PHOTO ABOVE: Albert McCrae and Asa Fippin at their mine in Rough and Ready.
The first established settlement of Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company consisting of 12 men from Shullsburg, Wisconsin known as the Rough and Ready Company. Their leader, Captain Absalom Austin Townsend, named the company after General Zachary Taylor, "Old Rough and Ready", who had recently been elected the 12th president of the United States. Captain Townsend had served under "Old Rough and Ready" when Taylor commanded forces during the Black Hawk War of 1832.
The Rough and Ready Company mined the creeks for several weeks with such good results that Captain Townsend returned to Wisconsin (just weeks before the formation of the Great Republic) to recruit more men for his company. To his surprise, when he returned in September of 1850 with 32 more men, he found almost every square foot of mining ground for several miles around being worked by others. The overcrowding severely limited mining opportunity for the Rough and Ready Company. Sadly, Capt. Townsend released most of his men to work for others in order for them to survive, and he returned to Wisconsin the following Spring of 1851 to pursue a sucessful career in state politics.
The town grew rapidly, establishing (along with 7 saloons) the first church in the county and narrowly missing becoming the Nevada County Seat by six votes. But, as with many mining communities, the town was susceptible to fire. In 1853, and again in 1859, devastating fires destroyed most of Rough and Ready, with the only surviving structure of the second fire being the IOOF Hall (later the Grange Hall).
Our History
OUR FOUNDER
By the early 1850s, the population of the town of Rough and Ready had exploded to over 3,000. The town suffered the effects of general lawlessness and a growing resentment for the government having imposed a Mining Tax on all claims. On April 7th, 1850, a mass meeting of the townfolks was called to propose seceding from the Union. The town reacted by shaking its collective fist at the government with all its taxes and non-existent law and order. The Great Republic of Rough and Ready was formed that day as a free and independent republic. In the heat of the rebellion, they elected Col. Ebeneezer F. Brundage as President. The new President issued Brundage's Manifesto, which read in part: "We...deem it necessary and prudent to withdraw from said Territory (of California) and from the United States of America to form, peacefully if we can, forcibly if we must, the Great Republic of Rough and Ready." Along with his Secretary of State, Justice of the Peace Hans Q. Roberts, they signed a constitution similar to that of the United States.
The Great Republic of Rough and Ready lasted only three months as one of the world's smallest nations. On July 4th, swept up by a patriotic fervor, maybe feeling a bit guilty (and possibly, according to some accounts, reacting to the refusal of Grass Valley and Nevada City saloons to sell liquor to "foreigners" from Rough and Ready) another meeting was held. The town gave resounding consent to immediately rejoin the Union. Old Glory went up the flagpole and the whole episode slipped into history.
The Great Republic: The 3 Month Rebellion
"The event that precipitated that climatic Mass Meeting called by Colonel E.F Brundage in April of 1850 was said to have been the episode of Miner Joe Swiegart and the Boston Ravine Slicker. Joe was popular with the other miners. He had a claim that the whole camp knew to be a good one. One day the Slicker came into the Saloon where Joe and the others were relaxing. He offered to buy Joe's claim at an exorbitant price. First he would need to check to see that it was as good as Joe said. He bet Joe that you couldn't take out $200 worth of gold in a day. Joe knew his claim was good and accepted the challenge. Papers were drawn and judges appointed.
"These miners were simple honest law-abiding men and had never even heard of the gentle art of malingering. The Slicker went to work. As he drew nearer the $200 mark he slowed more and more. Just before he reached it he quit entirely. The papers had not specified how long he was to work. It was legal but wrong. Justice was simple in those days but the closest justice was in Marysville, the Territorial headquarters. So Rough and Ready seceded and established its own law and order. The next morning it rescued what was left of Joe's money and took the Slicker to the edge of town with instructions never to return."
Joe Swiegart and The Slicker
Watch the "Death Valley Days" 1958 (Episode about the founding of Rough and Ready)
PHOTO ABOVE: California Registered Historical Landmark No. 294
When Capt. Townsend led his Rough and Ready Company down the Oregon and California Trails and across the Sierra Nevadas via the Truckee route, arriving in September of 1849. he was accompanied by at least 9 other hardy pioneers.
