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| Dutch Flat school painting in Museum |
Dutch Flat was founded during the Gold Rush era in 1851 by
Joseph and Charles Dornbach [1]. Also referred to as
Dutchman's Flat and
Dutch's Flat, this community is located about 30 miles northeast of Auburn in the Sierra Nevada. The Dornbach brothers were not
Dutch but
German immigrants.Yet the attribute “Dutch” stuck since local miners addressed the brothers this way. A handout provided in the
Golden Drift Museum, next to the
Dutch Flat Hotel on Dutch Flat's Main Street, in explains [2]:
The community derived its name from the Dornbachs, who emigrated to this country from Prussia but were tagged with the nickname “Dutch” by miners. Their business establishment was referred to as “Dutch's Flat” and as development in the area occurred as far east as Crystal Springs, the entire section became known as “Dutch Flat”.
< The Dutch Flat Community Club, Dutch Flat, Placer County, California >
Dutch Flat started as a
mining town. Before it was connected to “the outside word” by railroad, it was an important
stagecoach stop, “making it one of the largest and most important towns in Placer County from about 1864 to 1866” [3].
According to an informative panel at the Golden Drift Museum, Dutch Flat, in 1861, had 7 grocery stores, 8 clothing stores, 2 hardware stores, 1 drug store, 2 butcher stalls, 1 bakery, 17 saloons, 2 breweries. 3 blacksmith shops, 2 tin shops, 1 carpenter shop, 2 hotels, 1 restaurant, 1 school and 3 churches. Sounds like a fully functional & fun 19th century town.
Dutch Flat is easily accessible via
Interstate 80 (
exit 145).
Keywords:
place name;
name confusion;
Dutch; German;
Californian;
heritage.
References and more to explore
[1] Office of Historic Preservation: Town of Dutch Flat -
Historical Landmark. Link:
ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/397.
[2] Handout published by
The Dutch Flat Community Club, Dutch Flat, Placer County, California.
[3]
Western Mining History.
westernmininghistory.com/towns/california/dutch-flat-ca/.
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