Star City

Star City emptied almost as fast as it filled. Silver in Star Canyon drew people from 1861, and at its peak in the mid-1860s the place held some twelve hundred—briefly the largest town in Humboldt County—with hotels, a Wells Fargo office, a church, and more than a dozen saloons. The Sheba mine gave up about five million dollars in silver before the ore failed in 1868. One visitor that year marveled that the mail, express, and telegraph offices still ran, though the whole population had shrunk to a single family. Foundations remain.

What the plaque says

Located in the Star Mining District some seven miles west of here, Star City was established in 1861 when rich silver ore was discovered in the area. During the boom years of 1864 and 1865, the town boasted 1,200 residents, two hotels, three general stores, a wells-Fargo office, a church and a dozen or more saloons. The Sheba Mine, the district’s biggest operation, had produced about $5,000,000 in silver by 1868, the year the rich ore began to run out. Three years later, only seventy-eight inhabitants remained in Star City. All that remains today are crumbling foundations, rusted mill equipment and memories.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Unionville — 7.2 mi
• Reunion in Unionville — 8.8 mi
• Applegate-Lassen Emigrant Trail Cutoff — 9.1 mi
• Humboldt House — 11 mi