Secret Town, California

Unincorporated community in California, United States

39°09′26″N 120°52′40″W / 39.15722°N 120.87778°W / 39.15722; -120.87778Country

United StatesState

CaliforniaCountyPlacer CountyElevation

^[1]

2,904 ft (885 m)

Secret Town was a historical mining town in Placer County, California.^[1] It was located 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Colfax,^[2] at an elevation of 2904 feet (885 m).^[1]

Name

After gold was discovered in this area, miners wanted to keep the location a secret, hence the unusual name.^[3]

Railway bridge

Secret Town trestle, ca. 1870

Chinese laborers fill Secret Town trestle, 1877

Secret Town was the site of a very long trestle railroad bridge. The 1100 ft (335 m) long and 95 ft (29 m) high Secret Town wooden trestle on the Central Pacific Railroad's grade, like most of the other trestles of the line, was filled in with earth and rock after the railroad opened to traffic and could afford to send Chinese laborers back to improve the right-of-way by reducing the risk of catching fire from smokestack sparks as steam locomotives crossed.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Secret Town, California
^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 553. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
^ ^a ^b Secret Town Fill. Explore APA Heritage - Chinese Heritage Sites of the American West.