City of AuburnGold was discovered near here by Claude Chana on May 16, 1848. First known as 'North Fork' or 'Woods Dry Diggins,' the settlement was given the name A... [click for more]
Emigrant GapThe spring of 1845 saw the first covered wagons surmount the Sierra Nevada. They left the valley, ascended to the ridge, and turned westward to old Em... [click for more]
First Transcontinental Railroad, AuburnAfter an 11-month delay due to political opposition and lack of money, Central Pacific tracks reached Auburn May 13, 1865, and regular service began. ... [click for more]
First Transcontinental Railroad, ColfaxCentral Pacific rails reached Illinois-town on September 1, 1865, and train service began four days later. Renamed by Governor Stanford in honor of Sc... [click for more]
First Transcontinental Railroad, NewcastleRegular freight and passenger trains began operating over the first 31 miles of Central Pacific's line to Newcastle on June 10, 1864, when political o... [click for more]
First Transcontinental Railroad, RocklinCentral Pacific reached Rocklin, 22 miles from its Sacramento terminus, in May 1864, when the railroad established a major locomotive terminal here. T... [click for more]
First Transcontinental Railroad, RosevilleCentral Pacific graders arrived at Junction on November 23, 1863, and when track reached there on April 25, 1864, trains began making the 18-mile run ... [click for more]
Griffith QuarryEstablished in the fall of 1864 by Mr. Griffith Griffith, a native of Wales, the quarry located near this site supplied high-quality granite for a num... [click for more]
Iowa HillGold was discovered here in 1853, and by 1856 weekly production was estimated at one hundred thousand dollars. The total value of gold produced up to ... [click for more]
Lake Tahoe Outlet GatesConflicting control of these gates, first built in 1870, resulted in the two-decade 'Tahoe Water War' between lakeshore owners and downstream Truckee ... [click for more]
OphirFounded in 1849 as 'The Spanish Corral,' Ophir received its Biblical name in 1850 because of its rich placers. The most populous town in Placer County... [click for more]
Overland Emigrant TrailOver a hundred years ago, this trail resounded to creaking wheels of pioneer wagons and the cries of hardy travelers on their way to the gold fields. ... [click for more]
Pioneer Express TrailBetween 1849 and 1854, Pioneer Express riders rode this gold rush trail to the many populous mining camps on the American River bars now covered by Fo... [click for more]
Pioneer Ski Area of America, Squaw ValleyThe VIII Olympic Winter Games of 1960 commemorated a century of sport skiing in California. By 1860 the Sierra Nevada-particularly at the mining towns... [click for more]
Town of Dutch FlatFounded in the spring of 1851 by Joseph and Charles Dornback, from 1854 to 1882 Dutch Flat was noted for its rich hydraulic mines. In 1860 it had the ... [click for more]
Town of Forest HillGold was discovered here in 1850, the same year the first 'forest house' was built. In 1852 the Jenny Lind Mine, which produced over a million dollars... [click for more]
Town of Gold RunOriginally called Mountain Springs, Gold Run was founded in 1854 by O. W. Hollenbeck. It was famed for its hydraulic mines, which from 1865 to 1878 sh... [click for more]
Town of Michigan BluffFounded in 1850 and first known as Michigan City, the town was located on the slope one-half mile from here. Leland Stanford, who gained wealth and fa... [click for more]
VirginiatownFounded June 1851, the town was commonly called 'Virginia.' Over 2,000 miners worked rich deposits here. In 1852 Captain John Brislow built California... [click for more]
Yankee Jim’sGold was discovered here in 1850 by 'Yankee Jim,' a reputed lawless character, and by 1857 the town was one of the most important in Placer County. Th... [click for more]
