"Railtown 1897"

Location of general offices and maintenance shops for the Sierra Railroad, 1897-1955. Steam passenger excursion trains operated, 1971-1979.

The railroad served many Mother Lode mines and was a trunk line for the Sugar Pine (Pickering), Westside, and Hetch-Hetchy Railroads. It played a vital role in hauling materials and supplies used to build the Don Pedro, Melones, O'Shaughnessy, and Tri-Dam Projects.

The State Historic Resources Commission unanimously voted Railtown 1897 and the 56-mile Sierra Railroad eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, August 7, 1981.

Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr. approved the appropriation and the following members of the legislature sponsored Assembly Concurrent Resolution 56 (April, 1981) which directed Railtown 1897 be acquired as a unit of the State Park System.

Erected by Friends of the Sierra Railroad, June 19, 1982