The county was named for the Spanish Río de las Plumas (the Feather River), which flows through it.

The Maidu lived in small settlements along the edges of valleys, subsisting on roots, acorns, grasses, seeds, and occasionally fish and big game.

Areas with high snowfall, including the Mohawk and Sierra valleys, were hunting grounds for game in the warmer months.

Miners were attracted to Plumas County in particular, largely due to the tales of Thomas Stoddard, who claimed to have discovered a lake lined with gold nuggets while lost in the wilderness.

But some had success panning for gold in the rivers and creeks in the area, and created squatters' villages, the first non-Native American settlements.

Many were developed adjacent to the Feather River, named Río de las Plumas by Spanish explorer Captain Luis Arguello in 1820.

Using the pass, he blazed a trail from Western Nevada through much of Plumas County, eventually terminating in the Sacramento Valley.

Chester was formed near the area that is now Lake Almanor, as a result of cattle ranching and the timber industry.

When the Feather River Highway was completed in 1937 with federal investment in infrastructure by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression, Plumas County became linked to the Sacramento Valley year-round thanks to the route's low elevation.

The area's rugged terrain marks the transition point between the northern Sierra Nevada and the southern end of the Cascade Range.

Plumas National Forest's 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km2) offer a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, camping, kayaking, swimming, mountain biking, hunting and fishing.

The Board of Supervisors oversees the management of county government and members serve four-year terms.

Its responsibilities include monitoring legislative affairs, preparing the county's annual budget, and undertaking studies and investigations for the Board of Supervisors.

[39] [data missing] In its early history, Plumas was a reliable Republican county, voting for that party in every election from 1864 to 1908.

The county has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980, except for 1992, when Bill Clinton won a small plurality.

Sacramento stations KXTV and KCRA regularly cover major news events in Plumas County.

It begins in the Sacramento Valley, following the Feather River Canyon and entering Plumas County just west of Storrie.

[49][50] The southernmost point of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, Lake Almanor, is in Plumas County.

The route spans 500 miles between California and Oregon and has views of dramatic volcanic landscapes, including nearby Lassen Peak.

[52] Plumas Transit Systems, operated by the county, provides local service in Quincy and routes to Chester and Portola.

Resources include fueling, retardant loading, communications, and some quartering for aircrew and ground firefighting teams.