Negro Bar: The history behind the name

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of articles regarding Folsom's Negro Bar State Park as the call for changing the name of the historical site comes to light by members of the community and beyond. This week, the Telegraph takes a look into how the name came about. Folsom's Negro Bar has received a great deal of attention as many call for its name to be changed and others requesting to leave the name alone to not alter history. While opponents to the name, state park officials and the community at large debate the options, some are left wondering how the name truly came about. It goes back a few years. Negro Bar was originally a large gravel bar on the south side the American River just west of Folsom's Rainbow Bridge. The bar was originally named to recognize the African American gold miners who found success in the discovery of gold there during the 1849 California Gold Rush. For a few years, it rewarded the prospectors with a steady yield of coarse gold dust. According to local history documents, Negro Bar was a mining camp but it was not the lively mining town like others or those we see on the big screen in movies depicting the era. Negro Bar was a smaller collection of tents and cabins constructed to shelter those working along the river, which was quickly becoming a hot bed for gold below the hills that were much more populated with miners.The community of Negro Bar was once called "under the hill" after Folsom replaced the old mining camp along the river. Today, that camp lies below the surface of Lake Natoma, a popular destination for water recreationalists today. By the end of 1848, some 10,000 miners from California, Oregon, Hawaii and Mexico were mining in the Sierra foothills. By the summer of 1849, more than 40,000 migrants had trekked to California's gold fields by ship, wagon, horseback or on foot. Often referred to as 49ers, these travelers came from many parts of the United States and the rest of the world and made California one of the first truly multicultural locations in the world at that time. A population of African Americans were among those coming to California at that time. One of the earliest recorded locations worked by African American gold miners was Negro Bar, which received its name because the African Americans were the first to mine the area. Most African American miners departed from Negro Bar by 1852. Many moved to nearby camps a bit higher in the regions. These areas were known as Negro Hill, Little Negro Hill, Negro Flat and Massachusetts Flat. The fields proved more successful than Negro Bar. Negro Bar later became home to Caucasian and Chinese miners as the town later grew to become the city of Folsom. The current Negro Bar State Recreation Area, located on the opposite side of the American River, retains the historic name of California's first successful African American gold mining site. Today, that name is making headlines locally and nationally with the call to rename it. While African American community leaders and historians have supported the continued use of this name in the past, California State Parks recognizes that such interpretations can change over time and welcomes continued feedback from the public. "When new names are considered, California State Parks reviews the history of the area and tries to view names through the lens of thoughtfully capturing the place, its environment, and cultures and peoples associated with the area," reads a statement from California State Parks on the park's webpage. "A primary interest in these reviews is holding broad and open discussions with scholars, visitors, activists, and families to understand perspectives and gain a wider understanding of the name's usage and how it may impact the visitor experience and all citizens who come in contact with the name." As state park officials look at the options ahead to preserve history and consider a possible name change that is fitting to the history of the site and the current times, they are asking for constructive feedback and suggestions from the public for ideas and possibilities. Those wishing to take part in a forum on this topic can email park officials at info@parks.ca.gov to receive information about upcoming opportunities for public discussion.