Before the arrival of Europeans, the Indian settlement of Maidu was located on these lands. After the gold rush, in the middle of the 19th century, some of the gold miners stayed here. The fertile soil of this region and the mild climate contributed to the rapid development of agriculture, farming, and animal husbandry. Apples, grapes, and later even citrus fruits were grown in Roswell. In the 19th century, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Central California Railroad also appeared here. The intersection of these roads became the city center.
It is believed that the name of the city came from the large number of rosehip bushes that grew in the vicinity of the city.
At the end of the 19th century, there was a gold rush that lasted for several years. And at the beginning of the 20th century, the marshaling yard was moved to Roswell’s center, which caused an influx of new residents and a large number of new buildings in the city. In just two years, the city’s population has doubled (from 400 to 2000).