Visit Springfield's Historic Sites
Named for the fine springs which gush forth from between two
limestone boulders as the source of Mormon Creek, Springfield was
reportedly the only mining camp in the Mother Lode where a church was
built before the gambling houses. Yet even with this auspicious
beginning, the town was destined to disappear, leaving only the wild
grass and the plentiful, oddly misshapen limestone boulders as its
mining legacy.The townsite of Springfield was centered on a plaza which was about
four hundred feet long and two hundred and fifty feet wide. In a letter
dated November 25 of 1854, miner George Hobbs states that Springfield
"was considered the best camp in the vicinity." The town spread out
over a square mile, and was filled with stores, shops, hotels, homes,
and close to a thousand inhabitants. A Methodist Episcopal Church and a
division of the Sons of Temperance contributed to Springfield’s
reputation, noted for the "quiet orderliness and sobriety of its
citizens." The post office was established in 1857 and lasted until
1868.The most fascinating items left from Springfield’s mining days are
the tons of eerie, twisted, limestone rocks everywhere you look. Before
the miners arrived, the area was fairly level and covered with large
oak trees which shaded the gravels that hid the gold. The miners cut
down the oaks, carted up the paydirt, and headed for the springs which
provided enough water to keep several hundred men busy at their placer
operations. The dirt was rich. Some cartloads were said to have yielded
as much as $1,000 each, and in June of 1854, a three-pound lump of
quartz was picked up containing one pound of pure gold. When the miners
were through, they and the gold were gone, the ground level was lower
by some ten to fifteen feet, and the limestone boulders were left naked
and worn, much as they are today.