Contact Info
Sheepherder Bar and Grille
Alyssa Alimena
11275 Folsom Blvd.
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
Phone: 916-638-4584
Fax: 916-638-4760
Contact via Email
Visit our Website
Our Website
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Services
Hours of Operation
Mon-Th 11a-9p Fri 11a-10pSat 4p-9p
About Us
The Citrus Inn opened in 1913 in this very building on Folsom Boulevard. Citrus was sold in front of the building to everyone that passed by on busy Folsom Boulevard.
Folsom Boulevard was a main thoroughfare for the gold rush in the mid 1800s. Many immigrants and forty-niners were in search for some of the gold that James W Marshall and John Sutter found in the American River. The railroads that are still visible across the street today were the same railroads that were constructed in the late 1800s.
Over the years we have heard that The Citrus Inn became many different businesses including The Edwards Hotel and at one point, a brothel. There are also stories that the building is haunted. What we know to be true is that everyone came to the building to eat good food and to have a good time. There was drinking and dancing ‘til late at night.
The building eventually became known as Sheepherder Inn. It was a place for Basque sheepherders to come and rest upstairs in the Inn and enjoy a hearty meal downstairs, which probably consisted of meats, fish, lamb stews, legumes, cheeses and Basque cider. Many Basques came to California in hopes of finding gold in the mid 1800s. When they failed at finding gold, they used their training of sheepherding. They quickly learned that sheep survived better than cattle and were an excellent source of food for the miners.
In the 1970s, the Holt family opened the very successful Sheepherder’s Inn. For decades they were known for their family style servings, prime rib dinners, fun atmosphere and large slices of pie.
In the late 90s the Holt family sold Sheepherder’s Inn to a company that just didn’t have the heart that the Holt family did. Quality seemed to slide and the company chose to close the Sheepherder’s Inn in 2003.
After sitting vacant for two years, the entire building was renovated. The renovation took over two years to complete. The stone columns, grand fireplaces, wood rafters and beams were kept to keep the history and rustic feel of the building. Everything else was gutted and replaced. The new Sheepherder’s Inn was opened in 2007 but couldn’t stay ahead of the poor economy.
The Perez family took over in 2009 and opened Sheepherder Bar and Grille two days before Mother’s Day brunch. They are going back to what made the Sheepherder’s Inn so successful from the 70’s to 90’s: a fun, lively place to sit and have a quality meal, enjoy friends and meet new ones.
