Columbia Historic District

Columbia is a former gold rush town four miles northwest of Sonora in California's Mother Lode country. Rich placer gold was found there in March 1850, and a vast network of ditches, flumes and a 60-mile aqueduct later brought the water needed to work the deposits. By the mid-1850s the town had thousands of residents, hotels, saloons, stores, churches and fraternal halls. Fires in 1854 and 1857 destroyed the early frame buildings, and the town was rebuilt chiefly in brick with iron doors and shutters to resist fire. Mining declined after 1860, yet Columbia was never fully abandoned, and its population stayed near 500. Because of that continuity, many original buildings survive and few modern structures intrude. The historic core was set aside as a state park in 1945, and 39 historic structures are included, among them hotels, banks, stores, firehouses, churches and a school. Restored interiors show the gold rush period, and the district was recognized as an outstanding example of a mining town.