Named Camanche in 1849 after Camanche, Iowa, the town was once called Limerick. It reached a peak population of 1500 and was supported by rich mining at nearby Cat Camp, Poverty Bar, and Sand Hill. Water from the Mokelumne River was brought in by the Lancha Plana and Poverty Bar ditch. On June 21, 1873, a fire destroyed a large Chinatown. Buhach was manufactured on the nearby Hill Ranch. The townsite of Camanche is now submerged. Also associated with the site are hand-hewn mortise stones from the south abutment of the Westmoreland suspension bridge, built during the Gold Rush era and formerly located two miles northeast of there.