Sierra County, California
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 14 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1971. Most listings are in or near Downieville, Sierraville, Nevada City.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for California is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Sierra titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP8 of 14 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
14 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Durgan Bridge | Downieville | 2012 |
| Foote's Crossing Road | Nevada City | 1981 |
| Forest City | Forest City | 1996 |
| Hansen Bridge | Downieville | 2012 |
| Hawley Lake Petroglyphs | Gold Lake | 1971 |
| Hospital Bridge | Downieville | 2012 |
| Jersey Bridge | Downieville | 2012 |
| Kyburz Flat Site | Loyalton | 1971 |
| Sardine Valley Archeological District | Truckee | 1971 |
| Sierra City School | Sierra City | 2024 |
| Sierra County Sheriff's Gallows | Downieville | 1990 |
| Sierraville School | Sierraville | 2017 |
| Stampede Site | Verdi | 1971 |
| Webber Lake Hotel | Sierraville | 2018 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBSierra was formed in 1852 (1852-04-16) from Yuba.
SIERRA created from YUBA.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusSierra County population from 1860 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,387 | 6,623 | 4,017 | 1,783 | 3,025 | 2,410 | 2,247 | 3,073 | 3,555 | 3,236 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS22 cemeteries and 16 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 22 of 22 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Alleghany Cemetery |
| Brandy City Cemetery |
| Downieville Cemetery |
| Eureka Cemetery |
| Forest City Cemetery |
| Gibsonville Cemetery |
| Goodyears Bar Cemetery |
| Howland Flat Catholic Cemetery |
| Howland Flat Cemetery |
| Minnesota Flat Cemetery |
| Morristown Cemetery |
| Mountain View Cemetery |
| Pike City Cemetery |
| Pine Grove Cemetery |
| Poker Flat Cemetery |
| Port Wine Cemetery |
| Saint Louis Cemetery |
| Sattley Cemetery |
| Scales Cemetery |
| Sierra City Cemetery |
| Sierraville Cemetery |
| Sleighville House Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 16 of 16
| Name |
|---|
| American Hill |
| Antelope |
| Calvada |
| Centerville |
| Cold Spring |
| Deadwood |
| Eureka |
| Grizzly Gulch |
| Indian Hill |
| McMahons |
| Middle Waters |
| Milton |
| Monte Cristo |
| Mount Vernon |
| Tippecanoe |
| Unionville |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Sierra County, California
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