NANCY'S NOTES
Panning for gold in Stockton, Utah
In my quest to learn about all the towns in the United States named Stockton, last week we took a trip out west to Stockton, California. I started there because that’s the place that started this whole thing, as I have received numerous phone calls from inquiring about housing in what ends up being Stockton, Califoronia. Now, as we need to head home in time for Christmas, we are going to explore Stockton, Utah. Exploring is actually what put this town on the map, as it was the first mining town in Utah.
Stockton, Utah was born during the first mining boom in the Utah Territory. It was actually the first mining town in Utah. Originally, the settlement began as a Union army camp, known as Camp Relief. The soldiers, led by Col. Patrick E. Connor, commander of the Third California Volunteers, had been sent to the area in the early 1860s, charged with keeping an eye on the overland mail routes during the Civil War. These soldiers named the new town after their hometown of Stockton, California. The town was first settled in 1863. Under the growing influence of the mining industry, the population swelled to 4,000 residents. In what became the Rush Valley Mining District, Utah’s first recorded mining took place in the canyons northwest of Stockton. Overall, the area registered 17,643 mines.
Other interesting things about Stockton, Utah are that it was the first town in the Utah Territories to have its streets surveyed and named, and it later gained the distinction of being the first to get electric lights, and the first to get a telephone.
While we’re here I would like to do a little picking and panning for gold. I have some experience in that as we panned in Alaska a couple years ago. That was fun, and we almost panned enough to pay for our trip... to the bathroom in the visitor center, that is.
Since Christmas is coming, it’s time for us to head back to Stockton, Kansas to enjoy all the wonderful light displays and programs, as well as getting started with some making and baking. We’ve barely got two weeks until Christmas, and I hear that I’m needed back at the Sentinel to get out the big Christmas ‘Deer Ones edition, to be published next week!
After the holidays, we’re going to head east, north, and south. We will need to pack for severral weeks, as there are 11 more Stocktons to explore in the U.S. In the meantime, I’m updating my passport and still giving thought to traveling to the U.K., New Zealand and Australia to more Stocktons across the pond. What do you think? Are you with me?
