Belleville
In May 1860 while prospecting and hunting bears in the San Bernardino Mountains, William F. Holcomb and Ben Choteau stumbled upon a new, unexplored valley where they found and wounded a grizzly. While tracking the bear, they located a rich gold deposit, and soon the rush to what would become known as Holcomb Valley was on. In addition to mining, ranches and lumber camps came into being and new roads were built. A town sprang up by July, which took the name Belleville after Belle Van Dusen, daughter of blacksmith Jed Van Dusen (one story is that this honor was chosen after Mrs. Van Dusen fabricated a flag out of her petticoats for a Fourth of July celebration). Belleville continued to boom through 1860, and attempts were even made to take the county seat from San Bernardino; an endeavor lost by only two votes. With the growth came saloons, businesses, and mills, but also violence and within the first years of Holcomb Valley's settlement, some 40 or 50 murders were committed.
After the first year of what became Southern California's largest gold rush, quality deposits dwindled and following the harsh winter of 1861-62, Belleville quickly declined. It was all but a ghost by 1864. Limited prospecting has continued on the more than 2000 claims throughout the area, but no significant finds have been made.
