The original community of Big Bar was at the mouth of Big Bar Creek (formerly Little Weaver Creek) across the river from Big Flat and Highway 299. There are no buildings left but there are plenty of tailing piles to show evidence of human presence. The only way to reach the townsite is either to wade across the river or take a small cable car across - neither of which I recommend. Big Bar was settled by a man named Jones. Little is known about him since he quickly got rich from gold and moved on. By 1855 there was a store, a blacksmith shop, a butcher shop, and a large sawmill (Yankee Sawmill). The flood of 1861-62 wiped out the town and it had to rebuild.
