History of the Roaring Camp area, with the original narrow gauge railroads installed in 1880 by Senator James Fair. The original intent was for the narrow gauge railroad to go up over the summit to Alameda and then on to Colorado but the developed stopped in Alameda. a brisk tourist trade followed with people coming to the Big Trees Ranch for picnic rides from the Bay Area. The railroads were eventually converted to wide gauge by Southern Pacific Railroads by 1907. Norman Clark bought the property in 1960 and began to restore the original buildings and add new facilities to attract tourists to the area.