The town of Atwater was rich in a different kind of treasure than the gold usually sought by people flocking to California in the 1850s. Named for Marshall D. Atwater, a tenant on several of founder John W. Mitchell's 2,000-acre parcels, the community boasted a mineral-rich alluvial soil that made it an extremely productive agricultural area. When the Central Pacific Railroad came through--thanks to lobbying from Mitchell, along with several strips of free land deeded to the railroad--a switch was laid next to Atwater's warehouse. The train switch and the building became known as Atwater Station, and in time, the town itself bore his name.