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Bring the California Gold Rush to Your Home
The Sutter's Mill Collection
Your log cabin, mountain lodge, or Western ranch deserves lighting as rugged and authentic as the '49ers who blazed trails through California's frontier. The Sutter's Mill Collection brings that pioneering spirit home.
Putting the 'Old' in Old California
The Dietz lantern you see here was Old California's first authentic reproduction piece. We studied an original hot blast lantern and faithfully recreated it, launching what would become our entire historic lighting business. That early decision to prioritize authenticity over approximation set the standard for everything we've built since.
Not only that, the lantern also gave us our name. When gold was discovered in 1849, California became the place where all the world's architectural traditions collided and compressed. Every dreamer chasing fortune brought their building traditions to this new frontier—this lantern lit their way.
It was a lantern that could withstand movement without extinguishing. Essential for miners descending into dark shafts, for wagons traversing mountain passes and for homesteads carved from wilderness. Your log cabin, mountain lodge, or Western ranch connects to that same frontier heritage, and this collection welcomes you to own a piece of American history.
Collection Highlights
Faithful Reproduction
We reproduce both hot blast and cold blast Dietz lanterns—the distinction mattered to miners and ranchers, and it matters to discerning eyes like yours. The hot blast design features vertical tubes flanking the globe, creating the windproof flame that made these lanterns legendary.
Built for the Elements
Constructed from solid stainless steel, these fixtures handle whatever your climate throws at them. Choose chemical aging for authentic vintage appearance or powder coat finishes for maximum durability against snow, rain, and temperature extremes. Either way, you're getting fixtures built to outlast you.
Highly Customizable
Multiple mounting options let you install these anywhere your property needs authentic frontier lighting—wall sconces with reflectors, hook arm mounts, wood platform mounts, post lights, column lights, or suspended from ceilings. Glass shade options and finish choices ensure your fixtures match your lodge's specific character and your landscape's particular demands.
...the lanterns were perfect.
Perfect for These Homes
Log Cabins
Mountain Lodges
Western Style Ranches
the collection's crown jewel
Wagon Wheel Chandeliers
Your rustic retreat deserves lighting with both presence and authenticity—these iconic wagon wheel chandeliers deliver both. The circular wooden form creates a commanding focal point overhead while the multiple light sources provide practical illumination for gatherings and everyday use. Each wheel is meticulously crafted, showcasing visible joinery and natural grain patterns that complement timber frame architecture and Western-inspired interiors.
Available in multiple diameters and configurations to suit various ceiling heights and room sizes, these chandeliers bring California Gold Rush heritage to your home with dramatic architectural impact that guests will remember long after they've departed.
Customer Installations
