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Historical Marrysville

Marysville city is the county seat of Yuba County, California. Are you wondering why it is called so?

Marysville is named after Mary Murphy Covillaud, who was a survivor of the Donner party,

when nearly half the people died due to starvation in 1846-47 while crossing the Sierra Nevada

mountain range in an early and horrific winter. Others were able to survive through sheer will and

consumption of the frozen flesh of the deceased. It’s a symbol of hope and extreme survival!

Statistic	Marysville	California	National
Population	12,576	39,512,223	328,239,523
Population density (sq mi)	3,515	256	91
Median age	30.7	36	37.7
Male/Female ratio	1.1:1	1.0:1	1.0:1
Married (15yrs & older)	51%	52%	55%
Families w/ Kids under 18	45%	46%	43%
Speak English	81%	56%	79%
Speak Spanish	14%	29%	13%

"The New York of the Pacific."

On January 18, 1850, the townspeople resolved to name “New Mecklenburg” as “Marysville”, after Charles Covillaud’s wife, Mary Murphy Covillaud.

The first mayor was chosen in 1851. The populace was nearly 10,000 by 1857. Marysville had established mills, iron workshops, sweatshops, machine plants, faculties, cathedrals, and two daily papers.

Marysville had become one of The Major Cities in California, owing to its strategic position. The city’s forefathers anticipated Marysville becoming “The New York of the Pacific.”

The Bok Kai Festival

The Bok Kai parade’s rich history is believed to have started as far back as the 1850s. Always held on the weekend closest to the second day of the second month of the Lunar calendar it is the longest continually held parade in California.

The parade honors Bok Eye, the Chinese Water God, who protects Marysville from flooding. The event brings in thousands of visitors from the local community as well as San Francisco, Seattle, Oregon, and even Hong Kong.

The parade features community organizations, schools, businesses, traditional Chinese lion dancers, lots of fire crackers and the famous 175 foot long golden dragon named “Hong Wan Lung.”

Dragons play a big part in the Chinese culture as well as in the Bok Kai parade’s history. Check out the history of our parade dragons here.

Steaks, Chinese, Thai, Greek…

Yes Marysville and the surrounding area is mainly farmland, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like a variety of food.

And you can find it all in Marysville and right next door in Yuba City. Great meats and beers, as well as a variety of international cuisine.

And when you are ready, why not visit some of the local bars? Check the link for a list of great places.

The Hard Rock Hotel

Is a beautiful hotel just 10 minutes from downtown Marysville.

And other places are on the development list. But the best thing to do might be to get a local AirBnB to get the true flavor of the town.

It’s up to you. Either way, come, stay, have a great time learning about one of the most important old cites in California.

Varoom, Cha Ching!, Bang! Ye-Ha!

There sure is a lot to do in the small town. Yes, there is the casino – Cha Ching!

But there is also motocross riding. Or how about a motorway? And of course, there is always the beautiful mountainside and rivers.

With California’s oldest covered bridge just a short drive into the hills. Billards, gun range, and don’t forget the fun nightlife or art scene

Did you here the exciting news..?

Well of course you didn’t. And you won’t. Unless you can stay on top of things by reading or watching the videos on the blog.

You may find some very interesting details about the town and the people. Like the history of Freed Slave and Crow nation warrior Bloody Arm Beackwourth.

Or the countless treasures that are still being discovered in the Yuba and Feather rivers. So read on, and join our list.

Take home some gold!

Gold is a big part of our history. Just for fun we have put together some small bottles containing real gold to take home as a reminder of the richness of Marysville.

We also have comfortable T-Shirt, mugs and even water bottles for your hie around the hills. Most impressive might be some of the original artwork for our local and talented artisans.

Which, by-the-way, can be viewed in several galleries.