Calaveras Heritage Council

Burson was founded by Daniel Smith Burson in September 1884, the same month that marked the arrival of the San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada Railroad. The town of about 20 acres, and the depot, sat on the north side of what is now Highway 12. Lots were arranged in five blocks, A through E. Streets named Brack, Langford, Washburn, Fitzgerald, Peters and Furness surrounded a plaza planted with trees--olive, eucalyptus, cedar, pine and oleander. Later, the name of the rail stop was changed to Helisma, causing residents to say, “Burson is my post office but Hell is my station.”

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