Peter Hill Heritage Park
Rock, Rails and Ranches
Welcome to Peter Hill Heritage Park. Please take a few moments to explore this park and learn about the history it represents.
To the North (across Rocklin Road) is railroad history, from the stone footings of the old Central Pacific R.R. roundhouse to the turntable for redirecting the steam engines and the rose gardens that represent a few of the 28 engine stalls that were once here.
To the West (across Front Street) is some of Rocklin’s rock history. Note the footings of the businesses that once lined Front St but were lost to a fire in 1893 that destroyed all 25 businesses. In 1908 the stone building (now a wine bar) was constructed from local granite by Joe Barudoni. His butcher shop and meat brokerage occupied the ground floor and he leased the second floor to Dr. Bradford Woodbridge. On the north side of the building notice the exterior stairs that led to the second floor medical offices.
To the South (at the far end of the park) is a small orchard of fruit trees. The plums, peaches, cherries, apples and citrus trees here are examples of the early agriculture in the area. An average of 15 train cars of fruits were shipped annually by rail all over the country. On April 3, 1889, a railroad speed record was set for the Central Pacific when a 20 freight car train of oranges made it from Rocklin to Truckee in 4 hours and 40 minutes.
To the East (across the railroad tracks) is the Central Pacific RR train station. This is actually the third railroad depot to stand at this location. The first was built in 1867 and burned in 1891. The second depot was built that same year but when the roundhouse moved to Roseville in 1908 the need for the depot slowly declined. By 1932 the train no longer even stopped at the Rocklin station. In 1938 the depot was demolished. The third depot was built on the same site in 2007 and is an active stop on the Cap City Corridor.
In the center of the park is a replica of one of the two hose companies established after the fires of 1893 and 1894. Next to it is a replica of a stone jail that stood on the northwest corner of Pacific and Bush Streets. The original jail was built in the mid 1880's. In 1887 Rocklin began ringing a curfew bell at 8:00 p.m. warning all "tramps" to leave town and the children to be at home. A watchman patrolled the streets to enforce this order, making Rocklin one of the most orderly towns in Placer County. The jail remained standing until about 1922.
Saint Mary’s Chapel was constructed in 1883 on an oak framed lot at 5420 Front Street, about 400 yards south of this location. Woodpeckers and foul weather toppled Saint Mary’s steeple in 1937 and thieves ran off with the bell. The Rocklin Historical Society moved the building in 2005 to its current location and restored it to save it from demolition.
For much more history and information please visit Rocklin Historic Sites Tour and Rocklin Historical Society
To log this cache you will need a felt pen and a piece of paper. Write the date of your visit on the paper and photograph the paper with one of the historic structures in the background. Feel free to include yourself in the photo, if you wish. Upload the photo to your log and include the most interesting fact you learned while visiting Peter Hill Heritage Park.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.