Shown above is a photo of most of those men. Townsend (1810-1888), himself, is the tall man standing in the back row on the far left. It is believed that the man on the far right of the back row is Peter Van Matre (1825-1884), who eventually settled on a 1000 acre ranch in Trinity County. Seated on the far left is believed to be John Lincoln Richards (1826-1896), who settled on a 2000 acre ranch outside of Sacramento. The other members of the party are known to history only by their last names: Putnam and Carpenter from New York, and Holt, Colgrove, Hardy and Dunn from Wisconsin. Not included in the photo is a Reverend Pope, from Iowa, who also accompanied the party.
The Rough and Ready Company
Built by carpenter John Single in 1849, Single rented the lean-to on the side of the shop to blacksmith John Fippin, who in 1867 married Single's daughter, Julia. It was John and Julia's first-born son, William H., who later ran the shop whose name you see on the building today, As a blacksmith, Fippin repaired tools, buggies and wagons and shod horses and mules.
The building now is a display of artifacts from the 1850s such as tools, hardware and various wagon parts. This is where our Rough and Ready Blacksmith demonstrates his trade during our Secession Days Chili Cook-off and other days.
The Blacksmith Shop is the site of the famed anvil upon which young Lotta Crabtree, befriended by the famous Lola Montez, danced to the applause of the local miners and launched her successful entertainment career.
The Fippin Blacksmith Shop
TOP PHOTO: W.H. Fippin and Stewart Warner (1905) BOTTOME MIDDLE PHOTO: Fippin BlacksmithShop at turn of the last century. FAR TOP RIGHT PHOTO: Blacksmith Shop today.
Following the devastating fire of 1853, the hotel was built in 1854 by Mary Downey, one of Rough and Ready's first settlers. The Downey House was the primary building in the town. It was reputed to have been a very popular place to hold celebrations and banquets for many years. The upper left side was a dance hall with the store and bar on the first floor, along with the Hotel lobby and Post Office. The proprietors at the turn of the century were Sam and Rose Fisher. The hotel operated until 1946 and shortly therafter was dismantled.
The Rough and Ready Hotel
PHOTO ABOVE: The Rough and Ready Hotel (1910). PHOTO TO LEFT: The Hotel and Main Street (now Rough and Ready Highway) looking north toward Rough and Ready Grade. The tree on the right is reputed to be the town's "Hanging Tree" for miscreants. The tree on the left is the Slave Girl Tree.
Historic Trees
Rough and Ready had two historic trees, unfortunately both long gone, that figured in the history of the town.
One was a huge Cork Elm that was planted in front of what is now the Post Office. Planted in 1894 by John Fippin Jr, W.H.Fippin and "Slim" Lopes, in its shade sat 2 huge timbers, which came to be known as "The Liar's Bench", where Rough and Ready residents sat to exchange tall tales in their spare time. The tree died and had to be cut down in 1996, but the remaining six foor tall stump became a chain saw carving of a prospector called "Ol' Bill". Unfortunately, Ol' Bill succumbed to termites in early 2014. His remains are now on view in the Fippin Blacksmith Shop.
The second tree, a giant cottonwood shown in the photos, was started in 1851 by the slave girl Caroline Allen, when she stuck her cottonwood switch into the muddy ground while hitching her horse at the blacksmith shop. Caroline, her father Frank and about 50 others were brought to Rough and Ready to work The Old Slave Mine in the Randolph Flat area owned by Col. William English. Caroline liked her spirits and frequented the hotel saloon across the street, where bartender J.M. Walling would often provide her with a free drink. It was on one of these trips that she stuck her switch into the ground, where it took root and grew to a 75 foot tall giant, dubbed "The Slave Girl Tree". It fell in 1962.
PHOTO LEFT: Slave Girl Tree (Blacksmith Shop on left) about 1910. PHOTO TO RIGHT: Slave Girl Tree between Blacksmith Shop and Fischer's Saloon (1948). MIDDLE: "Ol' Bill carving.
