Most casual observers assume that Weimar is named after the German town and the short-lived Weimar Republic.  That conclusion is incorrect, as the town is actually named for a local resident.

In 1886, a post office was established at the railroad station in the vicinity.  The name chosen for the office was “New England Mills.”  This name was rejected for being too lengthy.  The residents then decided to name the little village in honor of local Indian chief “Old Weimah,” the well-known leader of a local band known as the Oleepas during the Gold Rush.  Weimah, whose name is spelled various ways in the historical record, was a colorful Nisenan chief who was a favorite of the Argonauts during the California Gold Rush.  Weimah was also well-known for his candor.  In an extraordinarily forthright account of an interview conducted in the 1850s, Alonzo Delano, prominent Gold Rush-era writer, recounted his conversation with Weimah.  In response to Delano’s assertion that the American government would protect the Indians, but only if the natives did the government’s bidding, Weimah replied: “Ah!  The Americans promised us before, made long speeches, and told us fine stories, that they would give us beef, but they did not do it and now we have no confidence.  They talk much and do nothing.”

Not knowing the exact spelling of the chief’s name, “Weimar” was agreed upon as the closest possibility.

In the early 20h Century, Weimar became well-known as a health center. In 1919, a small tuberculosis sanatorium was opened at Weimar. Government officials formed a consortium of six central California counties in 1917 and had chosen the town as one of five ideal locations in the United States for recovery from the respiratory disease. Over the next several decades, the sanatorium grew to a large hospital supported by fifteen counties. The institution changed in 1957 to the Weimar Chest Center, treating other pulmonary diseases. In 1960 it was renamed Weimar Medical Center. In 1966, it became a general community hospital, but the hospital closed in 1972 due to financial cuts.  Today, the old sanatorium grounds are occupied by the Weimar Institute, a health and Christian education facility.