[1] It was located on Maxwell Creek 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Coulterville,[2] at an elevation of 2582 feet (787 m).

[1] Dogtown was a major hydraulic mining center in the late nineteenth century.

At its peak, the town boasted numerous hotels, saloons, a dance hall, and a red light district.

The town was supposedly named for the many stray dogs that roamed the area during the Gold Rush.

A dam failure flooded much of the townsite in 1899; by 1989, only "scattered building foundations and half a dozen wooden structures on the verge of collapse" remained at the site.