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PREMIER MEMBER

The Iron Door

We specialize in providing world class customer service, gourmet quality food at a lower cost to you, in an casual atmosphere of history and country elegance. We focus on flavor and quality which such meals as Lobster and Crab Sensation, Wiener Schnitzel, and a delicious Rib Eye Remington.

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Contact Information:

(530) 836-2376

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5417 Main Street, Johnsville, CA 96103

Welcome

The Iron Door restaurant was founded in 1961. The building, however, was built in 1906; it was first a general store and post office. Ask our servers for a detailed history and the stories about our little girl ghost, Macel.

Our Historic Bar

Come early for your reservation and relax, we carry a fine selection of wines, bottled beers & classic mixed beverages.  Ask about our specialty cocktails. 

About Us

Built in the 1906 the location operated as the town’s General Store until it was converted to a restaurant in 1961, it’s tucked away in a historic old mining town next to Plumas Eureka State Park.

New owners, Ravyn and Miguel Rodriquez, are excited to welcome you for the first time or welcome back to The Iron Door!

History of Johnsville & The Iron Door

Johnsville was founded in 1876 and named after William Johns who was the general manager of the Plumas Eureka Mine.  The mine complex was started much earlier, in 1851, when a rich ledge of gold-bearing quartz was discovered midway up the mountain.  The mine, a consolidation of four original claims was from 1872 owned and operated by a British firm, the Sierra Buttes Gold Mining Company Ltd., of London. 

Johnsville continued to grow and became the population center distributing goods and services to the miners; it was the third town on the mountain, after Jamison City and Eureka Mills.  Approximately a year after fire destroyed Johnsville. In 1906, the present building housing the Iron Door was built.

After producing an estimated $18,000,000, the mine slowed to a trickle in the 1890’s; under a variety of ownership it was operated into the early 1940’s.  The nearby Jamison Mine produced about 2,000,000 more from the late 1890’s until about 1919.

In 1961 the Iron Door Restaurant was established in the building which had housed a general store and post office.  It is the only business establishment in Johnsville today. 

 Population estimates vary widely; the mining payroll in the peak years was from 340 to 400, at least half of them being single men.  The present population of Johnsville varies depending on the time of the year from 30 in the winter to 75 in the summer.

Although Plumas Eureka State Park, part of the California State Park system, is an immediate neighbor, the historic community of Johnsville is all privately-owned property.

Our Ghost

The Little Girl Ghost stories have been told and retold for decades from each of the five owners of The Iron Door to the next.

Our customers often ask about her and The Iron Door staff is always happy to share Macel stories.

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