| La Grange French Bar |
|
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated community — | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Stanislaus County |
La Grange is a small unincorporated community in rural Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its altitude is 249 feet. As of 2008 it has a population of 345. (76 m), and it is located at (37.6635433, -120.4635289).[1]
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The name is French and means "the barn" or "the farm". The community and a French settlement nearby were also called "French Bar". The community was founded in 1852 around the same time French miners struck gold on a bar in the Tuolumne River. By 1854, there were over 100 buildings in La Grange.[2][3]
La Grange became the county seat of Stanislaus County in 1856. Aside from its French population, the community included a significant Chinatown in its early years. At its height, the community had thousands of residents, but it was a largely lawless town. It was in decline by the time that Knights Ferry became the county seat, as the gold mines were in decline. By 1880, mining had ceased.[3] The La Grange area also included many gold dredgers that operated until the early 1950s.[4]
Today, a post office and elementary school still operate in La Grange as well as the oldest church in Stanislaus County, St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, whose cemetery contains tombstones dating to the mid 1800s.[5][6]
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