Deadwood, Placer County, California

Placer County ( PLASS-ər; Placer, Spanish for "sand deposit"), officially the County of Placer, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 404,739. The county seat is Auburn. Placer County is included in the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. It is in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions, in what is known as the Gold Country. The county stretches roughly 65 miles (105 km) from Sacramento's suburbs at Roseville to the Nevada border and the shore of Lake Tahoe.

Michigan Bluff (formerly, Michigan Bluffs and Michigan City) is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. Michigan Bluff is 4.35 miles (7.0 km) east-northeast of Foresthill. It is at an elevation of 3,510 feet (1,070 m). The original settlement was called Michigan City, but after erosion threatened the town it was moved up-slope and renamed Michigan Bluff. The Michigan City post office operated from 1854 to 1943. The town was founded by gold miners. Mining began in earnest in 1853, and town was shipping $100,000 in gold per month by 1858. Leland Stanford ran a store in the town from 1853 to 1855. After hydraulic mining was banned, the town entered decline. The town is now registered as California Historical Landmark #402.

Last Chance (formerly, Clifton and Caroline Diggings) was a mining community in Placer County, California. Last Chance was located 7.5 miles (12.1 km) northeast of Michigan Bluff, at an elevation of 4564 feet (1391 m). The Last Chance District was formed in 1862, and a school was built the following year but discontinued in 1879. Last Chance was said to have a population of 46 in 1880. The Last Chance Hotel lasted until 1938; the site is abandoned today. Last Chance was named by miners. The Last Chance post office operated from 1865 to 1869 and from 1909 to 1919.

The Rubicon River is a major tributary of the Middle Fork American River in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California, west of Lake Tahoe. Its length is 60 miles (97 km) with a watershed of about 184 square miles (477 km2). The river's headwaters are in the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada, within the Eldorado National Forest's Desolation Wilderness. Historically, the Rubicon River was known as the South Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River.

The Mosquito Fire was California's largest wildfire in 2022. The fire began on September 6, burned 76,788 acres (31,075 hectares) in Placer and El Dorado counties in September and October, and was pronounced fully contained on October 22. It affected the Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests and destroyed 78 structures in the rural communities of Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, and Volcanoville. The fire suppression effort cost more than $180 million, and at its peak involved more than 3,700 firefighters. The precise cause of the fire is not known, but the possible role of Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) equipment is the subject of multiple civil lawsuits and a Forest Service investigation. The Mosquito Fire was one of 7,477 wildfires in California in 2022, which burned a combined 331,358 acres (134,096 ha).

Bath (formerly Volcano and Sarahsville) is a former settlement in Placer County, California. Bath is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of Foresthill. It lay at an elevation of 3442 feet (1049 m). The town was established as Volcano in 1850 when gold was discovered there. The town's name was changed to Sarahsville after the first woman at the site, then to Bath when the post office came. The Bath post office operated from 1858 to 1859, from 1861 to 1890, and from 1891 to 1899.

Sugar Pine Reservoir is a reservoir in Placer County, California, located approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Foresthill. The reservoir was flooded in 1982, and today supplies water to the community of Foresthill and hosts a number of recreation facilities.

Sugar Pine Dam is an earthfill embankment dam in Placer County, California, approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Foresthill. It impounds North Shirttail Creek, a tributary of the North Fork American River, and serves as the primary municipal water supply for the Foresthill community.

Casa Loma (Spanish for "Hill House") is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. Casa Loma is located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) east of Dutch Flat. It lies at an elevation of 4032 feet (1229 m).Casa Loma began around 1910-11 as a summer resort operated by the Unitarian Society. It was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad. A few residences remain at the site today.

Baxter is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. Baxter is located 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Dutch Flat. It lies at an elevation of 3891 feet (1186 m).Baxter started as a travelers' rest stop on the Lincoln Highway, later US 40. Food, lodging, and gasoline were available at the site, which remained a service stop into the 1980s. Baxter was also the point at which US 40 was closed over Donner Pass during heavy snow. The townsite was destroyed by a wildfire in 1998.The Baxter post office opened in 1935.

Towle (formerly, Towles) was an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. Towle was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Dutch Flat. It lies at an elevation of 3694 feet (1126 m).

Iowa Hill (formerly, Iowa City) is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California, United States. The town is located 6.5 miles northwest of Foresthill 9 miles east of Colfax and 58 miles northeast of Sacramento. It lies at an elevation of 2861 feet. The community relies completely upon solar panels and generators for power. Its population is around 200 people. Iowa Hill Road claims a small handful of lives every decade, and along with the community's "off grid" status, prevents the town from growing in population. The community boasts many hardcore cyclists and is appealing to visitors due to the abundance of recreational opportunities. Iowa Hill Road is a very steep, one-lane, winding road embedded within the mountains. There are no safety guardrails. Since ambulance service from Colfax takes a long time, emergency medical transport is supplemented by CALSTAR, the area's air rescue helicopter. A landing pad is located next to the town fire house.