Goddard, George H. (George Henry), 1817-1906

Came to California in 1850 settling in Sacramento. Helped found the mining camp of Columbia in Tuolumne County.

From the description of George Henry Goddard, 1850-1861. (California State Library). WorldCat record id: 58855183

Biography

George Henry Goddard came to California in 1850 settling in Sacramento. He prospected for gold but earned a living as an artist, selling sketches of California scenes. With Edgar Mills, he helped found the mining camp of Columbia in Tuolumne County. He was originally an architect and surveyor and surveyed the first railroad line in California, the Western Pacific, extending out of Sacramento. In 1861, he became a land examiner for various banks in Sacramento. He assembled a large collection of minerals from California mines and more than 1000 sketches of places he had surveyed. This collection was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of April, 1906. George Goddard died December 27 1906.

From the guide to the George Henry Goddard Papers, 1850-1861, (California State Library)