Camanche is a former settlement in Calaveras County, California. It lay at an elevation of 220 feet . Once called Limerick, the town became Camanche in 1849. Gold mining at nearby Cat Camp, Poverty Bar, and Sand Hill brought its population to a peak of 1,500. Mokelumne River water was brought in by Lancha Plana and Poverty Bar Ditch. A fire on June 21, 1873, destroyed Camanche's large Chinatown. Buhach, an insect powder made from a plant, was manufactured on the nearby Hill Ranch. Camanche is now inundated by Camanche Reservoir.The settlement is registered as California Historical Landmark #254.Its location is atA post office was opened in Clay's Bar in 1861 and renamed Camanche in 1864 before closing in 1886; it was re-established in 1887 and closed for good in 1962.
