Return to Alpine County Census Records

Abstracted by Nancy C. Thornburg from public records.
Submitted by Nancy C. Thornburg November 12, 2001.
Edited and formatted by Maggie Stewart, April 2002.
Proofread, edited and reformatted by Elizabeth E. Bullard-Watson, Jun 2010.

NINTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES 1870 ALPINE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Researched and prepared by Nancy C. Thornburg, Director for the Alpine County Museum
P.O. Box 24
Markleeville, CA 96120

INTRODUCTION
The following information was obtained from Microfilm, Reel M593-69; Census of the U.S. 1870, California; California State Library, Sacramento, California. Both the original handwriting and the filming of this census roll are generally very clear, but where I have been unable to determine the spelling of a name, I have placed a question mark following it. I have taken the liberty of changing the order from that on the microfilm to the actual sequence in which the census was taken. I would like to thank the staff of the Alpine County Library for their cheerful assistance and eternal patience. This manuscript has been prepared by and for the Alpine County Museum. All rights are reserved.
Nancy C. Thornburg, Museum Director - January 16, 1991

ALPINE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Alpine County was created in 1864 out of portions of Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mono counties. Spanning the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it contains 776 square miles ranging from rugged, remote mountain peaks to lush, irrigated meadows laced with clear mountain streams. Wagon trains heading for the California gold fields passed through the area along the Carson Emigrant Trail in the late 1840s, and the Pony Express route went through Woodfords and Hope Valley for a brief period in 1860. The late 1850s signaled the beginning of the silver boom in the area, particularly in Silver Mountain. In an election held in September 1863, about 1,600 votes were cast in the area, which later became Alpine County. By January 1864, when the legislature was considering creating of the county, the population was estimated to be about 2,000. By April 1864, when the county was created, the population was estimated to be 5,000, and in the election held that August 1, 670 votes were cast. [W. Turrentine Jackson, Report on the History of Grover Hot Springs State Park and Surrounding Region of Alpine County, Division of Beaches and Parks, Dept. of Parks and Recreation, State of California, 1964, pp. 2-6.] Another source sates that the population in August of 1864 was estimated to be 11,620. [The Centennial Book Committee, One Hundred Years of History, Recreation, Lore in Alpine County, California 1864-1964, p. 13.]

The County reached its peak of population and economic well-being at the time of its creation. Almost immediately the population began a downward trend and as the mines failed to develop the economy collapsed." [Jackson, op. cit., p. 5.] In 1870, the county's population was 685. The demonetization of silver in 1873 struck another blow to the mining economy, and in 1875 the county seat was moved from Silver Mountain City to Markleeville, where it remains today. During the Comstock era in Virginia City, Nevada, timber production in Alpine became a significant industry with as much as 250,000 cords of wood cut and sent down the Carson River into Nevada each year. Since the turn of the century, Alpine's economy has centered on cattle and sheep production, timber, and more recently, recreation and tourism. The population figures during the twentieth century have been as follows: 1900 - 509; 1910 - 309; 1920 - 243; 1930 - 241; 1940 - 323; 1950 - 241; 1960 - 397; 1970 - 430; 1980 - 1097. [U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.] The figure for 1990 has not been confirmed at this time. With a 1990 population of 1,113 people, located primarily in four communities spanning the Sierra crest - Woodfords, Markleeville, Kirkwood and Bear Valley - Alpine County remains by far the smallest county in California, in terms of population. Birthplaces of Alpine County residents in 1920 included California, Nevada, Maine, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Nebraska, Utah, Oregon, New York, Indiana, Canada, Scotland, England, France, Alsace, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Wales, and Spain.