While the rest of Placer County races forward with new development, the town of Loomis is growing at a snail’s pace. Maybe that’s how it manages to keep its small town charm intact.
The town grew out of a few mid-1800s villages that evolved into one community. Smithville, which later was renamed Pine Grove, was one of the earliest settlements, with the Dana Hotel, a dance hall and kite-shaped race track drawing people in from surrounding camps for socializing and entertainment.
By 1850, the first plantings of vineyards, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens made this one of the county’s first civilized communities. More than 1,500 pioneers populated this flat tract of land at its peak, before its name was changed again; this time, to Pino.
But because it sounded so much like Reno, much of its mail was misdirected. The name Pino was abandoned and the town was renamed in honor of Jim Loomis, the local postmaster, railroad agent, express agent, and saloon keeper.
A few miles to the south, the prospecting camp of Horseshoe Bar was booming. Hopeful gold miners, savvy merchants and hardy women turned the rocky banks of the North Fork of the American River into a crude community. Eventually, wood frame stores replaced canvas tents across the sandy bar, and rough cabins were built above the river bed, keeping claim owners and commerce near the river of gold.
Neighboring stone quarries were mining high-quality granite in the area, adding another source of industry to the precinct. By the time the Central Pacific Railroad steamed into town in 1865, local farmers, ranchers, miners and quarrymen had plenty of goods and gold to ship out.
Fruit packing sheds were situated near the tracks and budding agricultural enterprises flourished into a major industry. Second only to Newcastle, Loomis was a prolific producer of Placer-grown fruit. Each harvest season, wagons groaned under the weight of freshly picked produce being hauled to town for packing and shipping to out-of-state markets.
Growers formed associations to further their commerce, organize their political clout, and share tips on improving their yields. The coalitions of growers became a powerful force in the county. In 1915 a group of fruit ranchers banded together to form the Bank of Loomis.
When gold fever subsided, the little city continued to thrive as an agricultural borough. But competition from massive fruit producers and rising land values, combined to undermine Loomis’ ag business.
Today, there still are farmers toting fresh harvests to local street markets and selling to niche brokers. But their businesses are generally a sideline.
The Blue Goose Fruit Shed on Taylor Road now is a country store specializing in locally produced food goods. A symbol of the town’s agricultural lineage, the warehouse is the current focus of the South Placer Heritage Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving the historic structure and re-using it as a venue for public and private events.
The cavernous wood building is where the annual Cowpoke Fall Gathering of Western poetry and music is held. This year, the popular production will be held Nov. 7-8. (Visit www.soplacerheritage.org for details.)
While volunteers work to keep that shed active, the High Hand Nursery is using another elderly packing house on Taylor Road as its base of operation. Imported pottery, exotic rugs and custom ironwork complement the nursery garden’s colorful plants and shrubs.
Incorporated as a town in 1984, Loomis’ business district is spreading out from Taylor Road to Horseshoe Bar Road where the Raley’s center sits. A new retail-commercial project, the Loomis Marketplace, is proposed for 63 acres south of Interstate 80 along this same stretch of pavement.
In the older business district, Christensen’s Saddle and Supply, fresh coffee houses and the Main Street Drug store keep things looking quaint. At the Loomis Station Plaza, summer concerts and the annual Eggplant Festival in October occupy the restored train depot.
With a variety of housing options — from country estates to modern duplexes — a mix of old and new venues, and loads of community gatherings, Loomis continues to bring small town character to Placer’s eclectic personality.