his unassuming building houses one of the finest collections of historical artifacts in the state.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Outside of the center are numerous displays of mining equipment.

This is an arrastra.  An animal, usually a mule or burro, would be fastened to the log.  It then would walk in circles around the arrastra, which would cause the grinding of the stones that had been placed in it.  Then the powdered stone would be washed and worked (either by pan or gold sluice) for gold.

 

A mock-up of a Miwok (the Native Americans of the area) village  can also be found on the History Center grounds.  The traditional dwellings are painstakingly made from tree bark.

 

 
 
 

 

This beautiful old home is The Counts Home and can be found with a working stamp mill  and many other historical exhibits on the History Center grounds.