French Lake | |
|---|---|
Former settlement | |
 Interactive map of French Lake | |
| Coordinates:39°25′14″N120°32′27″W / 39.420556°N 120.540833°W /39.420556; -120.540833 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Nevada County |
French Lake, California[1] located inNevada County, was aCalifornia Gold Rush community, now uninhabited. It was located by a lake of the same name.
| French Lake | |
|---|---|
 Southwest shore of French Lake, 2010 | |
  French Lake | |
| Location | Nevada County, California |
| Coordinates | 39°25′14″N120°32′31″W / 39.42056°N 120.54194°W /39.42056; -120.54194 (French Lake (lake)) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface elevation | 6,676 ft (2,035 m) |
French Lake Reservoir, at an elevation of 7500’-6680’,[2] is part of a string of lakes, including Bowman Lake, Sawmill Lake, and Faucherie Lake to the northwest, as well as Meadow Lake and Fordyce Lake to the southeast. French Lake Road, used by theNevada Irrigation District and not available for public use, skirts the lake's northwest perimeter before heading east to Meadow Lake Road. An unsigned road near the lake's southeastern banks veers northeast to Meadow Lake Road above English Mountain's now uninhabited Baltimore Town and Summit City in unincorporated Nevada County.[3][4]
Prior to theMaidu, French Lake was inhabited by theMartis people, a now extinctNative American tribe. The Martis'Meadow Lake Petroglyphs (also known as 4-Nev-3) are ahistorical landmark.[5]
In 1878, the world'sfirst long-distance telephone line operated between French Lake andFrench Corral, California, 58 miles to the west, including the towns ofNorth San Juan, andNorth Bloomfield on the phone route.[6][7] The phone line was used to pass information regarding water flow from French Lake for post-California Gold Rushhydraulic mining.
Municipalities and communities ofNevada County, California,United States | ||
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| Cities and towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns |
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| Footnotes | ‡This CDP also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |