Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad 1874-1943

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad 1874-1943. . , For 66 years, the Nevada City Depot served as the northern terminus for the railroad, affectionately known as the “Never Come Never Go.” In 1874 a group of 7 men, led by lumber mill and gold mine owner John C. Coleman, organized the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad. Engineer John Flint Kidder was hired on January 14, 1875 to build a 23 mile narrow gauge railroad from the Central Pacific Railroad connection in Colfax to Grass Valley and Nevada City. On a snowy May 20, 1876, John Coleman drove the last spike in Nevada City to dedicate the completion of the railroad. John Kidder controlled the railroad from January 1884, until his death on April 10, 1901: the following day, his widow Sara, was elected president of the railroad. Sara Kidder successfully managed the company until its sale on April 24, 1913 to the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern, a predecessor to the Western Pacific. On May 13, 1926, the N.C.N.G.R.R. was purchased by a group of local investors and it operated until December 1942. The scrapping of the railroad was completed by May 5, 1943. , Dedicated March 19, 1994 , By the Native Sons of the Golden West , Philip D. Wong, Grand President