Settled by Missourians in 1849, the community was suggested to be called Fiddletown because residents “were always fiddling.” Its name was changed in 1878 to Oleta, but the original name was later restored. It was once a trading center for American, Loafer, and French Flats, Lone Hill, and other rich mining camps. Bret Harte added to the community’s fame in “An Episode of Fiddletown.”