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History · Paloma

Half of Paloma’s homes were built after 1995

Most of Paloma was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1944 on.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Paloma’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 Paloma are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Paloma’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Paloma’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 so far

Paloma, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Paloma yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Paloma (Spanish for "dove"; formerly Fosteria and Frenchman's Ranch) is an unincorporated community in Calaveras County, California, United States. It lies at an elevation of 1362 feet (415 m) and is located at 38°15′34″N 120°45′48″W. The community is served by ZIP code 95252 and area code 209. Gwin Mine, Paloma, and Lower Rich Gulch were mined for placer gold in 1849, and quartz was discovered by J. Alexander in 1851. Property here was acquired by William M. Gwin, California's first U.S. Senator, in 1851. After yielding millions of dollars in gold, the Gwin Mine closed in 1908. The town today is registered as California Historical Landmark #295. The town's post office operated from 1903 to…

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Paloma, 1903 to 1944

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1903Post officeThe Fosteria post office opens
  3. 1918Post officeThe Fosteria post office closes
  4. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Paloma on the map, 1944 to 1962

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

Paloma on the 1944 USGS mapPaloma on the 1962 USGS map1944Sutter Creek sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Paloma

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

See all →
E
Ernest GalloAmerican businessman · b. 1909
T
Tam O'ShaughnessyAmerican educator, children's science writer, p… · b. 1952
Angelo Joseph RossiAmerican mayor · b. 1878
David HodoAmerican singer · b. 1947
Anthony CaminettiAmerican politician · b. 1854
J
Joseph RaphaelAmerican artist · b. 1869
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Another post office, Fosteria, opened and closed inside today’s town.

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Paloma’s history

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.