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Volume 030-4 - October 1976 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
gold and the vast numbers of miners
trying to get these easy riches soon
worked the diggins’ out.
Thus when that second great fire
hit Rough and Ready July 8, 1859 it was
merchants just moved on along with
the miners who were ever after the
elusive gold. Rough and Ready was
never rebuilt to its original prosperity.
It did not “ghost” partly because of the
caliber of its citizens but primarily
because it was the hub of transportation into the Northern Mines and hada
climate ideal for growing food for the
hordes of miners. The Census of 18!
showed Rough and Ready with 17
citizens. By 1870 this number ha.
decreased to 1200.
Transportation
Its supremacy as Transportation
Hub was threatened briefly during the
heyday of Hydraulic Mining on the San
Juan Ridge. A new road was built
directly to the Ridge through Bridgeport and French Corral. The Sawyer
decision in 1884 which sounded the
death knell for Hydraulicing also
sounded the death knell for that Route
and as previously all transportation
into the Northern Mines again came
through Rough and Ready.
Transportation routes were developed early in 1849. When winter came
and mud and snow made transportation of much needed goods more difficult
it was brought from the end of wagon ga,
routes by mule trains. In the deep snow
these goods were transferred to the ¢
backs of men with snow shoes. In the
winter of 1852-53 Grass Valley was on
the verge of actual hunger due to a
delay at the Rough and Ready Grade.
Rain and snow and the resulting mud
had made the grade at the east edge of
town impassable. In good weather
extra teams of horses were added but
even horses were unable to cope with
the grade that winter. It was at this
time that Marysville decided ona Plank
road into the mines.
Due to the crisis of 1853 the
business men of Marysville pledged
$350,000 for a Plank Road. Sacramento businessmen hearing of the plan
delayed it with publicity. They were so
successful that the citizens of Marysville, totally misled, defeated the
measure on the 1854 ballot. It was a
; proven profitable undertaking and
Ete "% . <e might have made Marysville a City to be
“ix WA “ins ; reckoned with today.
t . *. aed
arent
The late Maud Taylor Calvert told)
many stories of freighting and tol.
activities on the Rough and Ready
grade. Her home was just at the top of
the grade where she had an excellent
Old Toll House j : oi view of allits activities. There was once
ye avery large stable on the site where our
Foug ie & Ready, Calif’ Wedding Chapel now stands. At this
Relay Station horses were added to the
freight wagons for the hill haul. Aftera
storm everyone in town fell to with ~,
shovels to go along and fill chuck holes
Transportation through Rough and Ready has kept the community alive from ae erecting: ae waaay, een
1848 to the present day. Stage coaches on its original toll road to travel on State horses used'to‘make the haul.
Highway 20 have been continuous. Whenthanew linkot Hi ghw ay 20
is completed it will finally solve that
>»
6.
already doomed to decline. Many <.