Folsom's history goes way back to the days of the Nisenan Maidu Indians. They lived in this area for thousands of years. There was plenty of food here for the Indians. One of their staples was acorns. You can see the evidence of this near the Folsom Power House in the grinding rocks. The Indian communities began to disappear in the Gold Rush Era.
• In 1827, Jedediah Smith came into the picture. He led a group of trappers through this area, which came to the attention of John Sutter and William A. Leidesdorff. Leidesdorff was granted 35,000 acres along the American River in 1842. This was named "The Rancho Rio de los Americanos". This included the land on which Folsom is now located. He died in 1848.
• Gold was discovered in 1848, and as a result, mining camps sprung up all along the various rivers. Folsom, being one of those mining camps, had two big events happen in 1856. Joseph Folsom created "Granite City", had it surveyed and laid out by Theodore Judah, and 2,048 lots were sold. Shortly thereafter, the town was renamed after Joseph Folsom, who had passed away just one year before. He was only 38. The second big event in 1856, was the completion of the railroad to Folsom.
• The Chinese also had an influence on Folsom. The Chinese came to the area to look for their fortunes in gold mining. The Chinese knowledge and labor played a big role in the early mining activities. Folsom had its own Chinese community of 2,500 people. This included its own mayor, Oak Chan. He was their first mayor, who came to Folsom during the 1850's in his teens. Some of his descendants still live in Folsom. An elementary school was named after him in 1989.
• In 1860, the Pony Express arrived in Folsom, then the mail was transferred to a train. The Pony Express lasted 18 months.
• In 1862, Horatio Livermore began negotiations to build a dam and a prison in Folsom using convict labor.
• In 1880, the first 50 prison cells were completed, and 100 convicts were moved from San Quentin to Folsom. Click here to learn more about Folsom Prison.
Folsom Prison• The city’s historic truss bridge was completed in 1893 to transport people, cattle and small vehicles across the American River. In 1917, the Rainbow Bridge opened to accommodate automobiles. Click here to learn more about the Rainbow Bridge. It was the only option for crossing the river until the Lake Natoma Crossing opened in 1999. Click here to learn more about Lake Natoma.
• In 1895, the Folsom Powerhouse had its first transmission of 22 miles using alternating current. Click here to learn more about the Folsom Powerhouse. The Powerhouse helped usher in the age of electricity with this notable accomplishment. The Powerhouse lies just a few miles below Folsom Lake and Folsom Dam. To learn more about Folsom Lake click here.
• Spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce in 1946, Folsom became a city. Click here to learn more about the Chamber of Commerce.
• In 1952, the Folsom Dam was begun. It was constructed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. To learn more about Folsom Dam click here.
• To learn more about Folsom’s history, click here to visit the Folsom History Museum at 823 Sutter Street. For a plethora of information about the City of Folsom, click here to go the city web site.
