You've never heard of it; it doesn't exist. Illinoistown briefly became a supply hub for the Gold Rush mining camps, sending food and supplies to the miners. It sprang up in the first days of 1849 as young men from across the country and around the world headed for California, calling themselves "Forty-niners."

A force as powerful as the huge migration of gold seekers was afoot and it would soon wipe out the place named by some homesick Illinois expatriates. That force was the railroad.

In 1865 planners of the Transcontinental Railroad bypassed Illinoistown and a railroad construction site named simply “Camp 20" became a major switching and maintenance station for the Central pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. In 1876 Camp 20 became the link to the world for the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, carrying fruit from Nevada County orchards.

Today Camp 20 is known as Colfax, a charming little town a half hour drive down Highway 174 from Grass Valley and Nevada City. And the trains still roar through.

One of the most astonishing construction feats of the rail route through the Sierras is roadbed carved out of the cliffs by Chinese workers at a place called Cape Horn, outside Colfax. Early trains would stop to let passengers enjoy the view that reached for miles from the cliffside tracks.

Now the town of Colfax is paying tribute to its early railroad history. The Colfax Heritage Museum at 99 Railroad Street occupies the site of the town's railroad depot. The building has been restored by volunteer labor and a ribbon cutting ceremony ushered in a new era of railroad recognition for Colfax.

A combination gift shop and museum features historical exhibits and provides a place for modern day rail travelers to wait for the next Amtrak train passing through. Built in 1905 as the Southern Pacific Passenger Depot, the facility closed in 1971, leaving railroad travelers to stand alongside the tracks as they waited for trains to Reno or Sacramento.

Nearby fruit sheds received the pears, peaches, grapes, and apples shipped from Nevada County growers via the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad. The Southern Pacific moved these perishables east from Colfax. The fruit sheds shut down in the 1950s as truck transportation emerged to haul the fruit.

South of the fruit sheds the Colfax Engine House and Rail Yard was a one-time home to steam engines.

Colfax has managed to retain its small town flavor and offers a pleasant walking tour of Gold rush railroad history, starting with the town's new pride and joy, the Heritage railroad museum. All aboard!

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Copyright Don Baumgart, 2007