FindandGoSeek

Ghost Tour - Have you heard that there are ghosts in Columbia? Join them on the tour to find out where they lurk and the stories behind those who lived in Columbia during the Gold Rush. 

Columbia State Historic Park — once a bustling, brawling gold rush town — sits at an elevation of 2,100 feet amongst the oaks of the Sierra Nevada foothills.  In the mid 1800's, the town of Columbia was one of the largest cities in California, attracting people from other US states as well as other countries with promises of gold.  In fact, between 1850 and the early 1900s, as much as $150 million in gold was mined in Columbia.

As deposits of gold dwindled, Columbia itself began to fall into a state of disrepair.  Miners nearly cannibalized the town, tearing down vacated buildings to mine even the ground the town stood on.  In 1945, the state of California acquired the town, making it a state park and began renovating the remaining buildings and rebuilding as needed to preserve the historic value of Columbia.

Today, Columbia State Historic Park has the largest single collection of gold-rush-era structures making the town an authentic, living mid-nineteenth century history lesson for visitors. Children will thoroughly enjoy gold panning at the Hidden Treasure Gold Mine (located at the south end of the Main Street), the Columbia Candy Kitchen (Main Street, south of State Street) where the walls are lined with old-fashioned confectionary treats, bowling down wooden pins with wooden balls on an uneven wooden plank lane at the Bowling Saloon (Main Street, north of State Street), Candle Dipping in the Garden Courtyard (Main Street, south of State Street), and walking through the small Columbia Museum (Main Street & State Street) where authentic weapons, personal care, household and schoolhouse goods are exhibited.  On Main Street, visitors will find restaurants, a coffee & sweets shop, a child-friendly saloon and more.

Special events are held throughout the year, but the park is open everyday of the year aside from Thanksgiving and Christmas days, 10am - 5pm.