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Gold Country
The western ridges of the Sierra Nevada are home to Gold Country, also known as the ‘Mother Lode’. The discovery of gold here in 1848 attracted 300,000 fortune seekers from all over the world. Not everyone struck it rich, but the gold rush changed California forever and left a rich legacy of historic mining towns, railways and museums. The State capital, Sacramento, is a sophisticated city with strong ties to its pioneer past. Visitors can follow in the footsteps of the famous ‘49ers’ at the Columbia, Empire Mine and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Parks, explore caverns and the wineries of El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties, or go white-water rafting on the American River.
SACRAMENTO: The Californian capital since 1854, Sacramento is home to more than 32 theatres, galleries and museums, and is full of visible reminders of its past. The state historic park of Old Sacramento, on the Sacramento River, features 53 historic buildings and recreates the Sacramento of the gold rush. It includes the California State Railroad Museum, which highlights how railways shaped the lives, economy and culture of California and the West. Historic steam train rides run on weekends from April to September. Also in the neighbourhood is the Crocker Art Museum. Opened in 1873, it is the oldest art museum in the west and exhibits early Californian paintings, drawings by the Old Masters and contemporary art.
In the centre of the city is the Renaissance Revival-style State Capitol and California State Capitol Museum. Modelled on the capitol in Washington DC, the building has housed the California Legislature since 1869. Tours are also available of the grand Victorian Governor’s Mansion, home to 13 of California’s governors and filled with historic furnishings. Artefacts from more than 100 Native American tribes are on show at the California State Indian Museum, where an exhibit traces the life of Ishi, California’s last Yahi Indian. The new Golden State Museum tells the ongoing story of California and celebrates what is distinctive about the State. Over 130 species, 32 of them threatened or endangered, are housed at Sacramento Zoo, including polar bears, snow leopards and Sumatran tigers. Sacramento is home to professional ballet, opera and theatre companies and has a vibrant nightlife, with dozens of clubs, comedy venues and restaurants offering everything from Vietnamese to Moroccan cuisine.
Excursions: Folsom, 32km (20 miles) east of Sacramento, was one of the largest cities in the state during the gold rush. Today it is home to 60 antique dealers and over 40 artisans’ studios, art galleries and working artists, as well as the historic buildings of the Old Town. Lake Nacoma and Folsom Lake offer sailing, water-skiing and windsurfing and a range of other activities for outdoor enthusiasts.
EL DORADO COUNTY: This is the heart of Gold Country, where James Marshall discovered the first Californian gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma. Visitors can see where the gold rush began and pan for gold at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, which has a museum and both original and restored buildings. The South Fork of the American River at Coloma is especially popular with whitewater rafters, offering some of the best rafting in the country. Known as ‘Hangtown’ in its early days, today Placerville is full of historic buildings and operates the Gold Bug Mine, the only gold mine in the state open to visitors. Wineries have flourished in the spectacular foothills of the Sierra Nevada since the gold rush, and tours and tastings are available year round.
CALAVERAS COUNTY: Southeast of Sacramento, Calaveras County is home to forests of giant sequoias at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, award-winning wineries and gold rush towns like Mokelumne Hill, Avery and Arnold. Mark Twain became a household name after writing The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County at Angels Camp, where the Jumping Frog Jubilee is held annually in May. At the gold rush town of Murphys, visitors can explore the Mercer Caverns, ten caverns with rare crystal formations. At Cave City, the Moaning Cavern, with a main chamber large enough to hold the Statue of Liberty, is open all year round, and the California Cavern is open for tours from spring to autumn.
TUOLUMNE COUNTY: Visitors can prospect for gold at Jamestown, which has served as a backdrop for films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and High Noon. The nearby Columbia State Historic Park is California’s best-preserved gold-mining town, with gold panning, stagecoach rides and tours of an active gold mine.
AMADOR COUNTY: Dotted with gold rush towns like Amador City and Sutter Creek, this region is renowned for its wineries – there are around two dozen of them in Shenandoah Valley. An outstanding collection of Sierra Nevada Indian artefacts, as well as a reconstructed Miwok village, can be found at the Chaw’se Regional Indian Museum in the Indian Grinding State Historic Park near Jackson. The spectacular crystal formations and deep lakes of Black Chasm Cavern can be seen on guided tours.
Mariposa, in the south of Gold Country, is home to California’s oldest courthouse, built in 1854. The Mariposa County Museum features a miner’s cabin and a reconstructed Native American village, while the California State Mining and Mineral Museum boasts one of the largest gem and mineral collections in the world.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Jan 2003 Gold Discovery Day, El Dorado. Mar Calaveras Celtic Fair, Angels Camp. Mar 17 Irish Days, Murphys. May Sacramento Jazz Jubilee; Valley Springs Pow Wow, Valley Springs; Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, Frogtown, Angels Camp. Jun Annual Fairplay Wine Festival, El Dorado County. Aug-Sep California State Fair, Sacramento. Oct Gold Rush Street Fair and Grape Stomp, Murphys; Lumberjack Days, West Point.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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