E. Stokes and A.M. Woods operated a ferry here in 1849. It was sold to John Benson in 1850, and he operated it until he was murdered in February 1859. Nearby Mokelumne City, founded in 1850, was the second largest city in the county until it was washed away in the great flood of January 1872. Its population was 500 in January 1862 and 0 in February 1862.