Bidwell Bar Suspension Bridge

In 1856, a suspension bridge was swung across the Feather River at Bidwell Bar, site of the county’s first gold mining community. It’s towers, manufactured in New York and brought around the Horn, the bridge was the first of it’s type in California and was closed to traffic in 1954.

C.F. Lott Home in Sank Park

A Victorian revival style structure, the C.F. Lott Home built in 1856 serves as a cultural repository for decorative art objects which are typical of the homes of Oroville’s pioneer families. The collection includes antique furnishings, paintings, rugs, textiles, clothes, silver, and glassware of the period 1849-1910.

Oroville Chinese Temple & Garden

Built in 1863  to serve a community of 10,000 Chinese, this temple of treasures is listed on the National Register of Historic Places  and also as a California Landmark. It was first opened to visitors during California’s 1949 Centennial.

Ehmann Home

Freda Ehmann, “Mother of the Ripe Olive Industry,” and her son, Edwin, built this Colonial Revival Craftsman home in 1911 after she’d perfected a curing process for ripe olives and had markets across the nation. Edwin served as mayor here from 1919-23.

Hewitt Park Steam Engines

Locomotive buffs will enjoy these two old steam engines. Railroads were an important part of Oroville’s history since the lumber industry played a dominant role in the local economy and depended heavily on the railroads.

Historic State Theatre of Oroville

Dedicated in 1928, this theater has featured great vaudeville acts, fine films, and multiple live music, dance, and drama performances. The theater was designed by Timothy L. Pflueger and J.R. Miller, who also created the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building in San Francisco.

Nature Center

Built of stone and sitting beside the river just across from the hatchery on Old Ferry Road, the 1930’s WPA bath house  has been restored and converted into a Nature Center . Beautifully constructed from nature’s gifts, it’s our favorite structure in the county and a wonderful place to commune with nature during any season of the year.

Watch the Trains Go By

Where better to watch the trains go by than in Oroville’s original Western Pacific Railway Station? This beautiful structure has been lovingly restored and turned into a first-class restaurant and lounge.  A wonderful, new, steam engine mural has just been painted on a wall in the entryway.

The Last Yahi

In 1911, an Indian about 50 years of age wandered into the outskirts of Oroville. An anthropologist from the University of California at Berkeley came here and took the man, whom he named Ishi, back to the university and was amazed to learn that Ishi spoke a language thought to have been extinct.

Former Steamers

Locomotive buffs will enjoy these two old steam engines.  Railroads were an important part of Oroville’s history since the lumber industry played a dominant role in the local economy and depended heavily on the railroads.

The Mother of Oroville’s Oranges

Despite floods, freezes, fire, and disease, the 142-year old Mother Orange tree is still alive and being cared for here in Oroville. Mother Orange, a Mediterranean Sweet, was brought here from Mazatlan, Mexico as a seedling in 1856 by Judge Joseph Lewis who planted her near the Bidwell Bar Bridge and Tollhouse.