Glencoe, formerly called Mosquito Gulch, was a mining town located 10 miles northeast of Mokelumne Hill. The business portion of the town was on the north side of Mosquito Gulch, but not one of the old buildings remains.
The first mines here were worked by Mexicans in the early 1850s. Though some placer mining was done here, quartz mining was the main focus of mining efforts. The Good Hope Mine, formerly worked by Mexicans using arrastres, constructed an 18-stamp mill in 1873. The mill produced customer work for the Glencoe mines. Other mines in Glencoe were the Sierra King, Sierra Queen, Oriental, Monte Cristo, Blue Jay, Mexican, San Bruno, Blue Bell, and several others. In 1899, Glencoe was still a trading center for quartz and drift mines in the area. The post office here was named Mosquito Gulch from 1873-1878, when the name was changed to Glencoe after a historic town in Scotland, though both names were often used to describe the area.
By the late 19th century, ranching and farming became the dominant industries. Lumbering became an important industry here during World War II.
Glencoe is located on State Highway 26, 7.2 miles south west of West Point.
Along with Mark Twain’s famous "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" story that spun into an annual fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, Calaveras County is rich with Gold Rush history and folklore. Remnants of the railroads and Hispanic culture add to the charm of the county located in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Calaveras Big Trees State Park, a preserve of Giant Sequoia trees, and the uncommon gold telluride mineral Calaverite was discovered in the county in 1861, and is named for it.
Calaveras is a Spanish word meaning "skull." The name was first given to the river because of the great quantities of human skulls found along the lower reaches of the river.
Calaveras County is famous for its lode and placer mines, and the largest gold nugget from the United States was taken from the Morgan Mine at Carson Hill in 1854, weighing 214 pounds. For many years it was the principal copper-producing county in California. Cement deposits from its vast limestone deposits has become one of the county's major industries in recent years.