miner s thought was caused by a volcano. The early morning Fog rising from the valley floor only reinforced that belief. The spot was discovered in 1848 by Colonel Stevenson's men, who mined Soldiers Gulch in 1849 . In 1851 a Post Office was established and by April 1852 there were 300 houses. By 1853 the flats and Gulch es swarmed with men, and there were 11 stores, 6 hotels, 3 bakeries, and 3 saloons. Hydraulic mining operations, begun in 1855 , brought thousands of fortune seekers to form a town of 17 hotels, a library, a theater, and courts of quick justice. During the Civil War , Volcano's gold served the Union — Volcano Blues smuggled the Cannon "Old Abe" in by Hearse to quell rebels.

Although small, Volcano is a town of many "firsts":

The observatory was established by George Madeira and is where the Great Comet Of 1861 was discovered (in the U.S.). It is registered as California Historical Landmark #715.

Volcano is also home to Black Chasm Caverns , a National Natural Landmark .


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