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The Feather River is rich in history and scenic beauty. Long before the encroachment of Western civilization, the bank of the Feather River below the bath house was the site of a Maidu fishing village. The river provided a bountiful supply of giant Chinook salmon and acorns were harvested from the groves of Blue Oaks nestled along the river banks. Evidence of these early inhabitants is still found along the water's edge below the bath house. The basaltic boulders are fiddled with mortar holes which were used by Native Americans to grind acorns.

Gold was discovered in the Feather River in 1849. A tent city of fortune hunters sprung up virtually overnight. The gold soon ran out and the miners left for richer strikes up river. The tent city vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The need for recreation increased as the Oroville area developed. The salmon and the long sandy beaches made this portion of the river an attractive fishing, swimming and picnicking area. This area was established as a City park in 1926.

In the mid 1930's the WPA built the rock bath house. The bath house provided showers and restroom facilities for the swimmers and sunbathers.

This premiere recreation area was short lived. On December 10, 1937, a major flood took out the beach area, large trees and altered the river, creating a dangerous undertow. The bath house was abandoned. Although
no longer suitable for recreation, this area still held its scenic beauty.
Sunset Magazine featured this stretch of the Feather River on its cover in
September, 1946.

Eventually, the area became over grown with brush after years of neglect and the bath house fell into ruins. The ruins, covered with graffiti, frequently became home to transients.

In the fall of 1996, a group of community members gathered to clear the old bath house site. In the clearing process, it was decided to reclaim "Oroville's first city park" and make it into a nature center. The Feather River Nature Center Committee was soon formed.

This nonprofit organization received approval from the City of Oroville to enter into a concessionaire relationship to run the Nature Center, provide nature educationel programing and restore the bath house and the surrounding grounds. Feather River Nature Center is solely funded by public donations.