Randsburg, California

Gold was discovered on the slope of Rand Mountain in 1895. From this discovery, the town of Randsburg sprang up almost overnight. By 1899, the town had over 3500 residents. Randsburg boasted a 100-stamp mill and conservative estimates are that ...

California Road

The California Road

Originally a trail through the lands of the Shawnee Indians, running west from Westport through present day Johnson and Douglas Counties, this route was used throughout the 1830's and 1840's by Indians, missionaries, and surveyors. John C. Fremont ...

The California Gold Rush

With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, it’s statehood in 1850, and the resulting emigration to the west, the interest of the government in exploring a rail link to the Pacific became serious in the early 1850’s. Not ...

Natomas Consolidated of California

Natomas Company activities started in this area in 1857 with the acquisition of 9,000 acres from the Joseph L. Folsom estate.

Early partners engaged in water, granite quarrying, agriculture, vineyards, gold mining, hydro-electric power and helped build Folsom Prison and ...

Site of First California State Fair

California’s first state fair was held on this site on October 4, 1854. Sponsored by the California State Agricultural Society, the exhibition of “horses, cattle, mules and other stock, and agricultural, mechanical and domestic manufacture and productions” promoted the new ...

Hendy Stamp Mill / Hendy's "California" Stamp Mill

Hendy Stamp Mill

During the California Gold Rush, Hendy Iron Works built mining and stamp mill machinery exclusively. They supplied mining operations around the world with 5-stamp mills that could operate as a single unit or as multiple units of up ...

Consolidated Virginia & California Pan Mill

Upper end of Six Mile Canyon (Mill Street), Virginia City

Built in 1874, the mill went into operation in January of 1975, and was destroyed later that year in the great fire of October 25th, but was quickly rebuilt at ...