On Hwy-70, 26 miles North of Marysville. Erected in 1863, Oroville’s Temple of Assorted Deities, 1500 Broderick Street, is a clear reminder that the Chinese played a significant role in early California: many arrived during the gold rush and it was they who later labored on the transcontinental railway which linked the state to the rest of the U.S. A handy free leaflet describes the temples’ three chapels and the furnishings donated to it by the Chinese Emperor.

Seven miles east of Oroville take Hwy-162 or Oroville Dam Boulevard to see Lake Oroville, which was created by a 1960s damming project intended to aid irrigation of the Central Valley and southern California. The Lake Oroville Visitor Center (www.parks.ca.gov) provides a view of the dam and the lake (fishing and watersports) and carries low-key exhibits on the gold rush and on regional Native American cultures.