The first mining camp in this area was known as Camp Salvado, named for a group of Salvadorians working the placers. It was located on a flat at the top of Shawmut Grade, less than one mile east of present Chinese Camp. In 1849, some thirty-five Cantonese miners arrived at Camp Salvado and began prospecting. No matter where they came from, what they found when they arrived was gold. The claims were rich.
Rich claims attract miners.
Within no time large numbers of white miners arrived at Camp Salvado, eventually pushing the Chinese out. Ironically, the American camp known as either Washingtonville or Camp Washington, located opposite of Rocky Hill from Camp Salvado, accepted the outcast Chinese miners without problems. Camp Washington proved to be a rich one and soon became home to a large number of celestial miners. After being driven away from other diggings, or having just arrived in the country, the Chinese miners gravitated here, feeling safe and comfortable among others of their nationality. The lack of water in the area, needed for working the placers, may be one reason why the Chinese were able to establish a successful camp without much interference from the white miners.