Dayton is a small unincorporated community with a few hundred residents in Butte County. Dayton is located approximately 10 miles south of Chico, just east of the town of Durham along Ord Ferry Road. In fact, kids in Dayton are in the Durham school district. As an unincorporated community, it is part of Chico's 95928 ZIP Code. Perhaps the most identifiable characteristics of Dayton are the Dips located to the east and the tons of orchards that surround it.
Dayton was first settled by Joseph Wiggins and Samuel Van Ness in 1859. In 1868 a listing of the businesses in Dayton included 1 brothel, 1 hotel, 2 bars, smithy, school, and a church. Its' importance as a trading center declined as Durham grew after the California and Oregon Railway was completed through Butte County.1
Aerial Photo from USGS
