Editing Colfax, California (section)

==History==
Originally inhabited by the [[Maidu]] and [[Miwok]] Native Americans, by the mid-19th century the city site was known as ''Alder Grove''; however, as development increased, the city became known as ''Illinoistown'', a supply hub for gold mining camps.<ref name=rgj>{{cite news|page=1A |date=April 14, 2019 |title=A real life gamble: California races to predict which town could be the next victim | author1=Ryan Sabalow |author2=Phillip Reese |author3=Dale Kasler |agency=The Sacramento Bee | publisher=Reno Gazette Journal |work=Destined to Burn}}</ref> In April 1852, the Reelfoot Williams Gang robbed a [[Nevada City, California|Nevada City]] [[stagecoach]] of $7,000 in gold bullion near Illinoistown. This was the first stagecoach robbery in the gold country.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2XTDnA74GUC|title=Old Waybills: The Romance of the Express Companies|first=Alvin Fay|last=Harlow|date=January 1, 1976|publisher=Arno Press|isbn=978-0-405-07692-3 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgQNAAAAIAAJ|title=The Diary of a Forty-niner|first=Chauncey L.|last=Canfield|date=July 3, 1906|publisher=M. Shepard Company|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Later it was renamed Colfax after then [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] (and later [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]) [[Schuyler Colfax]] who visited the town in 1865 while inspecting progress of construction of the [[Central Pacific Railroad]], the western portion of the [[first transcontinental railroad]]. The city was the southern terminus of the [[Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad]] from 1876 until the railroad's removal in 1942. Historic [[U.S. Route 40 (California)|U.S. Route 40]] also runs through the city as well as the more modern [[Interstate 80 in California|Interstate 80]].  The city is mentioned in [[Jules Verne]]’s book, ''[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]''.

In July 2015 the [[Lowell Fire]] burned thousands of acres nearby, forcing evacuation in Nevada County.<ref name=rgj />

In March 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic caused a state wide shelter in place order to be issued. This resulted in the long term closure of many local businesses despite the direct opposition from local officials. {{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

On August 4, 2021, the [[River Fire (2021)|River Fire]] started in the Bear River Campground, forcing thousands of residents on both the Placer and Nevada county sides of the river to evacuate. The fire was contained nine days later after burning over {{Convert|2600|acre|km2}} and dozens of homes. Acting Mayor Trinity Burruss led the city during the emergency response.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In December 2021, the city was placed under a state of emergency due to severe snow storms. More than 575,000 metered electric customers in Northern California were without power at some point during the storm, with about 141,000 still without power one month after the first major outage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hooks |first=Chris Hagan, Ezra David Romero, Nick Miller, Kris |title=Tens Of Thousands Without Power As Winter Storm Pummels Northern California |url=https://www.capradio.org/161903 |access-date=June 27, 2023 |website=www.capradio.org}}</ref> The City was again reliant on the leadership of the Mayor to get supplies and critical support to residents left without a safe heat source.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newsource |first=C. N. N. |date=December 30, 2021 |title=Colfax Mayor Says City Is in 'Dire' Situation Due to Power Outage |url=https://abc17news.com/cnn-regional/2021/12/30/colfax-mayor-says-city-is-in-dire-situation-due-to-power-outage/ |access-date=June 27, 2023 |website=ABC17NEWS |language=en-US}}</ref>