Field Trip



California Standard 3.3.3 Trace why their community was established, how individuals and families contributed to its founding and development, and how the community has changed over time, drawing on maps, photographs, oral histories, letters, [MORE]

Columbia, California, was a boom town like Placerville. While Placerville changed with the times, Columbia found a way to survive by not changing. Today Columbia is a state park. Visit these Web sites to see how people worked and lived during the Gold Rush.

Pan for Gold

At the beginning of the Gold Rush, panning was a good method to find gold. But as more and more miners came, panning was no longer the best method. Find out what happened when panning no longer worked.

Boy Panning for Gold


Wells Fargo

Learn more about the history of the famous Wells Fargo stagecoach. Read about the “Treasure Boxes” and what they carried. .

Wells Fargo Building and Stagecoach


Chinese Apothecary Shop

Many Chinese came to Columbia for gold. Many also went to San Francisco. Study the contents of a Chinese store in San Francisco from the mid-1800’s.

Chinese Store Sight


Main Street Firehouse

Learn a few more facts about the Main Street Firehouse.


 

Explore History

Supplies were often hard to come by on the trip to California. Read more about $100 glasses of water and other strange experiences people had on the trip out west.