Historic
French Corral Cemetery
Pleasant Valley Rd., French Corral
French Corral was the first historic mining camp to appear along the San Juan Ridge. In 1849, a French settler built a corral for his mules here. Soon, the discovery of rich placers gave cause for a town to be built. The site was that of the Frenchman's corral.
French Corral is located five miles off Hwy 49 via Pleasant Valley Road. This road takes off Hwy 49 right before the town of North San Juan. Pleasant Valley Road may also be accessed via Hwy 20 west of Grass Valley. This route passes the gated community of Lake Wildwood and Bridgeport, home of one of the longest single-span covered bridges in the country. This is just 2 miles south of French Corral.
The Well Fargo Building in French Corral is one of the most striking old buildings in the California's old west. It was established in 1850 and is a one story brick building with iron doors and shutters. This building, along with the cemetery is all that remains of the historic aspect of French Corral. Advancing to the next page will give you a look at the Wells Fargo Express Building as it stands today.
Name List
Allen, Baker, Besancon, Bishop, Browning, Browning 2, Burkholder,
Carvey, Cherrington, Codde, DeBruin, Duddley,
Feight, German, Hall, Kochise, Kuhlman,
Rosendale, Rundee, Sciaroni, Schmidt, Shimmin, Smith,
