In the past decade, Lincoln grew from a humble village to a lively city, with shopping strips, office complexes and professional centers adjoining fresh housing tracts.
While the south, east and west ends of town erupt with growth, the north side of Lincoln continues to support its deep-seated agricultural legacy.
One of the first to colonize the land north of Lincoln was E.C. Rogers who established an outpost on the Bear River at Garden Bar. At the intersection of primitive trails used by fur trappers and trinket traders, Rogers’ waystation sat in an area now known as Sheridan, which was named for General Philip Sherman.
Settled before gold fever hit the territory, the northwest corner of Placer County was turning green with fields of hay, wheat, barley, oats and other grains. Irrigated by the numerous streams flowing down the slopes of the Sierra Nevada toward the Sacramento River, these flatlands also were prime grazing country, nurturing big herds of beef and dairy cattle, as well as immense flocks of sheep.
North of the river, the terminus for the Overland Emigrant Trail at Johnson’s Ranch saw pioneers jumping off the end of the line and transforming the outlying hills into orchards and pastures. Many roads led across the Bear River to Marysville and Grass Valley, with social events and open air markets bringing farmers and ranchers together.
Rogers’ outpost grew larger when a narrow gauge railroad arrived, connecting the region to Folsom. He built sheds to shelter the trains and offered provisions, meals and lodging to the passengers. Due to a lack of funding, the tracks never made their final destination in Marysville, but the presence of the rail line brought people and prosperity to the precinct north of Lincoln.
A village sprouted up around Rogers’ Sheds, with hotels, shops, livery stables, blacksmiths and a steam-powered mill that could produce 175 barrels of flour per day. The sheds also hosted the district’s first school.
Farther north, the town that would become Wheatland also was evolving into a proper city, with the Camp Far West military hub a few miles to the east.
Although gold mining was booming in the higher elevations of Placer County in the middle of the 19th century, the riches north of Lincoln were in its coal, clay and copper deposits. Although copper and coal mines operated for a time, it was the lodes of high-grade clay that became Lincoln’s claim to fame.
Established in 1875, the Gladding McBean Company still manufactures roof tiles, drain pipes and terra cotta architectural ornamentation. One of its clay quarries and its immense manufacturing plant are at the north end of town.
Many areas within Placer County grew more industrialized, but the little communities north of Lincoln — such as Hungry Hollow, Riego, Valley View and Manzanita Grove — remained farming and ranching districts. Today, these boroughs still hold working spreads along with fancier country estates.
The land north of Lincoln is just a few miles from traffic pulsating along Highways 65 and 193. Its outskirts are fringed with small subdivisions of contemporary homes in neat neighborhoods.
Beyond them, the landscape opens up to wide views of cattle, llamas, horses, green rice paddies and golden grain fields. It’s where the city ends and pastoral pursuits begin.
