Mountain Ranch, California

Mountain Ranch is a census-designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2010 census, up from 1,557 at the 2000 census. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark #282. The town center is quite small with fewer than 50 people living in it, the 5 mile square area surrounding the town accounts for the balance of the population.HistoryThe settlement was established during the California Gold Rush. Mountain Ranch's post office was established in 1858. In 1868, it was moved to another town called El Dorado Camp 1.5 miles south, as there was already an El Dorado post office in CA, El Dorado Camp became known as Mountain Ranch. Currently, there are 3 post office buildings in the town. The present one, a small post office which was built in 1956, and a post office built in 1923 which was once billed as the world's smallest post office. The original location of the town of Mountain Ranch also has a historical landmark. The bell on the historical marker was used in the local school from 1885 to 1953. Established as Cave City School District in 1855, this school joined with the Banner District in 1946 to become the El Dorado Union Elementary School District. In 1942 the last of the gold mines closed. Further economic losses took place in the 1970s, when local saw mills shuttered, and also in 1983 when the Calaveras Cement Co. closed in 1983. In 2015, the town was ravaged by the Butte Fire. More than 350 homes along the outskirts burned, but firefighters and local ranchers were able to save most of the downtown.