Pictured in circa 1895 is the dam of the Folsom Water Power Company at the Stony Gorge section of the American River, one mile northeast of Folsom, California. The dam was the brainchild of Horatio Gates Livermore who wanted a way to float logs...
This circa 1900 photograph displays seven of eight participants in a June 27, 1893, jailbreak at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California. The eighth player was ex-Folsom convict Bill Fredericks who vowed to break several of his prison mates...
The Folsom Water Power Company’s granite dam is visible in this circa 1895 photograph. Resting some 210-feet above sea level, the dam was 89 feet high, 650 feet wide, contained 48,500 cubic yards of granite, and could withstand up to 7,979 tons...
Pictured in 1892 is the Folsom State Prison mess hall. Watermelons, stuck with spoons, await inmates. A guard stands near a back door and a smattering of prisoners sit around the room. Due to a 450-acre section of well-irrigated, arable land...
This photograph shows Folsom's Rainbow Bridge as it stood in circa 1930. The arch-style bridge was built in 1917/18. An old truss bridge shown in the background was taken down and then erected over the Klamath River at Walker, on a Forest Service...
A line of Folsom Prison inmates make their way toward the lower yard rock quarry in this circa 1910 photograph. Prisoners who worked the quarries toiled daily for seven-and-a-half hours and without a lunch. Starting in 1884, the prison resolved...
This circa 1900 photograph reveals Folsom’s exercise yard. Inmates are involved in some type of physical activity. The earliest proponent of recreation at Folsom was Warden Charles Aull. Starting in 1894, he organized baseball teams with games...
Taken in circa 1900, this photograph reveals the prison yard at Folsom Prison, as viewed from the east. Arranged in a circle, the prison’s band conducts a practice session while inmates and prison staff observe. Years later, a ten-piece...
This circa 1900 photograph shows the Folsom State Prison’s original Officers and Guards Building. Tucked into the southeast corner of Folsom, the structure was built in 1895, as indicated by the date stone, which reads “MDCCCXCV.” Two...
Pictured in circa 1905 is the Folsom Prison’s ivy-shrouded administrative building, completed in 1881. Up until 1914, the Warden’s residence was located on the top floor of the building. It was moved to just beyond the East Gate that same...
As seen from the northeast in circa 1900 is Gothic-style Folsom State Prison. As early as 1878, it was the State’s intent to make Folsom a branch prison of San Quentin. In accord, it received its first 44 inmates from San Quentin in July 1880. ...
The Folsom Water Power Company’s power canal runs toward the powerhouse of the Folsom State Prison in this circa 1895 photograph. The canal – built with granite harvested by Folsom prisoners – ran eight feet deep, was 40 feet wide on the...
Shown in circa 1964 is the Folsom Dam. The 340-foot high, 1,400-foot wide structure was built between 1948 and 1956, making it a vital linchpin in one of the nation's largest water conveyance systems, the Central Valley Project. Its value has...
Pictured here in 1930 and spanning the American River is the Rainbow Bridge. Built in 1917/18 by the Ross Construction Company, it was considered, at the time, to be the fourth largest concrete span in the world, measuring some 550 feet, shoreline...
This January 1997 photograph captures a torrent of water innundating Negro Bar along the American River. By January 3, the entirety of the 23-mile-long American River Parkway had been submerged by way of the rain from New Year's storms, with the...
The Rainbow Bridge is the scene of a flooded American River near Folsom in January 1997. The American River's Nimbus and Folsom dams were able control much of the water volume and pressure moving toward the levees along the lower river, thus...
In this January 1997 photograph, waters of a flooded American River tear below Folsom's Rainbow Bridge. At the time of the flood, only seven percent of Sacramento properties absorbing damage held flood insurance. Overall, and at the time of the...
Torrents of water make their way down the American River near Folsom's 80-year-old Rainbow Bridge in January 1997. Spanning a week-and-a-half from New Year's Day, storms and resulting rains were responsible for the destruction of over 2,676 homes...
This photograph from January 1997 shows a swelled American River rushing below Folsom's Rainbow Bridge. Despite protection from of one of the most elaborate flood control systems in the world, the El Nino-attributed New Year's storms forced water...
