Like many of the other towns in California's Mother Lode, Shingle Springs grew on the site of a mining camp set up by gold miners during the California Gold Rush, in this case a group of "49ers" who had followed the Carson-Emigrant Trail through Pleasant Valley, Nevada. It took its name from a horse-drawn shingle machine capable of producing 16,000 shingles a day that was located near the springs at the western edge of the camp. The Boston-Newton Joint Stock Association, which left Boston April 16, 1849, camped there the night before their arrival at Sutter's Fort on September 27, after a remarkable journey across the continent. A rich store of written records preserved by these pioneers has left a detailed picture of the Gold Rush. As a result, the town is now designated California Historical Landmark #456.