{"nrhp_refnum":"91000335","name":"Gamble Building and Miner's Bean Kettle","other_names":["Express Office Building","Wells Fargo Building","Raggio Store","Co"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"17544 CA 120","address_restricted":false,"city":"Big Oak Flat","county":"Tuolumne County","state":"CA","lat":37.82358448000008,"lon":-120.257997306,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-03-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gold Rush-era stone commercial building with an attached one-room jail, plus an adjoining wood frame building known as the Miner's Bean Kettle, on State Highway 120 in Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County, California. The stone building dates to between 1848 and 1852; the frame building dates to about 1870.","why_significant":"The stone building is argued to be one of the finest surviving examples of Gold Rush stone commercial architecture, one of only two surviving stone buildings in Big Oak Flat, and one of the oldest in Tuolumne County. It is also significant for its long role in the town's commercial life from the 1850s to the 1930s, including Wells, Fargo and Company's tenancy. The frame building is one of only three pre-1890s wood frame buildings left in town.","narrative":"Built between 1848 and 1852 by merchant Alexander Gamble, this large slate stone building on Big Oak Flat's old Main Street holds three commercial suites and a small attached jail room. Brick-lined doorways with iron fire doors, a decorated brick frieze and quoins give it a hint of Italianate design. Beside it stands a wood frame building from about 1870, later known as the Miner's Bean Kettle, which served as a residence, business and restaurant into the 1940s. The stone building housed a general store, an express office used by Wells, Fargo and Company until 1893, and at times a post office, law office, cobbler shop and justice court. It reportedly helped slow the 1863 fire that destroyed much of the town. Few alterations have occurred apart from corrugated metal roofing and siding added around 1900. It is listed for its architecture, its role in early settlement and its place in local commerce. Both buildings are now vacant.","period_of_significance":"c. 1852 - 1930","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["C","A"],"status_note":"Currently vacant; used generally as storage for the past 30 years. The form says a historical society plans to turn the Gamble Building into a museum.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.3288-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/91000335.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000335/db36d20b99-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000335/db36d20b99-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"NoeHill","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miners_Bean_Kettle_and_Gamble_Building_October_2007.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">NoeHill</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miners_Bean_Kettle_and_Gamble_Building_October_2007.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862274","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamble_Building_and_Miner%27s_Bean_Kettle","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85762603"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/tuolumne-county/gamble-building-and-miners-bean-kettle-91000335/"}