The Spanish word calaveras means "skulls." The county takes its name from the Calaveras River; it was said to have been named by Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga, during his 1806–1808 expeditions, when he found many … See more

Calaveras County was one of the original counties of the state of California, created in 1850 at the time of admission to the Union. Parts of the county's territory were reassigned to Amador County in 1854 and to Alpine Cou… See more

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,037 square miles (2,690 km ), of which 1,020 square miles (2,600 km ) is land and 17 square miles (44 km ) (1.6%) is water. A California Departmen… See more