Established in the mid-1800s by Chinese immigrants who worked for the railroad, Antelope essentially began its humble existence as a bedroom community. That is to say, the workers thrived and enjoyed their boomtown in an era where neighborhoods were the essence of the community. Yet never being at the center of commerce, the Antelope railroad workers eventually moved to the next county and helped root Roseville as a viable city.
The Antelope that was left behind eventually became an epicenter of a growth rather than a community. Tucked away at the northern edge of Sacramento County, Antelope's longest boundary is still against the Placer-Sacramento County line and is nestled against the Southern Pacific Railroad lines just south of the Roseville switching yard.
Sacramento County has grown up around Antelope with soft hills seeming to act as a buffer against the rise from the south. Sacramento County has literally grown up to Placer County line; but the south-western corner of Placer County is still undeveloped acreage that provides a view to the foothills of Rocklin and beyond. While the view of the South offers glimpses of the Sacramento skyline and McClellan Air Force Base, the north view displays golden hills and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.
Today, Antelope is still the bedroom community of old. Unlike the railroad workers who played cards on Poker Lane, the residents now commute to Roseville, Sacramento, Davis and the Bay Area, where housing lots border cattle-land. Antelope enjoys the feeling of identity and community togetherness.
What's fascinating about modern Antelope is that it rose out of the ashes of not one but two Roseville Railyard explosions. On April 28, 1973, Antelope consisted of no more than a post office, general store and a half-dozen homes - a place hardly worthy of notice. However, at precisely 8:03 AM, a rail car loaded with aircraft bombs exploded in the southern part of the Roseville switch yard removing all traces of Antelope. The train was headed for Port Chicago in Contra Costa County and among its manifest were 7,000 Mark 81 aircraft bombs (250 lbs each) and tanker cars carrying liquefied petroleum. The blasts from the Southern Pacific yard were felt in Downtown Sacramento, where the state Capitol building was closed due to concerns of its dome shifting with the concussions.
The then-governor of California Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency for the surrounding area, but Antelope was reduced to charred wood and concrete slabs. Luckily, no one was killed in the explosions, but the blast resulted in $7 million dollars worth of damage to the rail yard, houses and businesses stretching from Roseville to North Highlands.
Then, in the late 90s, the Union Pacific owned by Roseville Railyard embarked on a major remodeling of the entire railyard. Beginning with miles of tracks and ties to be removed, workers used earth-moving equipment to initiate the reconstruction.
The bulldozers quickly began uncovering unexploded bombs left over from the 1973 accident. Over the course of the several months, the site was scanned, examined, declared safe, and then re-examined as bombs continued to be discovered.
The first few bombs discovered were detonated on-site sending a resounding boom that could be heard for miles around, while bomb fragments were dispersed into the homes of Citrus Heights. As more bombs were discovered, and as angry residents complained about detonating the bombs, the remaining ammunition was transported to the Bay Area and transferred to a weapons-disposal company. Finally declared safe, UP finished the railyard renovation and no new explosions have occurred - so far.
In May of 1993, the community of Antelope voted to be recognized as a community - complete with county recognition and its own zip code. At the time, Antelope was only recognized as unincorporated Sacramento County. The vote was overwhelming, which stands as just one example of the community feeling of the neighbors. The US Post Office in Washington DC assigned the zip code 95843 and began to officially recognize it on July 1, 1994.
Currently, the North Highlands Post Office (North Highlands, CA 95660) services the Antelope Community and is also available at the Bel Air Market on Walerga Road.
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