California’s Highway 49 is a golden
chain that connects most of the mining towns that figured so prominently in the
Gold Rush of 1849 and beyond. We
continued our travels on this road and admired each town along the way. Some like Amador City have only a few hundred
residents, while others like Jackson and Placerville boast as many as 10,000
residents.
|
Tiny Amador City |
|
Downtown Jackson |
Each town is distinct with its own quaint
downtown. Many of the Victorian-era buildings
have false fronts, while others feature second story covered balconies. In almost every town, we noted that the
downtowns were mostly filled with shops and restaurants, and many towns offered
local theater productions.
|
Trading Post in Angel's Camp |
|
Downtown Angel's Camp |
|
Downtown San Andreas |
|
Downtown Sutter Creek |
|
Distinctive Brick Buildings |
|
Beautiful Victorian-Era Houses |
The countryside along our route was
equally lovely, with rolling green hills and a surprising number of vineyards. It really is a relatively unspoiled area.
|
Fog Lingers Over the Rolling Hills |
|
New Melones Reservoir |
We ended the day where the Gold Rush
began. On January 24, 1848, in the Coloma
Valley, James Marshall found flakes of gold in the millrace of the lumber mill
he was constructing for John Sutter. The
rest, as they say, is history. The Marshall
Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma preserves the site where gold was
first found and interprets the history of the Gold Rush in California. Many original buildings in the town have been
preserved, and Sutter’s sawmill and other buildings have been reconstructed. It’s interesting to contemplate how this one
simple event changed the course of California’s development.
|
Sutter's Mill in Coloma |
|
Tim Checks Out a Miner's Cabin in Coloma |
|
Main Street in Coloma |
Intriguing architecture! I really like that rock wall at the reservoir too! :-) LV
ReplyDeleteLV, The architecture is so distinctive here. I'm glad you noticed the wall. I don't know the type of stone that was used, but the variety of colors made it very unusual. Sarah
DeleteCalifornia is really new in the history of the United States but does have a rich history. Glad you are enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteWe certainly are enjoying California's rich heritage. It's such a diverse, and big, state. I'm glad we're able to sample so many of the different regions. Sarah
Delete