Area History

The Sierra Nevada was the gateway to the west.

The area was virtually uncharted territory until 1850 when the gold rush brought throngs of prospectors looking to strike it rich. Makeshift towns sprang up overnight, and the face of the territory was forever changed.

One of the legendary mountain men of the region, Jim Beckwourth, left an indelible mark on the territory when he discovered the lowest pass in the Sierra Nevada and navigated a wagon trail (known as Beckwourth Pass) across the rugged terrain.

Gold may have put Plumas County on the map, but lumber kept it there. Spurred by the growing timber industry, several railroad companies forged links across the region from 1880 through 1909, when the last spike on the Western Pacific Railroad was driven in Salt Lake City.

There’s a bit of the old days still left at Grizzly Ranch. An old narrow gauge railroad bed that once transported trains laden with lumber still remains on the property. Today, it’s part of the community’s trail system. More pervasive than the remnants of days past is the pioneering spirit of the old west – a friendly, can-do attitude and the feeling that the best is yet to come.