Lake County CAGenWeb

                                                                      

 My name is Bob Jenkins and I am the Lake County Coordinator. 
 We have many genealogical resources available here.
 We would appreciate any contributions you would like to  make to this site.

Lake County, California

Lake County’s human history stretches back more than 10,000 years, with the Pomo people forming the region’s primary Indigenous communities. They lived in numerous villages around Clear Lake, relying on its abundant fish, game, and tule reeds, and became renowned for their intricate basketry. Smaller numbers of Wappo and Miwok peoples also lived near the lake.

European and American intrusion began in the 1820s–1840s, bringing disease, displacement, and forced labor that devastated Native populations. By the mid‑1850s, American settlers and European immigrants were establishing ranches, orchards, and small communities throughout the valleys. Mining—especially quicksilver, gold, and borax—added to early economic activity.

Lake County was officially created in 1861 from parts of Napa and Mendocino Counties. Boundary clarifications in 1864 and 1868 finalized its modern shape, including the full watershed of the North Fork of Cache Creek. Agriculture quickly became central to local life; by the early 1900s, the county was known for Bartlett pears, beans, grain, alfalfa, prunes, peaches, apples, grapes, and walnuts.

Clear Lake—believed to be one of the oldest lakes in North America—and the volcanic presence of Mount Konocti have shaped settlement patterns for millennia. Beginning in the 1860s, the region also became famous for its hot springs resorts, drawing visitors from across California.

Today, Lake County remains rural, historic, and deeply tied to its landscape. Its communities reflect layers of Indigenous heritage, pioneer settlement, mining booms, agricultural development, and the enduring influence of Clear Lake at the county’s center.