The story of Roseville's "Old Town" had its beginnings in the aftermath of the fabled
California gold rush when discouraged gold seekers left the mineral regions to take
up farming along the rich creek bottom lands of south western Placer County. these
pioneers, whose descendants still reside in the area, formed the nucleus of what was
to become the first families of Roseville.
Within a few short years railroads began to inch their way through the area, the first
of which was the California Central whose rails reached the site of present day
Roseville in August 1861. In January 1864 the rails of the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR)
intersected with those of the California Central forming what railroad sources
called the junction.
It was around the junction that the Town of Roseville
developed. The junction, located in the heart of a rich agricultural area, was well suited for one of the eagerly sought after freight stations that were springing up along the Central
Pacific's right-of-way. This fact did not go unnoticed by O.D. Lambard who on August 13,
1864 laid out a new, but largely paper city to be called Roseville.
The first building to be erected at Roseville junction was a depot and freight shipping
station located at the "Y" formed at the junction of the north and east bound lines of
the CPRR.
It was around the depot and the railroad that the town of Roseville slowly
began to develop.
Two streets on opposite sides of the main line of the CPRR emerged as the business and
commercial centers of the town. One of these thoroughfares, Pacific Street, is
located in the heart of today's "Old Town". The only building remaining from those
early years is the three storied brick International Order of Odd Fellows Building.
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