Hornitos California: A Hidden Gold Rush Town

Hornitos, CA

A small town off the beaten path, Hornitos has existed since before California's statehood. Though it is sometimes called a "gold rush town," it was actually established much earlier by Mexican settlers. The Spanish name "Hornitas" means "little ovens." Some say that the appellation came from the fact that early burials were made in stone tombs resembling outdoor bake ovens because the ground was too rocky to dig graves.

The village did gain notoriety during the gold rush as a place that was home to thieves, roughnecks, gamblers, and various miscreants who had been run out of other "more respectable" settlements. It has the reputation of being the hideout and haven of one of California's most infamous criminals, Joaquin Murrietta, who was said to have committed many robberies and murders in the early 1850s.

None of These

Present day Hornitos has no ATMs, gas stations, traffic signals, supermarkets, dollar stores or restaurants. There are no coffee shops or laundromats or banks. If you are craving a fast burger and fries, you are out of luck here.

It does have one existing bar that is open on weekends. They may serve a few munchies along with beer and Bloody Marys. The gift store down the street at the historic Gagliardo store has a few packaged snacks but specializes in souvenirs, decorative items and works by local artists . . . if it is open.

Original Buildings

As home to rough and rowdy outcasts and desperadoes, Hornitos gained a tainted reputation for mayhem, but there were some respectable souls who did what they could to preserve order and build up the town with honest enterprises.

By 1870, the town was incorporated and had at least three general stores and a couple of cafes in a place that previously hosted only gambling halls and saloons. One of the early businessmen was Domingo Ghirardelli, an Italian confectioner. Partial stone and brick walls of what must have been an impressive structure still stand in Hornitos as a reminder of his store. Domingo's chocolates became famous in gold country and he soon moved his enterprise to the San Francisco Bay area. The company he started still thrives today and Ghirardelli chocolate is widely available.

This temporary holding cell for horse thieves, gunfighters, and other transgressors, was outfitted with iron rings and shackles to secure individuals until a justice could hear their case and decide if they could be held for trial in nearby Mariposa.

The stone jail is slightly smaller than the Masonic Lodge.

Hornitos Lodge No. 46 F & AM is the smallest Masonic meeting place in California. Constructed of native stone with an interior area of a little more than 500 square feet, the lodge retains an active membership that continues to support the small community.

In the early days, Freemasons were businessmen, miners, builders, and innkeepers as well as farmers and ranchers. They also served as town and county officials. They had a significant positive impact on their community and current members continue to sponsor activities and projects to benefit Hornitos.

Recommended

Amazing Experience of the 1000 Islands Cruise in Ontario, Canada

The resident population of Hornitos seems to vary according to what data source you reference. The 2010 census lists 75 residents, though the actual number may now be lower. Most prefer the solitude of this quiet town.

Though the permanent residents are few, the visitor population of this community swells during three annual events that attract outsiders from near and far.

Hornitos Patrons Club sponsors community functions to support local charities, scholarships, and the preservation of historical sites in the town.

• Hornitos Flea Market -- for the past 30 years or so the town has held a multi-vendor sale that attracts buyers and sellers from all over the state on the first Sunday in October. There are usually nearly 100 booths with antiques, collectibles, crafts, and food lining the streets and vying for the attention of buyers.
• All Souls Day Candle Lighting -- ceremony every Nov. 2 draws hundreds of participants for the evening procession to the cemetery to place luminarias on the historic gravesites.
• Annual Enchilada Dinner -- held on the first Saturday in March and includes music and craft vendors.

The Residents

Donkeys, chickens, pigs and goats might be seen in some of the yards and gardens. Human residents are a bit harder to find, but you might occasionally see a car or pickup truck traveling down one of the roads. If the doors of the Gagliardo General store are open, one of the owners will likely tell you something about the local history.

Brick buildings with tin roofs and iron doors survived the ever-present danger of being destroyed by fire. They date back to the gold rush era. Signs and memorial plaques throughout the area provide visitors with the historical backstory of Hornitos.

Times Have Changed

So what happened to the wild and dangerous reputation of Hornitos? With the passage of time and the growth of law enforcement, things settled down quite a bit. Gold began to be scarcer and harder to find. Many fortune seekers left to follow rumors of strikes in Alaska, Colorado or Australia. Cattle ranchers came into the area and established a more stable population.

And what about the bandit Murrietta? He was captured and executed. In an act that seems horrific today, he was decapitated so his head could be preserved in a large jar of alcohol and taken on a tour around the state to prove to the populace that his reign of terror was indeed over. No one knows what happened to this artifact, but it may have been stored in a San Francisco building before the calamitous earthquake and fire of 1906. It was therefore probably destroyed.

Some residents of the town will tell you that his vengeful ghost seeks refuge in his old hideout. So if you should glimpse a headless apparition, beware.

If you are in the area, you may want to visit Hornitos to make some of your own discoveries. Your route will wind through ranch lands where you might see modern-day cowboys with horses and dogs, moving their cattle to new pastures.

Suggested Reading

• 10 Unique Old West and Mining Towns to Visit in California
  Here are 10 interesting Old West and mining towns in California, including Columbia, Bodie, Old Sacramento, and Jamestown, that are worth taking the time to visit.
• Eerie Ghost Towns of Route 66 Will Leave You Quaking
  When Route 66 first opened, it provided a nearly cross-country road for families to travel. Many towns and attractions popped up along the popular vacation route. However, as interstate highways bypassed these towns, they turned into ghost towns.

Questions & Answers

Question: What happend to the Bridge Cafe?

Answer: I think. it might have been in operation in the '40s and early '50s. It is no longer there and I don't know where it was located.

Question: My great grandparents lived there in the late 50s early 60s. They were Elmer and Jennie Bell. Do you have any resident info?

Answer: I do not, but the Maripose Museum and History Center may have something. They have extensive archives for the entire county..

Question: What time of day is the enchilada dinner on March 2 in Hornitos, CA?

Answer: Their poster says 3:30 pm to 8 pm. They have live music and a craft fair during that time, too. You can check the Hornitos Patrons page on Facebook for more details.

Question: I just purchased an old stereoviews from the 1860s of the International hotel in Hornitas, Ca. Any idea where it was located or what happened to it?

Answer: Between the 1860s and 1880s, there were as many as three hotels in Hornitas (or Hornitos as it is now called). I don’t know if anyone knows the exact locations. Over the years many old buildings fell into disrepair or were burned or torn down. There were a few big fires during those years. It is not a very big town so the had to be somewhere close by.

Question: I had heard that the Hornitos of California were baking ovens used by the German population that lived there. Is there any truth to this?

Answer: From what I know, the early residents were mostly Mexican. Horno means oven in Spanish. Hornitos means little ovens. I have not heard that there were a lot of Germans there, though gold seekers from all over the world passed through at various times. (The German word for oven is Ofen with an umlaut over the “o”.)