Coarsegold, California 5.07

Coarsegold is a census-designated place in Madera County, California. The population was 1,840 at the 2010 census. The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, a federally recognized tribe, is headquartered in Coarsegold.HistoryCoarsegold has previously had several names, including Coarse Gold, Gold Gulch, Michaels, Oro Grosso, Texas Flat, and Coarse Gold Gulch. The place was first called Texas Flat after miners from Texas discovered gold there in 1849. By 1874, the name had changed to Michaels, honoring Charles Michaels, a local merchant. A rival mining camp inhabited by Mexicans there was called Oro Grosso.The current name derives from the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century, when prospectors discovered coarse nuggets of gold in a nearby creek. At one time, several dozen gold mines operated in the area.The Coarse Gold Gulch post office opened in 1878, changed the name to Goldgulch in 1895 and to Coarsegold in 1899.GeographyCoarsegold is located on Highway 41 between Fresno and the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park, at an elevation of 2218ft. Nearby communities include Oakhurst, around 7mi away, Yosemite Lakes Park, and Indian Lakes Estates.