Columbia’s old firehouse was made to both withstand fire (with tin sheathing to withstand flames) and to fight fires that often ravaged Gold Rush cities. Columbia’s main street is closed to vehicle traffic; you’ll find docents ready to share what the city was like in 1855. The eves of an old Westside Lumber building […]
Parrotts Ferry Bridge; look closely and you will see the center arch’s sag (as well as the very low water in New Melones Lake). Gold Rush explorers taking Hwy E-18 between Vallecito and Columbia in the central Sierra foothills get both a scenic drive, and cross the interesting Parrotts Ferry Bridge, arching (and sagging) high over New […]