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History · Chinese Camp

Chinese Camp’s post office opened in 1854

Most of Chinese Camp was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 2000.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Cary Bass · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Chinese Camp began

When was Chinese Camp founded?

1854

The Chinese Camp post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 146 in 20002020 census: 90172 years
Founding year: the first Chinese Camp post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Chinese Camp’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Chinese Camp are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Chinese Camp’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chinese Camp’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chinese Camp’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Chinese Camp came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chinese Camp.

Read it all →

Chinese Camp is the remnant of a notable California Gold Rush mining town. Between 1849 and 1882, thousands of Chinese immigrants arrived in the area to look for good fortune on the legendary "Gold Mountain".

The settlement was first known as "Camp Washington" or "Washingtonville" and one of the few remaining streets is Washington Street. Some of the first Chinese laborers arriving in California in 1849 were driven from neighboring Camp Salvado and resettled here, and the area started to become known as "Chinee" or "Chinese Camp" or "Chinese Diggings". At one point, the town was home to an estimated 5,000 Chinese.

The Chinese Camp post office was established in the general store on April 18, 1854.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Chinese Camp, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Graveyard2012GraveyardChurch2012ChurchBuilding2012BuildingChinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuolumne County, California2012Chinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuolumne County, …Plaque for Mark Twain Bret Harte Trail located in Chinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuolumne County, California2012Plaque for Mark Twain Bret Harte Trail located in Chi…Graveyard in Chinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuolumne County, California2012Graveyard in Chinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuol…Graveyard in Chinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuolumne County, California2012Graveyard in Chinese Camp, a small settlement in Tuol…Chinese Camp-82012Chinese Camp-8Chinese Camp-62012Chinese Camp-6Chinese Camp-52012Chinese Camp-5Chinese Camp-42012Chinese Camp-4Chinese Camp-172012Chinese Camp-17Chinese Camp-152012Chinese Camp-15Chinese Camp-142012Chinese Camp-14Chinese Camp CA Postmark2012Chinese Camp CA PostmarkSRR 34 and 28 Chinese Hill Sept 71xRP - Flickr - drewj19462010SRR 34 and 28 Chinese Hill Sept 71xRP - Flickr - drew…Chinese Camp plaque (Eddie Wood)2009Chinese Camp plaque (Eddie Wood)Chinese Camp Street sign2009Chinese Camp Street sign
On the map

Chinese Camp on the map, 1947 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chinese Camp. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chinese Camp on the 1947 USGS mapChinese Camp on the 1973 USGS mapChinese Camp on the 1987 USGS map1947Chinese Camp sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chinese Camp.

People over time

Chinese Camp, census by census

010020002020Peak: 146

Between 90 and 146 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chinese Camp’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Chinese Camp

Nobody well known was born in Chinese Camp itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
T.J. DillashawAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1986
J
Jenny O'HaraAmerican actress · b. 1942
L
Larry J. FrancoAmerican film producer · b. 1949
Melvin Mouron BelliAmerican lawyer · b. 1907
Rocco PrestiaAmerican bassist · b. 1951
Peter MuldoonCatholic bishop · b. 1862

Questions about Chinese Camp’s history

What year was Chinese Camp founded?

The Chinese Camp post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.