Following the Reading's Bar gold discovery, a number of small mining towns grew up on and north of the Clear Creek including: Horsetown, Briggsville, Muletown, Lower Springs, Texas Springs, Middletown, Piety Hill, Igo, Larkin, Jackass Flat, Ono, Bald Hills, Janesville, and to the north Whiskeytown, Shasta, Tower House, and French Gulch.

[6] Reading was a member of John C. Frémont's California Battalion in the Mexican-American War and participated in the Bear Flag Revolt.

Reading was one of the signers of the Treaty of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847, which ended the war in Alta California.

Lots of water is needed for mining gold, so the miners built a small dam on Clear Creek.

A second large water system was built in 1855, the Clear Creek Ditch, with 49 miles of flumes.

[13][10][7] Briggsville, California was a major mining camp located one mile east of Horsetown on Clear Creek at 40°29′42″N 122°28′40″W / 40.49511°N 122.47772°W / 40.49511; -122.47772.

Briggs' wife made it known she could not abide the miners' unkempt habits, and the town was cleaned up somewhat.

A toll bridge was built over Clear Creek at Briggsville in 1852 by Briggs and Joel T. Landrum.

Briggsville's water supply was sourced from the Clear Creek Ditch and reservoir project, opened in 1855.

[17] The only remains of the town are two wood-burning stone kilns in Bulgin Gulch that were used to make plaster and mortar.

It ran from the Tower House, (now in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area), then headed south along Clear Creek to Horsetown and the mining towns of Middletown, Muletown, Texas Springs, and Jackass Flat.

Clear Creek Ditch supplied water to Lower Springs and opened on November 24, 1855.

Benjamin Swasey was born on January 31, 1822, in New Hampshire and he died in Oakland, California on September 19, 1912.

The Swasey Hotel & casino had two large palm trees in front, new site for Northern California.

On April 17, 1851, Merady Swan, from Missouri, was killed in native tribe attack, one of many raids.

In 1851 Munroe & Felt of Sacramento hired McCummings to drive a simple Stagecoach to take passengers from Red Bluffs to Shasta, with stops at Lower Springs, Bells Bridge, Canon House (Canyon House), the main office was at the St. Charles hotel.

In 1859 Wright-Bedford started a daily covered wagon train service for goods and passengers from Texas Springs to Middletown (now Grant) a 5-mile trip north.

On November 17, 1958, a fire burned some of the town, including the blacksmith shop, a hotel and some homes.

[30][9] Jackass Flat, California was a small mining town between Horsetown and Larkin (now Centerville).

A road was built from Jackass Flat to Bald Hills, which crossed the Stockton & Andrew's Bridge.

Jackass Flat supplied the nearby tent mining camps in Buljon Gulch-Jackass Hill.

Bald Hills was 6 miles south of Ono, California, between North Fork and Middle Fork of Cottonwood Creek at 40°22′56″N 122°34′47″W / 40.3822°N 122.5798°W / 40.3822; -122.5798.The 10-miles Bald Hills ditch supplied water to the town and mines, which opened in 1856.

Cottonwood Ditch owned by Messrs. Abel and C. Barnum also supplied water to nearby mines.

Active mines were: Thornton & Watson; Barnum, Love, White & Fowler; Mr. Jonathan Baker; John Abel, and W. Miller.

The largest cattle ranch was The 8,360 acres diamond stock range started by Hardin & Riley sold in 1899 to the Cosmos Land and Water Company.

In 1917 the 5,000 acres James Miller ranch was sold to Trinity Land and Cattle Company.

The mine operated along 10,559 feet of the rivers, mostly dredging till 1941, ending with the start of World War II.