Looking rather like dinosaur bones, limestone and granite boulders are noticeable around town. These were washed out of the surrounding hills by hydraulic mining and scraped clean by prospectors. There’s a fascinating explanation of this technique at this renovated museum inside Knapp's Store.
Columbia Museum
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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Nearby attractions
1. Columbia State Historic Park
0.03 MILES
The so-called ‘Gem of the Southern Mines’ is like a miniature Gold Rush Disneyland, but with more authenticity and heart. Four blocks of town have been…
3.6 MILES
In the former 1857 Tuolumne County Jail, you'll find this great little museum with a fortune’s worth of gold on display in the form of nuggets and gold…
3. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
5.54 MILES
Five blocks east of Jamestown’s Main St, this 26-acre collection of trains and railroad equipment is the photogenic sister to Sacramento's rail museum. It…
6.94 MILES
The unusually family-friendly atmosphere makes the wine feel secondary at Ironstone. There’s a natural spring waterfall, a mechanical pipe organ, frequent…
7.85 MILES
This family run winery pours the juicy red varietals that made them famous in their lively tasting lounge. At times, the place feels like the community…
7.92 MILES
In downtown Murphys, start wine tasting at Tanner, whose family was the first to plant grapes and pay an alcohol tax in Calaveras County during the 1860s.
7.94 MILES
Don't miss the Rhône red blend at Twisted Oak's tasting room in downtown Murphys.
7.95 MILES
The name is a good hint that this place approaches history with a humorous touch. Housed in an 1856 building, it has an inscrutable tintype of the outlaw…