The Barn

In the early 1860's, Charles J. Cole built a spacious Western Portal barn to shelter farming equipment, animals, and hay stored in the large loft above. Aligned with the bridge, it became an important stop for wagons traveling the Virginia Turnpike toll road. Connected with Henness Pass, this road was one of the few routes available for people traveling west to California and for transporting supplies to local gold mines and distant silver mines in Nevada. The barn and bridge are rare survivors from an important period of California transportation history and life along the South Yuba River. The barn continued to serve the needs of the Cole-Kneebone descendants for decades after the turnpike became a public highway.

California · United States