Riding some new Sierra single track in Forest, CA
Forest City, CA, which sits in between Downieville and Alleghany, was founded in 1852 at the height of the Gold Rush and once boasted a full time population of 1,400 residents. Its remote location and relatively high elevation(4,489 ft.) made living in this area difficult, but sitting at the headwaters of the Oregon Creek Watershed made it ideal for mining. Today,though, the town is basically abandoned. The haggard remnants of a general store, dance hall(also the town’s museum), church, school house, cemetery and a a handful of decrepit old houses-some in better repair than others- are the only reminders of this town’s once prosperous past. Well, that and the red rocks that went from the back end of the Dance Hall/Bar to where the only brothel in town once stood. Don’t be fooled by Forest’s empty, run down look because, upon closer inspection, you will find that there is a vibrant population of 40 plus seasonal residents-with the exception of one hardy family who live year round- who are, so to speak, reinventing the wheel when it comes to utilizing one of mining’s not so polarizing legacies: flumes, skid tracks and trails!!







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