The 1854 Gazetteer of the United States by Thomas Baldwin shows:

TUOLUMNE, a county in the N. central part of California, has an area estimated at above 3000 square miles. It is partly bounded on the S. W. by the Coast Range, on the N. E. by the Sierra Nevada, and partly on the N. W. by the Stanislaus river, and is drained by the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers, which afford some water-power. The surface in the E. and W. parts is rough and mountainous; the middle section comprises the beautiful and fertile valley of the San Joaquin. Potatoes, hay, cattle, and horses are the staples. In 1852 it produced 1200 bushels of potatoes, and 1650 tons of hay. There were 4818 beef cattle, and 1726 horses. The amount of capital employed in placer mining was $76,085; in quartz mining, $49,900, and in other mining operations, $1900. The San Joaquin river is navigable for moderate sized steamboats through the county. Named from the Tuolumne river, whose whole course lies within it. Capital, Sonora. Population, 17,657.