Silver Mountain, California

38°36′19″N 119°46′10″W / 38.60528°N 119.76944°W / 38.60528; -119.76944

Former settlement in California, United States

Silver Mountain

Location in California

Coordinates: 38°36′19″N 119°46′10″W / 38.60528°N 119.76944°W / 38.60528; -119.76944CountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaCountyAlpine CountyElevation

^[1]

6,411 ft (1,954 m)

Silver Mountain (also, Kongsberg, Konigsberg,^[2] Köngsberg^[3] and Silver Mountain City^[3]) is a former settlement in Alpine County, California. It was located on Silver Creek 5 miles (8 km) north-northeast of Ebbetts Pass,^[3] at an elevation of 6411 feet (1954 m).

Silver Mountain was founded in 1858 by Norwegian^[4] miners who named the place Köngsberg or Konigsberg.^[3] Within a year, the town had a population of around 3,000.^[4] The Konigsberg post office opened in 1863, closed a while in 1864, was renamed Silver Mountain in 1865, and closed for good in 1883.^[3] By 1886, the mines were no longer productive and the town was abandoned.^[4]

Silver Mountain was the first county seat of Alpine County, when the County was formed in 1864.^[5] The county seat was moved to Markleeville in 1875.^[5]

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silver Mountain, California
^ Both U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silver Mountain, California
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1202. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c Miller, Donald C. (1978). Ghost Towns of California. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company. p. 104. ISBN 0871085178.
^ ^a ^b Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1141. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.