Stepping into Gold Rush Time in Columbia, California

On our way back home from the Sierra Nevada Mountains we ended up on Highway 49 which is known for its Gold Rush towns. If you followed our trip, you probably noticed that this was a different route than we took when driving over the Sierras. Our trip was to Mammoth Lakes to see Devils Postpile, so we took Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park to get there. Tioga Pass was actually a nicer and bigger road than the one we took on our way back home. Sonora Pass was extremely winding and narrow, and therefore felt worse than Tioga Pass which actually was higher up. The smaller the road is, the slower you can drive on it. But our prize was waiting on the other side of the mountain when we realised that old town Columbia was right there.

HOW DID IT ALL START IN COLUMBIA

Just like Bodie Ghost Town where we had just visited, Columbia was also booming in the gold rush days of the 19th century. Everything started when Dr. Thaddeus Hildreth was camping in the area with his brother and other gold miners, and happened to find some gold. People quickly started to move in, and the little village was first called American Camp. Later, when tents had converted into actual houses and people had moved in more permanently, the name was changed to Columbia. In the 1860’s the gold veins started to thin out and people slowly started to move out of the area. Columbia started shrinking, buildings deteriorated and many businesses closed their doors. Until, after several attempts, the area was dedicated as a state park.

It was actually quite fun to visit two different gold rush towns within a couple of days, and see how different they were. Bodie was an actual ghost town which is actually just preserved as a state park in its current state and not restored. However, Columbia never lost all of its inhabitants, and it has been restored to look the way it was in its best years. I personally preferred Bodie’s atmosphere since it felt so authentic, but Columbia was also interesting to visit. Even though there were some restaurants and shops in the area, we were almost the only people in the old town. Maybe it is full of life on the weekends, but that Monday it was so quiet, that we didn’t always know which houses were open and which were closed.

STROLLING AROUND THE COLUMBIA STATE HISTORIC PARK

We started our visit to Columbia State Historic Park by having lunch. After driving over the mountains we were really hungry, but luckily we found a really nice Mexican restaurant right by the park that I could definitely recommend. El Jardín had a nice little garden with some shade; just what we needed on a hot summer day.

Inside the park we almost immediately ran into a little museum where the ranger was just cleaning up the floor. She gave us a map which helped a lot while strolling around and looking at the old buildings. The museum also had a short film describing the history of Columbia and had a nice little play area for kids. They had old fashioned clothes to try on and other fun things. The museum also had a souvenir shop, but this time we didn’t buy anything to take home with us.

In my opinion the most interesting buildings in old Columbia were the old hotel (which is still used), the jail, candy store and bank. The candy is handmade in a kitchen that is from the 1800’s, and which we could see from the windows. The candy store was open, but the kitchen was empty and no one was there to make candy that day. The old Wells Fargo buildings was open for visitors. During the gold rush the main job for the banks was not to store money, but mainly to buy or transfer gold. The stagecoach going between the towns had an expensive load on it.

Also the Masons were already operating in Columbia in the 1800’s. Inside the Masonic Temple you could see the old furniture and decor of the masons, and read about their history. It was very interesting to see how their meetings were organised.

Overall, Columbia was an interesting place to stop on our way home. In the beginning, this was not our plan, but I had read about the places along Highway 49 and thought that it would be fun to visit. I might not take a drive to see Columbia alone from very far, but if it’s on your way, definitely consider stopping there!

The drive on our Labor Day road trip continued on homeward to the San Francisco Bay Area. Now this trip is done and we are ready to plan new adventures.