The town began in 1859 with the arrival of Samuel Van Ness and Joseph Wiggins, who set up a trading post there. Other shops followed.[2]
A post office (named Grainland) was established in 1867 and closed later that year; it was reopened in 1873, closed again in 1892, reopened in 1893, and closed for good in 1902.[3] Presently it gets postal service from Chico. While initially an important grain shipping point, it was eclipsed when the railroad was put through elsewhere.[4]
^Gilbert, Frank T.; Wells, Harry L. (1882). History of Butte County, California. Vol. 1. San Francisco: Harry L. Wells. p. 250. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 221. ISBN1-884995-14-4.
