Good morning Phoenix – are you ready for some trivia Tuesday?
Today, we’re taking a little peek at Rough and Ready, California. Yep – there is a town with that name.
• The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the
fall of 1849 by a mining company from Wisconsin, known as the Rough and
Ready Company, during the California Gold Rush. Their leader, Captain A.
A. Townsend, named the company after General Zachary Taylor (nicknamed
"Old Rough and Ready") who had recently been elected the 12th President of the United States.
• The town declared its secession from the Union as "the Great Republic
of Rough and Ready" in 1850, largely to avoid mining taxes, but voted
to rejoin the Union the following year. The old republic is celebrated
annually as a way to attract tourism.
• What little is left of the
town is located on the Rough and Ready Highway. It was bypassed by State
Route 20 in the mid 1980's. Among the oldest buildings are the
blacksmith shop (1850s), the Odd Fellows Hall (1854), and the Old Toll
House.
• The town of Rough and Ready is honored as a California Historical Landmark (#294).
• The syndicated western television series, Death Valley Days told the
story of Rough and Ready in the 1965 episode "Birthright". In the story
line, President Zachary Taylor levied a tax on California mines in
California. Opponents declared "taxation without representation" and led
by a prominent businessman named Bundage (R. G. Armstrong), decide to
secede from the United States.
• The 2010 United States Census reported that Rough and Ready had a population of 963.
• Rough and Ready is located west of Grass Valley, California, approximately 62 miles from Sacramento.
• The total area of Rough and Ready is 3.170 square miles.
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