11:eleven Photography

I had other plans, but plans no matter how well thought through often change. And you have to be able to adapt. Roll with it. Lean with it. Rock with it…I could have packed it up and headed home, but decided to make the most of it.

So I found myself in Rough & Ready. A tiny little community in Nevada County that makes up for its size with big history.

On April 7th 1850, the small community of Rough & Ready diverged from the Union, declaring itself a free and independent state. The people of R&R were frustrated with the heavy federal mining taxes, the lack of law and order, and a general overall resentment towards government regulations

The Great Republic of Rough & Ready was born. Colonel Ebenezwe F. Brundage was elected President..

The short lived secession ended 3 months later on July 4th, 1850 when the residents voted to rejoin the Union. The main reason they decided to rejoin the Union was the realization that they could not receive the basic goods and services that came with American citizenship… Primarily alcohol, being treated as “foreigners’ in neighboring Nevada City.

Although short lived, the rebellion is still celebrated today, and is still a big part of their history. In the end though, booze outweighed rebellion.