PHOTO ABOVE: Ladies of Rough and Ready display flag (about 1970). L to R: Helene Hurlbut, Marguerite Spaite, Fay Dunbar, Lisetta Scheave and Lillian Oliver. The flag is said to be the General's Flag with Company Modifications
Two important values to Rough and Ready citizens are education and fraternity. The Rough and Ready school (above) provided primary education to the town's children from its establishment on March 4, 1868 until it was absorbed into the Indian Springs school on July 1, 1953. The original building was later destroyed by fire and has since been rebuilt as a private residence.
Being able to meet with and support fellow Rough and Readyans was, and still is, central to the character of the town. In 1850, Rough and Ready founded the first church in Nevada County -- The Christian Association -- and hosted 7 thriving saloons. During the heyday of the town, numerous fraternal organizations flourished. The International Order of Odd Fellows built what is now the Grange Hall, and established the Mountain Rose Lodge of the I.O.O.F. in 1851. Destroyed by the fire of 1853, the hall was rebuilt the following year, survived several fires, and was later deeded to the Grange when the Mountain Rose Lodge was joined with the Grass Valley lodge.
A dispensation was granted to the 20 Brethern who started a Masonic lodge in 1851 and, on May 3, 1854 a Masonic charter was issued to the Rough and Ready Lodge #52 by MW Charles M. Radcliff, Grand Master. Led by A.C. Kean (Master), J. Heritage (Senior Warden), J.L. Moore (Junior Warden), W.H. Buchanan (Treasurer) and Edmund W. Roberts (Secretary), the lodge succeeded for a number of years. In 1858, due to the failure of the local mines, the lodge under Master Roberts surrendered its charter and affiliated with the Madison Lodge No. 23 in Grass Valley.
The Fire of 1859 destroyed the Church, the Masonic Hall and 5 of the 7 saloons.
Scholastics and Fraternity
Rough and Ready School Class of 1914.
Historic Cemetery
Located a few hundred yards up Stagecoach Way, above the Old Toll House, the Rough and Ready Cemetery has many weatherworn headstones dating back to the Gold Rush era.
The oldest one marks the grave of a 23-month-old infant girl, Susan Isabel Buffington, who died in 1855. As shown on the headstone, her parents were A.C. and Amanda Buffington, two of the town's earliest settlers. Other graves include those of town pioneers John and Julia Fippin and other members of the Fippin family.
In May 2019, the Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission announced the cemetery had been designated the County's newest historical landmark.
For more information about internment in the Rough and Ready Cemetery, please contact the Nevada Cemetery District at 530-265-3461.
To locate a grave in the Rough and Ready Cemetery, visit www.findagrave.com.
PHOTO ABOVE: Susan Isabel Buffington Headstone.
The original hall was built in 1851 as the Mountain Rose Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. After being destroyed by the fire of 1853, it was rebuilt and has become an historic landmark. It survived the devastating fire of 1859 that consumed almost all of Rough and Ready and later became the local Hall for Grange #795.
The hall is now the "Town Hall" center for dances, parties, receptions, meetings and community events.
A monthly community breakfast is held from 8 to 10am on the 4th Saturday of the month, with locals and visitors welcome.
The Grange Hall
PHOTO ABOVE: Grange Hall (1948)
PHOTO LEFT: The Grange Hall today.
On July 28, 1851, Rough and Ready became the third town in Nevada County to establish its own Post Office. For about 5 years during World War II, however, the Rough and Ready Post Office was discontinued. When citizens reapplied for a Post Office, officials tried to restrict the name to either " Rough" or "Ready" but not both "Rough and Ready." "Too long!" they said. Local citizens stood their ground, insisting the name Rough and Ready had unique historical significance. In 1948 the Post Office officials relented and Rough and Ready retained its "and." During the research of old records, however, it was discovered that Rough and Ready had never been officially allowed to rejoin the Union! A letter, dated June 16, 1948, from Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Vincent Quinn, resolved the issue and Rough and Ready was welcomed back into the United States...almost a century after seceding!
PHOTO ABOVE: Susan Isabel Buffington Headstone.
The Post Office
