Mormon Island was once a mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 community

Community

The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...

, which had an abundance of Mormon immigrants, seeking fortune along the American River

American River

The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...

. At its peak, the community once was home to 2500 residents, four hotels, a school, and seven saloons. The community dwindled after the California gold rush

California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...

 and only a scattered few families were left in the 1940s.

What was left of Mormon Island was eventually razed, as the Folsom Dam

Folsom Dam

Folsom Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the American River in Northern California, about northeast of Sacramento. Folsom Dam is high concrete and long, flanked by earthen wing dams...

 project was set to flood the town. The only visible remnant of this community is Mormon Island Cemetery, a relocation cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

 located south of the lake on the dry side of Mormon Island Dam (off of Green Valley Road in Folsom, California

Folsom, California

Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its famous Folsom Prison. The population was 72,203 at the 2010 census....

). The cemetery is also home to other cemeteries that were flooded, as well as to relocated graves from Prairie City

Prairie City, California

Prairie City was a gold-mining community that once sat in the California foothills. The Folsom, California subdivision 'Prairie Oaks' was named because it is believed that the city once stood in this general area....

 which were unearthed during construction of an on-ramp to Highway 50

U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...

 from Prairie City Road.

Geographical information

The "island" was formed by the American River

American River

The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...

 to the western, northern, and eastern sides and a man-made canal formed the southern side. The canal was used to divert water in an effort to find gold deeper within the river bed. Over time, the bulk of the town formed south of this site.

When the lake is at very low levels, some foundations of buildings and an arched bridge can be seen.

External links

• Negro Hill Cemetery Relocation from the US Army Corps of Engineers
  United States Army Corps of Engineers
  The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
  
  , Sacramento District
  South Pacific Division
  The United States Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division is an Army organization providing civil works and military water resource services/infrastructure...
  
  
• Mormon Island History from myfolsom.com