Last week I showed you Bodie, a gold rush ghost town in the Eastern Sierra. This is
Columbia State Historic Park, a gold rush town on the western side of the Sierra that has been preserved much as it was in the late 1800's.
Cars are kept off the streets and merchants sell food and items of interest to tourists.
Some of the buildings have exhibits to show life as it was. This had been a saloon and bowling alley. Other exhibits include the jail and firehouse. There is a working blacksmith shop.
What we enjoyed the most was the parade. It was Halloween and the local elementary school was across the street. We noticed that a lot of people who seemed to be locals were lining up on the street and soon we saw why. They brought all the kids in their costumes to parade down the main street.
Our next stop was
Sonora. This is a living town that dates back to the gold rush. It is one of the larger towns in the Gold Country serving a larger rural populace. While other parts of town are quite modern they have preserved the old Main Street.
We were treated to another parade of costumed children. Here the merchants had treats for the kids. They said that since many children in the area lived in isolated homes it was safer for them to come to town and do there trick-or-treating on Main street during the afternoon. Some may not be familiar with the Halloween tradition of children dressing in constume and going door to door asking for treats.
It turned out to be a great day for people watching.
Cars are kept off the streets and merchants sell food and items of interest to tourists.
Some of the buildings have exhibits to show life as it was. This had been a saloon and bowling alley. Other exhibits include the jail and firehouse. There is a working blacksmith shop.
What we enjoyed the most was the parade. It was Halloween and the local elementary school was across the street. We noticed that a lot of people who seemed to be locals were lining up on the street and soon we saw why. They brought all the kids in their costumes to parade down the main street.
Our next stop was Sonora. This is a living town that dates back to the gold rush. It is one of the larger towns in the Gold Country serving a larger rural populace. While other parts of town are quite modern they have preserved the old Main Street.
We were treated to another parade of costumed children. Here the merchants had treats for the kids. They said that since many children in the area lived in isolated homes it was safer for them to come to town and do there trick-or-treating on Main street during the afternoon. Some may not be familiar with the Halloween tradition of children dressing in constume and going door to door asking for treats.
21 comments:
Cool place, that old bowling alley is a kick.
Halloween is a great time for people watching, well sometimes it's people.
Fun place to visit. Thanks for sharing another gold rush town.
Looks like you picked a great time to visit those old gold rush towns! I especially like third image which shows the parade and fall foliage, and the last two.
Halloween is great in small towns. We will be in Fort Morgan, Colorado again this year, with our grandkids. But while we had sunshine and 75 last year, this year we expect 35 and snow!
Beautiful City Hotel in Columbia Park. Beautiful your World.
Luiz Ramos
Oh, how fun! Would love to visit there! And, yes, the bowling alley is a hoot! Marvelous colors! Really terrific photos, Martha, and such a fun post!
Have a great week!
Sylvia
I love seeing historic old towns like you've shown here. Fun to see the schoolkids in costume, too.
This is a neat place. I love the right-handed bowling alley!
thanks for the tour. i've been meaning to visit the gold country, but i have only been to sutter creek and amador.
www.ewok1993.wordpress.com
Nothing like a perfect day for people watching! With Halloween on Saturday I wonder if the kids here will parade around town on Friday. Hmmm.
Hi Martha, nice to see a blogger that is a neighbor I am in So Cal and have been to many of the places you're blogging about including Bodie and Sonora. This is a great post it makes me want to take a road trip!
Looks like a fun place! Thanks for sharing!
For someone not used to Halloween it sure looks funny to see dressed up people on time preserved streets.
A wonderful place for people watching for sure! Fun to see the kids all dressed up for the parades and Halloween! Thanks for taking us along.
i have never been there and I love the idea of cars kept off the street. i wonder what LA would like.
Will venture this probably in spring!
How very interesting. . . and I did not know bowling alley's were around abck then! WOW!
Great photographs. I loved the old bowling alley and the kids dressed up for Halloween. Halloween is a much superior holiday to Christmas. The weather is better, its cheaper, and people have more fun.
Interesting mix of the new and the old! I like the white building.
what a great time you all had
Aussie do keep their cars in the street in the absence of the convenience having their own garage or car park.
Great photos.
That was so terrific to see those towns - thank you! It's always been a dream of mine to drive across the States visiting all thos big and small cities and towns on the way. *sigh* perhaps some day!
Martha: An interesting look back into this historic town.
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