Dutch Flat

Dutch Flat is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place in Placer County, California, United States, about 30mi northeast of Auburn along Interstate 80. It was founded by German immigrants in 1851 and was once one of the richest gold mining locations in California. Dutch Flat is now registered as a California Historical Landmark.The community's ZIP code is 95714 and its area code 530.HistoryDutch Flat was founded by two German brothers, Joseph and Charles Dornbach who settled there in 1851 during the California Gold Rush.To the south of their settlement was the busy mining camp of Green Valley, where 2,000 men were at work when the Dornbachs arrived. Across the Bear River in Nevada County was another camp, Little York, and just west, a trading post at Cold Springs (later known as Gold Run). All these camps were supplied by mule train from Illinoistown, near today's Colfax. Muleskinners referred to the Dornbach's camp as 'Dutch Charlie's Flat,' and thus the town was named. During this period many Germans were referred as 'Dutch' as a shorthand for Deutschland. In the 1870s an attempt was made to change the name to German Level.