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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » Gold Country
Columbia State Historic Park
Three miles north of Sonora off Highway 49 lies Columbia, California and the Columbia State Historic Park. It is a charmingly preserved gold rush town, comparable in history and presentation to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. The town itself was founded in 1850, when Thaddeus Hildreth and other prospectors in his band found gold and created a shanty town of tents and fire rings called Hildreth’s Diggings. The name underwent several changes throughout time as more people moved to the area and the town grew more developed. Hildreth’s Diggings became American Camp before the townspeople finally settled on the name of Columbia. By 1852, the town was bustling with more than 150 stores, shops, and saloons. A church and a schoolhouse were even built as the gold miners continued to prosper. The town was destroyed by a fire in 1854, but was rebuilt in grander fashion with red brick being the preferred architecture. Throughout its ten years of prime gold mining activity, Columbia yielded $87 million in gold in 1860 prices.
The town became a state park in 1945, and is now one of the primary historic tourist attractions in the area. Visitors to Matelot Gulch and Hidden Treasure Goldmine are invited to visit a working hardrock gold mine as well as enjoy shopping and learning to pan for gold. Tourists may also be interested in visiting Moaning Caverns, as well as enjoy live plays at the Sierra Repertoire Theatre. Quartz Mountain Stage Line offers stagecoach and guided trail rides. One can also simply stroll the streets of Columbia, interact with the costumed docents, and soak in the history of this once booming gold rush town.
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