Columbia State Historic Park

December, 1848 President Polk mentions the discover of gold in an address to Congress and the word travels around the world.

California State Parks and the USDA Forest Service invite Californians to do their part to ensure safe and healthy outdoor experiences during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and amidst the ongoing pandemic. Simple actions such as staying local, planning ahead, and following physical distancing guidelines, can increase the outdoor experience for everyone. Read our press release for more tips & info on SNO-PARKS: https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/996 #RecreateResponsibly #KnowBeforeYouGo #LeaveNoTrace #CentralCAStateParks

Columbia is a great place to get outside and explore. Please stay safe and help us stop the spread of COVID 19. Check out our website www.parks.ca.gov/Columbia for information about what is open and to view our virtual town tour.

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This map identifies the mining camps established in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada by the end of 1848. The first gold seekers came from costal villages and valley farms. Many Mexicans also came to find their fortunes. The first people to come from outside California were from Oregon and the Sandwich Islands. Native peoples were often employed in the early mines. Trading their valuable gold for minimal wages. This first year thousands of people pouRed into California,starting an avalanche of humanity that would soon overrun the wilderness of the state and change the lives of native California dons forever.

This gorgeous bar top for the bowling alley and saloon was donated by Anthony Armstrong, owner of TimberCraft Designs In Murphys.

PSA: Due to the critical need to stop the #COVID19 surge, state campground sites in the San Joaquin and So Cal regions, and some in the Bay Area, will temporarily close. Affected reservation holders will be contacted by ReserveCalifornia via email. Cancelations and refunds will be automatic. This will include Hotel and Cottage stays at Columbia SHP. Day use areas in park units currently open to the public will remain open. Please remember to stay local, plan ahead to find out what is open, wear a face covering, practice physical distancing and avoid gatherings with people outside the immediate household. Learn more at www.parks.ca.gov/FlattenTheCurve.

The work has redesigned a historic interpretive exhibit highlighting entertainment, bowling and saloons that were a large part of the culture of the California Gold Rush. This exhibit helps visitors understand the most common gambling games and uses quotes from the gold rush about entertainment to help visitors feel like they have stepped back in time into a gambling hall and saloon of the 1850’s. Visitors of all ages love being able to send the ball rolling down the lane and the park benefits from the historic ambiance of the sound created by the constant hum of the bowling alley.

Columbia State Historic Park interpretive staff Kaitlyn Moreland and Kelly Leage have been busy behind the scenes giving the bowling alley a facelift. Photos from before the exhibit was redone.

This home showcases how when the community works together they can preserve the things they love. Columbia was preserved 75 years ago. This living Gold Rush towns citizens, community clubs and the State of California recognized that Columbia tells the stories of the miners and merchants through its landscape, buildings and cultural artifacts. We are great full today for the work of past and future preservationists.

Visit our nature trail at the park to explore the natural beauty in Columbia.

This Italian Chestnut is over 100 years old and still producing nuts. Do you have a favorite chestnut recipe?

Great news! Power has been restored. #HistoricColumbia #PSPS #CentralCAStateParks

What do you think this was used for in Gold Rush Columbia?

**Visitor Info** Talk about going back to the 1850s! The park remains open during the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS); however, services are limited by loss of power. #HistoricColumbia #PSPS #CentralCAStateParks Visit https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/updates/ for info and updates about the PSPS.

The streets of Columbia showcase buildings built in the 1850’s and 1860’s by the miners and merchants of the Gold Rush creating a town worth preserving!

In Columbia one the strangest fruits is the Osage Orange from Spain. It is drought tolerant and was often used as boundary tree to separate property because of its rapid growth. Shavings from this fruit also deter pests. It was put in clothing chests during the Gold Rush to keep clothing safe from pests. What strange fruits or vegetables do you grow in your garden or love to eat?

The cultural landscape of Columbia is dotted with plants left behind by cultures from around the world during the Gold Rush. If you were leaving home forever what little treasure would you bring?

The morning beauty in Columbia. Seasons are changing.

#ItalianAmericanHeritageMonth A Tale of Two Buildings Hailing from a small mountain village in northern Italy, Pietro Solari and his brother, Sebastiano, arrived in California in the late 1850s in search of wealth and a better life. During the 1870s, the two brothers went back to Italy and where they courted and eventually married two sisters, Rosa and Angela Lagomarsino. By the 1880s, the brothers, unsurprising, both became successful general store merchantswith only 13 mil...es between them. TOP: Pietro Solari’s Mercantile on Jackson Street in Columbia BOTTON: Sebastiano Solari’s Store on Main Street in the nearby town of Murphys