Columbia SHP

On-Line Hotel and Cottage Reservations

Columbia City Hotel Plumbing Project – January to March 2014
Please pardon our dust . . .

State Parks continuously works to address the aging infrastructure and systems of our concession buildings. The City Hotel was restored in 1974 and the Fallon Hotel was restored in 1986. To help protect the historic structures and to provide a great experience for our guests, State Parks has accomplished the following:

• City Hotel Restaurant Ansul System, Hood, Primary Ventilation System, and Grease Interceptor Replaced - 2006
• Fallon Hotel Boiler Replaced – 2009
• Three Newly Renovated Cottages Added - 2010
• City Hotel HVAC Replaced – 2012
• City Hotel Hot Water Heater Replaced – 2012
• Columbia Cottage #15 Ducting Replaced – 2012
• City & Fallon Hotels Exterior Accessibility Upgraded - 2012/13

Current Project: City Hotel Plumbing
State Parks is replacing all supply and sanitary piping, fittings, and valves at the City Hotel beginning January 2, 2014. We are expecting to do the work in priority order to get the What Cheer Saloon and City Hotel Restaurant reopened as soon as possible to restore services.

These repairs are necessary to prevent a catastrophic failure in the future and irreparable damage to a beautiful historic structure and furnishings.

The occupancy rate and gross receipts are at the lowest at this time of year so completing the project in the winter will have the least impact possible. There are many facets involved in this project, i.e., removing or protecting in-place artifacts and historical furnishings, cutting open walls, ceilings and concrete slabs and putting everything back together. State Parks worked with the current private operator to set aside Jan-March for the project. Special events during the month of December such as the Victorian Feast will not be affected.

Hotel Reservations:
During the plumbing project, guests can still stay overnight in downtown Columbia by making reservations for the Fallon Hotel or the Columbia Cottages. Call 209/532-1479 or visit Reserve America's Website.

Location - Directions

Columbia State Historic Park is three miles north of Sonora, off Highway 49.

The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved with shops, restaurants and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. Visitors can experience a bygone era watching proprietors in period clothing conduct business in the style of yesterday. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, and explore the real working businesses of Columbia.

Seasons/Climate

Climate
At an elevation of 2,100 feet in the Sierra Nevada, summer days can be hot and evenings can cool down quickly. Winters are rainy, with snow at times.

Weather
Average Annual Rainfall: 40 inches
Average Daily High Temperatures:
Winter: 59 F
Summer 89F

Regularly Scheduled Programs

Free Town Tours:
June 15th - Labor Day: Daily @ 11:00 AM Monday-Friday based on staff and docent availability. Please check with museum upon arrival.
Year-round: Saturday & Sunday @ 11:00 AM
Led by staff and docents. Meet at the museum.
Approximately 1 hour.

For groups over ten people, special tours must be arranged in advance by calling 209-588-9128.

Digging Deeper Into Columbia
June 15th-Labor Day: Daily @ 1:00 PM. Learn more about Columbia by listening to a short presentation by park staff or volunteers. Hands-on demonstrations and interpretation. Please check with museum upon arrival to see location and topic of the day.

Our Museum is currently open from 9-5:00pm through Labor Day. Fall/Winter hours 10-4pm. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Gold Rush Days  occur the second Saturday of each month from 1 to 4pm. Many special exhibits are open and hands-on activities are led by volunteers in period attire throughout the afternoon. Call 209-588-9128 for details.

School Programs-
Special School programs designed to meet state curriculum standards for 4th graders are offered from September-June.  $40 per class. Students enjoy an hour-long history program at the museum led by park staff, including a bucket brigade.  Then students walk to the original brick schoolhouse for an hour-long 1860s living history school program.   Registration forms for the program are available by clicking the School Programs link on the right side of the page.  Programs are popular and fill quickly.

PORTS for Columbia
Parks Online Resource for Teachers and Students
Three downloadable lesson plans focused on 4th grade curriculum culminating with a ranger from Columbia interacting with the class via video conference.

Special Events & Programs

Columbia's Birthday Celebration
March 27, 1850; noon
Celebrate the discovery of gold in Columbia! Speech by costmed docent, tours, free refreshments.

Photography Tours
1st and 3rd Saturdays beginning in April
Novice and Intermediate classes in travel photography with a focus on Columbia.
Check back soon for more information including time and cost.

Diggins Tent Town 1852
May 29-June 1, 2014
Living history event with more than 150 volunteers in period costume. Learn how to bake bread in an outdoor oven, take in a theater performance, watch the blacksmith, wash laundry the old-fashioned way and more! $5/adult, $1/child.

31st Annual Lamplight Tours (2014)
December 5 & 6, beginning around 6:00 pm and running every 15 minutes
Take a walk through Columbia on a lamplight-led tour by our costumed volunteers! Follow your guide from venue to venue and watch the play all come together in the end. It's sure to be a night to remember! Reservations are recommended and can be made after September 1st. Please call (209) 588-9128 for more information.

Facilities and Activities

The park was once known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines." Between the 1850s and 1870s over one billion dollars in gold (at today's value) was mined in the area. For a time, Columbia was the second largest city in California.

Unlike many other settlements that disappeared due to fire, vandalism and time, Columbia survived. It was never completely deserted. In 1945 the State Legislature made the site a State Historic Park in order to preserve a typical Gold Rush town, an example of one of the most colorful eras in American history.

Visitors can taste hand-dipped chocolates, a superior cup of coffee, savor fine dining, family fare or purchase picnic provisions.  Stagecoach rides are available, season and weather permitting.

There's also the chance to relax at one of two comfortable hotels, listen to music in historic saloons, or take in a performances at the Fallon Theatre.

Visitors can make a candle or purchase Columbia soap, wooden toys, old fashion clothes, or dress-up for a photograph.

Other highlights include taking a walk to the two-story brick school house and cemetery overlooking town, or hiking the one-mile nature trail where mule deer and wild flowers may be seen.

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