Colfax

History

The area was initially denoted as "Camp 20" along the route of the transcontinental railroad. in July 1865, the Pacific Railroad Company (later to become the Union Pacific Railroad), purchased land along the railroad route near Illinoistown, and surveyed it into lots, and lots were offered for sale on July 29. The city was renamed Colfax after then Speaker of the House (and later Vice President) Schuyler Colfax who visited the town in 1865 while inspecting progress of construction of the Central Pacific Railroad, the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad. The city was the southern terminus of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad from 1876 until the railroad's removal in 1942. Historic U.S. Route 40 also runs through the city as well as the more modern Interstate 80. The city is mentioned in Jules Verne’s book Around the World in Eighty Days. Note that the town was a separate settlement from nearby Illinoistown. Illinoistown did NOT change its name to Colfax. In July 2015 the Lowell Fire burned thousands of acres nearby, forcing evacuation in Nevada County. On August 4, 2021, the River Fire started in the Bear River Campground, forcing thousands of residents on both the Placer and Nevada county sides of the river to evacuate. The fire was contained nine days later after burning over and dozens of homes. The mayor at the time, Trinity Burruss, urged citizens to help each other and deputized some of her family members to run snowplows in order to get roads cleared.

Geography

Colfax is located at (39.097260, −120.954017). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. The principal geologic structures present are granitic and metamorphic rock formations. Located approximately west of Colfax is a branch of the Melones Fault, running in north to south direction. Because the fault runs through the old grammar school baseball field, the school was closed. (Earth Metrics, 1989) Another branch of the same fault is located about to the east, also aligned in a north–south orientation. No movement has been recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the faults are considered inactive. Bunch Creek is an active water source flowing south to eventually reach a confluence with the North Fork of the American River. Colfax sits a few miles outside the Tahoe National Forest as I-80 begins its climb into the Sierras. Because of its location, it is considered at high risk of wildfire. }}

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