Guidebook
NO. 569 MORMON ISLAND - Early in March 1848, W. Sidney, S. Willis, and Wilford Hudson, members of the Mormon Battalion, set out from Sutter's Fort to hunt deer. Stopping on the south fork of the American River, they found gold. They told their story on returning to the fort, and soon about 150 Mormons and other miners flocked to the site, which was named Mormon Island. This was the first major gold strike in California after James W. Marshall's discovery at Coloma. The population of the town in 1853 was more than 2,500. It had four hotels, three dry-goods stores, five general merchandise stores, an express office, and many small shops. The first ball in Sacramento County was held here on December 25, 1849. A fire destroyed the town in 1856, and it was never rebuilt. Its site was inundated by Folsom Lake in 1955.
Location
A Mormon Island plaque is located in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, N side, Folsom Point picnic area, near the Mormon Island Dam, 3 mi NE of Folsom. SEE MAP IN THE PICTURES BELOW
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Notes
"Mormon Island Relocation Cemetery was created in 1954 by the Army Corps of Engineers. It was used as a replacement for several cemeteries submerged below Folsom Lake when the Folsom Dam was built in 1955." Sierra Nevada Geotourism Map Guide ----- Coordinates for Mormon Island Cemetery: 38°41'54.6"N 121°06'34.2"W
CHL #569 Mormon Island Relocation Cemetery
CHL #569 Mormon Island Relocation Cemetery Information Board
CHL #569 Mormon Island Marker at Folsom Lake
CHL #569 Mormon Island Plaque at Folsom Lake