The hidden history behind Sacramento’s most controversial Gold Rush place name

Most visitors come for the water. Few realize they’re standing on the site of a forgotten Gold Rush town built by Black miners.

The sun was bright on the water as my grandson and I launched our kayaks from the shore of Lake Natoma that afternoon. We were soon paddling across to the cove area, joining dozens of other colorful kayakers and paddle boarders, some with their dogs or children aboard for the ride. As we glided through the winding cove, we stopped at a sandy spot, looked down into the clear water and saw flecks of gold sparkling in the sand.

I saw more flecks of gold two weeks ago when I went for my first paddle of the season at Black Miners Bar. Having lived right next to it the past 25 years, I was intrigued by its history. Of course, it was called Negro Bar for 174 years, a name that some found offensive, while others thought was historic. Black Miners Bar is named after the approximately 1,000 Black miners who panned for gold in that area during California’s Gold Rush. They set up a small village on the site, owned by immigrant William Alexander Leidesdorff, who no one knew was part Black himself.

I researched the history of that era for this month’s feature story in Comstock’s and now feel even more connected to this special place that is a rich part of our local Gold Rush history. I want to help keep that history alive. Should you like to learn more about Sacramento’s Gold Rush era, I recommend the book “Lost Gold Rush Towns of Sacramento” by local author Eric Webb.

– Judy Farah, editor

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Some recommendations from our editors

Judy: World Cup watch part 2: Excitement continues to take over the U.S. Norwegians invaded Manhattan, with about 2,000 sitting in Times Square and doing the Viking row. Meanwhile, in Miami’s Little Havana, hundreds of Scots marched through the streets, bagpipes playing and mingling with the Cuban residents. We’re seeing some of the best soccer ever through Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, who is breaking records by scoring five goals in two matches in the tournament so far.

Jennifer: I’ve just returned from a multi-day kayak trip through the San Juan Islands in Washington with Ecogeo, a program at UC Davis that brings together writers and scientists from different disciplines to consider questions related to science and nature from a range of angles. It was the capstone of a quarter-long course that has really invigorated my work as a journalist and editor. The trip was also inspiring in another way: I found that I really like kayaking, in part that it reminds me of bicycling on the water. I bought my kayak gloves from California Canoe & Kayak in Oakland, a business that also runs lessons, and I think I’ll sign up for a sea kayak course.

Odds and ends

Our June issue explores innovations in childbirth, nature-informed architecture, Black miners of the Gold Rush and more. Read it now on your computer, phone or tablet.

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