Columbia State Historic Park, also known as Columbia Historic District, is a state park unit and National Historic Landmark District preserving historic downtown Columbia, California, United States. It includes almost 30 buildings built during the California Gold Rush, most of which remain today. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. This discovery was one of the richest finds of the California Gold Rush. The surface-level deposits were amenable to placer mining, but lacked water needed for such operations.
Over the next several years, a network of water supply aqueducts was built (at a cost of over $1 million) to the area to support mining operations.
By 1852, sufficient water was arriving to support the development of a mining boom town, and large-scale mining operations began in 1856.
The ditch was officially completed in 1858. The town was incorporated in 1854, and its population fluctuated in the 1850s between 2,000 and 5,000 people. The town was repeatedly struck by fire, and much of the construction after an 1857 fire was in brick.
See also
- List of California state parks
- List of National Historic Landmarks in California
References
External links
- Official Columbia State Historic Park Website
- Friends of Columbia State Historic Park