Mokelumne Hill, CA

Mokelumne Hill, known locally as Moke Hill, is a Calaveras County census-designated place on California's Highway 49. The 2020 census counted 691 residents. Gold brought the town together in 1848, and Mokelumne Hill became one of the Mother Lode's richest mining towns before serving as the county seat from 1852 to 1866. Its name comes from the nearby Mokelumne River and a Miwok expression connected with the people of Mokel. The 1854 fire pushed builders toward local rhyolite stone, which still gives the old center its texture.

ATTRKuchel & Dresel / Public domain

Today the history is easy to encounter on foot. The I.O.O.F. building, Hotel Leger, old homes, churches, and the Library/Archives in a former blacksmith shop keep the gold-rush town legible, while active cattle ranches hold the surrounding hills in agricultural use. The Mokelumne Hill History Society maintains stories about the town's mines, canals, cemeteries, and buildings. Moke Hill's local scoop is a California foothill community where a gold camp, a stone-built main street, and working ranch country still share one ridge.