The easily accessible gold was largely worked out in the first year, and a source of water was needed to drive the mines deeper into the ancient river gravels. During this time the original settlement was almost completely abandoned. The first ditches and flumes were built in 1851, the mines were once again active, and miners flocked back to the area. Late that year, the Columbia post office was established.
Friday, November 18, 2022
Columbia, California
In March of 1850, Dr. Thaddeus Hildreth led a prospecting party that discovered gold at this location. When word of the discovery spread, hundreds of miners started arriving at the scene. "Hildreth's Diggings" was the name of the original camp, and by mid-year thousands of miners were working the gold placers here.
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If the Wells Fargo Express building looks familiar that's becausei it's where the Preacher (Clint Eastwood) went to pick up his pistolas out of a safety deposit box before he started killing bad guys in the movie Pale Rider.
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