redbud, tule, milkweed, sedge grass and native grapevine. In 1848, the California Gold Rush began and most of the Nisenan land was given away. The Nisenan became overwhelmed and their population was severely decimated due to diseases. However, some survived and still live in surrounding reservations. The Folsom Lake Area was also a significant mining site during the California Gold Rush of 1849. During recent drought years, water levels had been so low at Folsom Lake that the old mining town of Mormon Island was revealed. Mormon Island was a sandbar about 300 feet long where gold was found by members of the Mormon Battalion. When news of gold discovery spread, Mormon Island grew and gained a population of up to 2,500 people by 1853. However, By the 1940s, very few families were left in the area due to fire, diminished gold, and a new railroad. The Natoma Water Company was formed in 1851 by local miners to construct a 20-mile ditch that would supply water for miners seeking gold. The ditch started up by the new salmon falls bridge and reached down to Granite City, which today is named Folsom. The ditch was named the "Natoma Ditch" and it cost around $175,000 to build. In 1912 the Natoma Water Company lined 13,000 feet of the ditch with concrete. In 1953 the government bought most area to build Folsom Lake. The Natoma Water Company is now called Natoma Company. People from all over the world came to the South Fork and North Fork of the American River to mine for gold. People were from England, Scotland, Wales, New York, Virginia, Kentucky, Hawaii, China, etc. They camped next to their mining areas and eventually these camps became small towns. Among these are Rattlesnake Bar, Mormon Bar, Mormon Ravine, Oregon Bar, and Manhattan Bar. Folsom Dam was built in 1955 as a concrete dam flanked by earth wing dams and dikes, with a total length of about nine miles. The shoreline extends about 15 miles up the forks of the American River. Lake levels at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area normally vary from 460 feet in early spring to less than 400 feet by summer as the rainy weather passes and snow in the Sierras melts. Downstream, behind Nimbus Dam, smaller Lake Natoma has about 500 surface acres of water. Folsom and Nimbus Dams were built by the Bureau of Reclamation as