About The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991
Auburn, Placer County, Calif. (1855-1991)

The Weekly Placer Herald and The Placer Herald

The California Gold Rush was short lived, but its impact was profound and enduring. Between 1848 and the mid-1850s hundreds of thousands of people moved into the state in search of easily accessible gold deposits. Most of these "49ers" initially settled in the Sierra Nevada region of California, from Butte County in the north to Mariposa County in the south, establishing both mining camps and new towns in the area. Within a decade the majority of workable gold deposits were emptied and prospectors were replaced by mechanization and capital. Most of the "Argonauts" moved either out of the region or into nearby growing towns and cities.

California "mining newspapers," as they were called by one of their first chroniclers, Helen Giffen, sprang up in these newly settled towns as the initial Gold Rush waned. Not only were they some of the earliest papers printed in the state, collectively they chronicled a region as it transitioned from often lawless and violent mining camps to permanent settlements with organized governments and law enforcement. They also recorded the changing nature of mining and, as Giffen notes, "advocated mining and land reforms that were later written into California law."

Located just north of El Dorado County, the birthplace of the California Gold Rush, Placer County was established in 1851 with the city of Auburn as its seat. The county's name derived from the plentiful "placer" gold deposits in riverbeds that prospectors discovered in 1848. Auburn is roughly 30 miles from both Coloma, where gold was first uncovered at Sutter's Mill, and Sacramento. Auburn's proximity to gold mines and the state capital allowed it to continue to thrive beyond the 1880s, when gold mining began to be eclipsed by other industries.

Not surprisingly, given Auburn's status as the county seat and its thriving economy, the city had numerous newspapers throughout the last half of the 19^th century. One of the first and most enduring was the Placer Herald, which was established in September of 1852 as the Weekly Placer Herald by Richard Rust and Tabb Mitchell. The title changed to just the Placer Herald in September of 1855, with Mitchell remaining as editor. It was in continuous publication until 1966, when the publication moved to Rocklin and was renamed the Placer Rocklin Herald.

Provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA