In many ways, this post is a difficult one to write, for the topic strikes close to home. By that, not only do I mean that the community of Chinese Camp is not that far distant from my actual dwelling, but I have written books—and am now working on a series of books—in which Chinese Camp is either mentioned or plays a small role. I have been there, and I wrote about the history of Chinese Camp in another post on a different blog two years ago.
Although at the time of the fires that broke out I had no idea of what would take place, I recall witnessing a smattering of nearby thunder and lightning displays. They were part of a rather large dry lightning storm that occurred on the evening and night of Tuesday, September 2, 2025. The storm raged through California from the southwest toward the northeast. The portion that affected the San Joaquin Valley and Mother Lode foothills to the east ended up being known as the TCU September Lightning Complex fire.
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| Google Map showing larger TCU September Complex Fire locations |
Particularly hard hit were the counties of Tuolumne, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Calaveras—all to the east and north of my home. It is estimated over 22,000 individual lightning flashes resulted from this storm. The weather service recorded 5,282 lightning strikes between Modesto and Shasta County from Tuesday morning to Wednesday.
These five thousand plus lightning strikes produced twenty-two fires in Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Calaveras counties. Ranging from a few acres to several thousand acres, they jointly burned 13,371 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, September third. They came so fast and furious—all in the middle of the night—that there was insufficient time to give each a name based on location or distinguishing characteristics. Instead, each was assigned a two number combination. The first number stood for the battalion number associated with the area where the fire started. The second number stood for the fire’s numerical order.
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| 6-5 fire in Chinese Camp, photo credit: Straight Arrow News via Video Elephant |
Although the 2-7 fire destroyed structures in Vallecito, a historic mining town in Calaveras County that is home to one of California’s largest caves, the largest fire—the 6-5 fire—included Chinese Camp.
The town was evacuated in the middle of the night. Residents were awakened and ordered to flee—the rapid evacuation credited with preventing the loss of a single life. Some residents fled by running across smouldering debris on the ground while ash and sparks rained upon them from above.
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| Landscape surrounding Chinese Camp, Modesto Bee photograph 9/03/25 by Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com |
Before the flames, Chinese Camp was a rare throwback to California’s Gold Rush era — a place where several surviving buildings from the nineteenth century still existed.
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| Former IOOF/Knights of Pythian/Masonic Hall and Dr. Stratton residence, ctsy Cary Bass |
Lost in the fire was the Odd Fellows Hall, which later became the hall for the Knights of Pythias, then the Masonic Hall, and eventually the residence of Dr. Stratton.
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| Odd Fellows Hall/Masonic Hall/Dr. residence. Photo credit: Modesto Bee, Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com |
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| Old stagecoach stop and post office building, ctsy Wikimedia Commons |
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| Burned stagecoach stop and post office: photo credit KCRA 3 News Sacramento, CA 9/04/2025 |
Like most Mother Lode gold mining towns, Chinese Camp has survived other fires. One in June 1856 prompted many to rebuild with brick, stone, and iron. Another fire in the 1890s that burned a portion of the town was also devastating. However, many of the historical buildings survived.
Not so this fire.
Fortunately, the Catholic Saint Francis Xavier church building was saved—barely. One of the several YouTube videos I watched of the fire and its aftermath showed how the fireline stopped just short of the church property.
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| Old Chinese Camp cemetery, public domain |
However, the main Chinese Camp cemetery did not fare as well. To see images of it still smouldering, click HERE and watch the first part of this video.
A quote taken from Stephen Provost, author of Chinese Camp: The Haunting History of California’s Forgotten Boomtown, as quoted in the article published by the Modesto Bee:
“Chinese Camp was the crossroads of the Mother Lode. Stagecoaches from Stockton to Yosemite stopped here. Black Bart is said to have bought candy at the old post office. Joaquin Murrieta stabled his horses here. Five thousand people once crowded its saloons and hotels…a town that still felt alive even in decay.” He continued, “It breaks my heart. You can read about history, but nothing compares to standing where it happened. Now people can only read about it.”
Rob Gordon of the Tuolumne County Historical Society noted that Chinese Camp remained much the same as it was at least one hundred years ago, which make it one of the county’s last truly untouched Gold Rush sites. Almost all of the historical buildings have been destroyed, although the front façade of the Odd Fellows Hall still stands and the Catholic church outside the town proper survived.
To understand the historical significance of Chinese Camp beyond the initial gold rush years, it is important to know that this town was a depot for stagecoach and freight wagon runs since the 1850s. It was part of the Stockton to Sonora route. Also, a road was built heading southeast toward the old mining town of Big Oak Flat, which was higher in the mountains. This road passed the mining town of Jacksonville (now submerged beneath the water of the Don Pedro Reservoir) and climbed over the steep Priest Grade. It allowed stagecoaches from Stockton and Sonora to reach Big Oak Flat in 1856. By 1860, this road extended to other mining towns like First Garrote (today’s Groveland) and Second Garrote. In 1874, this road allowed stagecoach access by way of Tamarack Flat to the Yosemite Valley. This stagecoach run brought passengers who stopped at Chinese Camp to Yosemite until 1914, when automobiles were finally allowed inside Yosemite National Park.
Although some estimates claim ninety-five percent of Chinese Camp burned, there are portions of the town that remain. Some “after” photos show and entire block of current residences that were saved, even though they are surrounded by charred ground and burned structures. Others show newer homes that escaped the fire. I am happy for those current residents of Chinese Camp whose homes were spared, and I wish the best for those who plan to rebuild after losing their houses. The 1934 Chinese Camp Store & Tavern survived, and it has become a gathering place for swapping news and checking on neighbors.
However, the majority of the historical buildings—many that date back to the California Gold Rush era which, for Chinese Camp, ran from 1840 to the 1870s—are gone. Whether or not some are able to be restored remains to be seen.
To see a post I wrote for a different blog two years ago that show many of these historic structures, please CLICK HERE.
Chinese Camp was a well-established town at the time of my MailOrder Barber, set in 1859 Tuolumne County (Shaw’s Flat and Columbia). It is now available for sale as an ebook and at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.
Sources:
https://www.bbbunny.com/chinese_camp.html
https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/california/fires/article311956235.html#storylink=cpy
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-03/california-fires-lightning-strikes
https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/california/fires/article311956235.html
https://www.modbee.com/news/california/fires/article312067730.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-RCVGDDsfw
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