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All the United States California French Corral Wells Fargo Express Office
AO Edited

Wells Fargo Express Office

Built to hold Gold Rush wealth, this building has withstood the test of time.

French Corral, California

Added By
Jeremy Dunn
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Wells Fargo Building   Jeremy D / Atlas Obscura User
Wells Fargo Building   Jeremy D / Atlas Obscura User
Locks of the iron doors.   Jeremy D / Atlas Obscura User
Front Porch of Wells Fargo Building.   Jeremy D / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance of the Wells Fargo Building.   Jeremy D / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Driving along the backroads of rural Nevada County, remnants of the area's rich, historic past can be difficult to spot. However, the Wells Fargo Express building in French Corral is hard to miss.

Founded in 1849, the community of French Corral, as the name suggests, was the site of a mule pen created by a French settler. Gold was also discovered nearby and the town began to thrive.

Fire was commonplace in the mining west. Most structures were composed of wood and canvas that were easily set ablaze. Italian stonemasons and bricklayers were employed to construct fireproof buildings using iron doors and shutters to hold back the flames.

Constructed in 1853, this Wells Fargo housed gold from the nearby mining operations until it could be transported to San Francisco. It's estimated up to $4,000,000 worth of gold was extracted from the mines, which equates to $138 million in today's values.

French Corral is now considered a semi-ghost town. Agriculture and ranching are the only major economic activities in the area.  

Related Tags

History & Culture Architecture Gold Rush Mining

Community Contributors

Added By

Jeremy D

Published

June 29, 2021

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Sources
  • Exploring Nevada County, 2022 electronic edition, entry on French Corral
  • https://noehill.com/nevada_county_california/poi_wells_fargo_french_corral.asp
  • http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/frenchcorral.html
  • http://explore.museumca.org/goldrush/dist-frenchcorral.html
  • https://www.mindat.org/loc-267696.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Corral,_California
  • https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1853?amount=4000000
Wells Fargo Express Office
20274 Pleasant Valley Rd
French Corral, California, 95960
United States
39.307841, -121.163803
Get Directions

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Photo of California

California

United States

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Photo of California

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