ROCKLIN'S HISTORIC SITES

HISTORIC SITES IN ROCKLIN

Brigham and Hawes Quarry

Near the corner of Pacific Street and Farron Road, this quarry can be found on the west side of Pacific Street behind the tire store. There are granite boulders at the south rim of the canyon that are used as a climbing practice area. Many Rocklin old-timers know this quarry as Rocklin's oldest, but it has been in operation for quite some time before they were born. The site was first exploited as a quarry in 1861 according to a plaque.

As the quarry is located near the Rocklin rail corridor, it was probably a primary source of granite for the construction of the interstate railroad after it reached Rocklin in 1864. As it is a deep quarry, it is encrusted with trash, including junk cars and the refuse of lumber processors that used to border the northern and southern rims.

Rocklins Railroad Depot

A new depot, built in 2007, stands on Rocklin Road beside the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. This is where Rocklin's original depot, built about 1867, was located; it had a telegraph office and a saloon called John Sweeney's. Over the tracks, on the opposite side, was a freight depot. It was destroyed in the 1891 fire that destroyed that original depot.

This site was the site of a second depot built that same year, but demolished in 1940 as the economy faltered in Rocklin. Rocklins' now-demolished railroad roundhouse is just southeast of the new depot. Crossroads Church has a plaque on the sidewalk outside.

Rocklins Roundhouse Site

East of today's Crossroads Church is Rocklin's roundhouse, located at Front Street and Rocklin Road. Near the remnants of the roundhouse wall facing west, a plaque marks the location. As trains approached the summit of the Sierras, additional engines were needed at the Roundhouse. It opened in May 1867. A 78000 square foot woodshed was also included. The railroad moved all roundhouse operations to Roseville in 1908, closing the Rocklin facility for good.

Just before it moved to Roseville, Rocklins roundhouse employed 300 people with a monthly payroll of $25-$30,000. While the roundhouse was closing, Rocklins' population declined by 80% from 1906 through 1908. Although it is probably a bit overstated, this also happened at a time when Rocklins granite quarries were busy providing curbstone and granite blocks for San Francisco's rebuild.

Saint Marys Chapel

It is located across the street from the granite Barudoni Building, at 5251 Front Street. As Saint Mary's of the Assumption Catholic Church, it was originally constructed on an oak-framed lot at 5420 Front Street in 1883. In 2005, the Rocklin Historical Society saved the building from demolition by moving it and restoring it. Since then, it has mainly been used as a non-denominational wedding chapel.

During the 1937 hurricane, woodpeckers and foul weather caused Saint Mary's steeple to collapse, and thieves ran off with the bell. Replicas of the steeple are included in the restoration. Rocklins Community Covenant Church loaned today's bell. A bride tolls the bell after her wedding as she leaves the Chapel.

Barudoni Building

It is located across the street from the Old Saint Marys Chapel, 5250 Front Street. It was built in 1905 by meat broker Joseph Barudoni as a meat market with a Doctor Woodbridge's office above. Later, it became a feed store, and even later, an antique shop. A recording studio now occupies the space.

Ophir's owner constructed a Rocklins gas station using granite blocks extracted from the upper walls in 1954. In the nearby Ophir landscape, the blocks are scattered around the ruins of the station. Wooden framing has been used to fill the gaps in the upper walls by subsequent owners. A cantilevered granite staircase leads to Doctor Woodbridge's office along the north wall.

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