Columbia is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Tuolumne County, California, United States. It was founded as a boomtown in 1850 when gold was found during the California Gold Rush, and was known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines."
Main Street in Columbia, California
Old store offering gold panning, within Columbia State Historic Park
Columbia State Historic Park preserves aspects of the town's Gold Rush legacy
Historic Douglass Saloon, still open in Columbia State Historic Park
Tuolumne County, California
Tuolumne County, officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Image: 2009 0724 CA Tuolumne Cty Ct
Image: Columbia California
Image: Tuolumne Meadows Sunset
Very fine old crystalline-gold specimen, most likely from Tuolumne County. Sold in the 1950s for $65; more recently for $12,500. Published twice.