Campfire Gold Rush Recollections By 49er Bill Meissner “The Story of Willie” Part Two   In the Spring of ’51, I arrived in the California Gold Rush town of Columbia, or American Camp as it was called then.  As the camp grew its name kept changing.  Originally it was called Hildreth’s Diggings after the miner who discovered its gold deposits, with rapid growth, it was renamed American Camp.  Then because of its rich gold deposits, it was referred to as the [...]

Campfire Gold Rush Recollections By 49er Bill Meissner The following are gold rush recollections of a legendary prospector known as Willie Renssiem as recounted at nightly campfires by Bill Meissner.  Bill Meissner along with his wife Pat have owned and operated the 49er RV Ranch in the heart of Gold Country Columbia, California since 1980. The 49er RV Ranch is located ½ mile from Downtown Historic Columbia California, 15-minutes from Sonora and Jamestown which is popular for Railtown, which boasts the [...]

Living Gold Rush Experience the Gold Rush with a visit to Columbia State Historic Park. This State Park is an unusual combination of a museum and a ‘LIVING’ 1850’s Gold Rush Town. Also visit a nearby ranch that began serving Columbia’s dairy needs in 1852. Today, this ranch provides an interesting collection of relics and memorabilia which include gold rush era buildings, ranch and mining tools, an unusual 22 million year old stone fence post and more. […]

Fascinating History Of A Gold Rush Road An ancient Indian migration and trading powwow trail reveals fascinating history and surprising links to Italian Gold, German Beer, Kentucky Milk, and a major Indian Rebellion. This trail is located in California’s Mother Lode foothills between Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. […]

A Columbia Legend Recalled Gold rush letters and diaries foster fascinating legends, such as this legend of a 49er Argonaut known as Willie. 49ers were often referred to as Argonauts in reference to legendary Greek mythology of dangerous journeys. […]

More About California’s Oldest Campground Growth Hazard– With water for large scale mining, Columbia’s population soared to about 15,000 by 1852. Arriving families established schools, churches and over 100 businesses. This made Columbia a solid and significant town. However, the constant inflow of new arrivals continually outpaced the town’s ability to provide basic needs of food and housing. […]