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Yuba County |
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During the Gold Rush days, Marysville (in Yuba County), on the east bank of
the Feather River, overshadowed Yuba City since it was easier for miners
arriving by riverboat from San Francisco and Sacramento to reach the gold
fields to the east. Most of the land that is now Sutter County was part of a
large land grant called "New Helvetia" deeded to John Sutter by the Spanish.
To support his settlement at Sacramento, Sutter started a stock ranch called
the "Hock Farm" near the site of what would become Yuba City.
Yuba City was founded in 1849 on land purchased from John Sutter by Samuel
Brannan, Pierson Reading, and Henry Cheever. They came to establish a
distribution center for supplying the Gold Rush 49ers. Sam Brannan, as
senior partner, had the town site laid out and hired agents to sell lots.
Today he is honored with a city park named for him.
It wasn't until after the Gold Rush was over, and people turned to the
fertile land west of the river, that Yuba City began to prosper. Yuba City
was established as the county seat by a vote in 1856, and incorporated
January 23, 1908.
Some say the name 'Yuba' ( sounds like you-bah ) comes from a corruption of
the Spanish word, 'uba' meaning 'grapes', because of the wild grapes said to
grow along the banks of the Feather River. Others claim yu-ba was the tribal
name of Maidu Indians who lived in the area.