Big Oak Flat - California Ghost Town

BIG OAK FLAT

NAME: Big Oak Flat
COUNTY: Tuolumne
ROADS: 2WD
GRID #(see map): 3
CLIMATE: Mild winter, hot summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Winter, fall, spring

COMMENTS: Just off Highway 49 and 120 junction, Semi-ghost.
REMAINS: Many original buildings.

It is interesting how some towns of the early West came by their names. In the case of Big Oak Flat, the name was derived from a huge oak tree on an otherwise vacant flat. The tree was said to be the largest oak in the state of California with a diameter of thirteen feet at the base. The town, originally known as "Savage's Diggings," after a James Savage discovered the site, yielded a total of more than $25 million in gold -one of the richest diggings of the Mother Lode. Although the giant oak no longer stands, it was destroyed by mining operations, a memorial to the giant oak is protected by iron grillwork as a safeguard against vandals. Big Oak Flat had a population of 3,000 at its peak and can be found on highway 120 east of Moccasin Creek on highway 49. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

It is interesting how some towns of the early West came by their names. In the case of Big Oak Flat, the name was derived from a huge oak tree on an otherwise vacant flat. The tree was said to be the largest oak in the state of California with a diameter of thirteen feet at the base. The town, originally known as "Savage's Diggings," after a James Savage discovered the site, yielded a total of more than $25 million in gold -one of the richest diggings of the Mother Lode. Although the giant oak no longer stands, it was destroyed by mining operations, a memorial to the giant oak is protected by iron grillwork as a safeguard against vandals. Big Oak Flat had a population of 3,000 at its peak and can be found on highway 120 east of Moccasin Creek on highway 49. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

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