Travel back in time for family fun near Modesto. When and where
While not as cool as a time-travel machine, your car can send you back to a significant period in California history.
An annual event coming up at Columbia State Historic Park will immerse people of all ages into the time of the Gold Rush.
It’s Columbia Diggins 1852, our May highlight in a monthly feature that offers ideas to parents for getting out and about with their children in the Modesto region.
Set for May 15-18 at the Mother Lode state park, it’s free for ages 17 and under, making it even more appealing for those with children.
The event “weaves visitors through some of the lives of those who lived in Columbia in 1852 with stories of early miners and their families, politics, and daily events,” according to a press release from California State Parks.
More than 100 volunteers bring history to life through clothing, food and entertainment, during the special event.
Some of the activities, according to the release, are:
▪ Meeting the merchants, artisans and entertainers who have come to the Diggins to “mine the miners’ pockets.”
▪ Interacting and observing lifestyles of the early miners as they prepare their meals, launder their clothing and care for livestock.
▪ Learning about crafts and how children played
▪ Entertainment, including music and gambling.
Food, drinks and other items will be available for purchase.
“We just love to entertain and educate the public on this part of California’s past, the Gold Rush. We do it for the love of history,” state parks volunteer Susie Webb said in the release. Webb has been part of Columbia Diggins for more than 15 years.
Visitors also can explore the rest of the historic town of Columbia while visiting.
There’s plenty for kids to enjoy there, too, such as panning for gold, riding a stagecoach, eating handmade candy and trying sarsaparilla.
According to the state parks website, the early days of the California Gold Rush found miners entering the hills of the Mother Lode where “tent and shanty towns sprung up overnight. Saloons, boarding houses, restaurants, laundries, express offices and tent stores offered the homesick miner many goods, services and diversions, and the laws of supply and demand ruled the land.”
Docents and staff re-create an early tent town to demonstrate daily life in Columbia.
During the Diggins event, volunteers dig even deeper into the time period.
Columbia Diggins 1852 is held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15-18 at Columbia State Historic Park, 11259 Jackson St., Columbia.
Admission is $10, free for ages 17 and under. Parking also is free.
For more see www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552.
This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
