St. Xavier’s Catholic Church was the first non-Chinese house of
worship in Chinese Camp. Built in 1855 by popular subscription of funds
and labor, the structure originally had a shingle roof which was
replaced with sheet iron and several coats of paint when the building
was restored in 1949. Father Henry Aleric was the first priest to serve
the seventy parishioners at Chinese Camp. He traveled a circuit through
the mines, covering an area stretching from Knights Ferry to Second
Garrote. He rode a mule. The church is located on a hill across the
highway.
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