Rough and Ready is an unincorporated town, located in Nevada County, California, United States. It is located west of Grass Valley, California, approximately 60 km from Sacramento. Local sources cite the population of Rough and Ready as 1500 people, although as an unincorporated area there is no official population figure. The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company from Wisconsin known as the Rough and Ready Company. Their leader, Captain A. A. Townsend, named the company after General Zachary Taylor (nicknamed "Old Rough and Ready") who had recently been elected the 12th President of the United States. Captain Townsend had served under Taylor when he commanded the American Forces during the U.S.-Mexican War.
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Secession from the United States
Rough and Ready is the only mining town to have "seceded" from the Union and then vote itself back in. Populated mostly by miners from the state of Wisconsin, the town hoped to rid itself of a recently-introduced tax on new mining claims and the prohibition of alcohol in Nevada County. It was decided in a town meeting in April 1850 to draw up articles of secession, forming the "Republic of Rough and Ready". Less than three months later, when preparing for an Independence Day celebration, community members realized that they were no longer entitled to celebrate US independence, and the secession was rescinded by popular vote.
The history of the "Republic" is now performed as a play annually in Nevada County during "Secession Days" in the end of June. The town is considered a historic landmark by the state of California.
Modern condition
What little is left of the town is located on State Route 20, west of the Grass Valley junction at State Route 49. Among the oldest buildings are the blacksmith shop (1850s), the Odd Fellows Hall (1854), and the Old Toll House.
Rough and Ready gallery
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See also
External links
- Rough & Ready Chamber of Commerce
- Rough and Ready, California ghost town
- Rough and Ready, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
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