RM #1990

Wayne Hsieh found these in North Bloomfield, California.

Here is Wayne's narrative about North Bloomfield:
In 1851, after being crowded out of Nevada City, three miners headed upstream, ending up at a creek near here. In need of supplies, one of the miners was later sent back to Nevada City for supplies, paying for it with several gold nuggets. Though locals pressed the miner for the location of their jackpot, the miner refused. Several locals secretly followed him back anyways.
Reaching this spot, the newcomers began digging but found nothing but dirt. Disgusted by the endeavor, they named the creek "Humbug" and went home. 

One year later, things had changed. The California Gold Rush was dying down, and the remaining miners were getting desperate. Pushed out of Nevada City, many soon returned to Humbug Creek and tried their luck again here. The town of Humbug was soon erected, with a small population of 500 or so people. Deciding that the name was terrible, they renamed the area Bloomfield, then North Bloomfield when they found that there was another town of the same name.
North Bloomfield, Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada City, California

Thanks, Wayne!