The Roadhouse Era: 1849-1864

Soon after gold was discovered in 1848, a road was established from Sacramento to Auburn and beyond to carry supplies to the miners. Supplies came by riverboat to Sacramento where they were transferred to freight wagons for the remainder of the trip. The wagon road approximately followed today’s Auburn Boulevard and Old Auburn Road. It took horse-drawn wagons two days to make the 36 mile trip from Sacramento to Auburn. Way stations, or Mile Houses, were established in Citrus Heights for teamsters to get food and spend the night.

Although not exactly a mile apart, the roadhouses were called the 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 Mile Houses. The 18 Mile house, located near Old Auburn and South Cirby Way, was also known as the “Half-Way House”. Records indicate that there was a short-lived 13 Mile House that burned down and was not rebuilt.

The Auburn Road Mile Houses did a lively business for 15 years. The Sacramento Valley Railroad from Sacramento to Folsom was completed in 1856 and may have diverted some traffic from Auburn Road. But the western part of the first transcontinental railroad was their demise. Construction of that railroad began in Sacramento in 1863. When the tracks reached Roseville in April, 1864, freight traffic on Auburn Road dried up.

The 14 Mile House is the only roadhouse still in existence. Records do not indicate who built it, but it was constructed in 1849, making it one of the oldest structures in Sacramento County. Although it has been altered and moved slightly, it is listed as a point of historical interest.

The 12 Mile House, located near Arcade Creek north of Auburn Boulevard, was torn down in the 1870s. The bar (now closed) that bears its’ name was built in a slightly different location. It is reported that lumber salvaged from the original 12 Mile House was used to build it.

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