California Blog #27: Gold Rush!

And now, here’s a little ditty about the gold rush in the West!

Have you ever wanted to visit the Old West before? Well if you haven’t, then here’s the scoop on Gold Country.

The Gold Country is a historic region in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, that is primarily on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.

In case you didn’t know, Gold Country started out in the Gold Rush way back in 1849. It was when the gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. The Gold Rush had severe effects on Native Californians and accelerated the Native American population's decline from disease, starvation and the California Genocide. By the time it ended, California had gone from a thinly populated ex-Mexican territory, to having one of its first two U.S. Senators, John C. Frémont, selected to be the first presidential nominee for the new Republican Party, in 1856.

Okay now. Let’s also start out with planning a visit to Gold Country. Here’s a little info.

According to HITravelTales.com, it says here that in California Gold Country you can follow in the footsteps of Gold Rush pioneers, try your hand at gold planning, enjoy cute little towns, get outdoors, and eat at amazing restaurants.

It stretches some 300 miles along the beautiful rolling foothills east of Sacramento – remaining for the most part above the fog line and below the heavy snow line. Small, picturesque, historic towns dot the main highway that runs along the east-west swath where the 1849 Gold Rush began. In fact, the highway is officially designated Highway 49, named after the “49ers” who wasted no time rushing to the area from the East Coast to seek their fortunes. Many of the same small towns, then with muddy streets in winter and dusty in summer and lined with raucous bars and plenty of brothels, are today’s charming tourist destinations. You will find panoramic Sierra vistas, historic facades and streets, quaint hotels, covered bridges, small town festivities, not to mention many of today’s Gold Rush pioneers — restauranteurs and winemakers — still seeking their fortunes.

So, maybe on our next trip during my next life in California, maybe we can visit Gold Country since you told me about it.

We can also check out the Old West and learn a lot about it too.

Cause when it comes to trying new things in Northern California, a little adventure always goes a long way.

Who knows where the gold rush takes us.

And maybe if there’s some gold underground, we might be rich. But not really. That would take forever to dig up the gold.

But if we’re lucky while visiting there, we might pack a couple of board games so we can play some. Maybe that would be better while we’re at Gold Country. A trip to Gold Country can’t be beat for the first time in my life.

For visitors like us for the first time, there’s Grass Vally in Nevada City.

Any visitor to the area should poke around both towns, walking around the back of the main streets since you can find old stone walls and buildings that were once banks or jails.

Winemakers and restauranteurs too have also transformed the scene. Each town now has three winery-specific tasting rooms, and the area, with nearly ideal weather for winemaking, has nearly 20 wineries – not a bad count when the population of the two towns combined doesn’t inch much over 15,000.

Plus, there’s also a Nevada City winery.

And there’s also another Gold Country town called Auburn. If you haven’t seen Auburn yet, take a look at this.

This is where the historical courthouse looms high above you as you drive the Gold Rush town.

There’s even quaint buildings in this old town.

One difference in Auburn’s Gold Rush history is its claim to the Pony Express and Transcontinental Railroad history, plus the famed cross-country Lincoln Highway of 1913 tracks through Auburn. Currently, the Gold Rush Museum is housed in the historic Auburn Depot, which was the fourth depot on the site. The first one was completed in 1865 to serve the new Transcontinental Railroad through town.

With Auburn as a base, you can head deep into the hills to get a real feel for how the ‘49ers lived with a visit to the tiny village of Michigan Bluff. Today, it houses 20 or so people, give or take, but in its heyday, there were 10,000 living in the encampment founded in 1849.

If you happen through the area during the summer months, take a look for the Heritage Trail of museums with free visits up and down the county every weekend.

Another town we wanna look at is Placerville where Marshall Gold Park is located and hosts Gold Rush-era events.

Placerville’s nickname is “Hangtown”. And it tells the story of the town’s rather lawless past: Anybody caught misbehaving in those days met swift justice … at the end of a rope. Today, it celebrates that bawdy history at its annual Hangtown Days in June when a reenactment of a pioneer wagon train pulls into town after a week on the trail from Nevada. Spectators can watch all kinds of other historic reenactments, including a shoot-out. Aside from a saunter through town, travelers will find Placerville a superb gateway not only to the wine country and bountiful “Apple Hill,” but also to the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park – THE spot where gold was discovered in 1848. Demonstration days there recreate history monthly, tours are available, try your hand at gold-panning, and consider the Coloma Gold Rush Live event normally in October where a tent town is filled with “adventurers, gold-seekers and charlatans” recreating the era.

Also, not to be missed, is Apple Hill, just east of Placerville. The sprawling region once was home to a few pear orchards. A blight in the early ‘60s forced the ranchers to pull together to decide what to do – and Apple Hill was born. Today, it is home to 55 farmers, including Christmas tree farms, as well as wineries and tasting rooms (Our lead photo with Michael and HI Travel Tales pup Kayla was taken at Wofford Acres Vineyards). In the fall, the orchards burst with dozens of varieties of apples, while on-site cafes churn out fresh-pressed cider, apple fritters, and apple pies stacked high with fresh fruit. Wander from farm to farm to taste and sip – and you will end up with some booty to take home any time of the year.

And… there’s even yet another Gold Rush town called……

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!

Dutch Flat! It’s where the epic hotel was built in 1852.

Now comes the quirk that still exists in tiny burgs smattered here and there in the Gold Country. You could easily drive right past the exit to Dutch Flat since you can’t see anything along the road itself. But don’t. Dutch Flat has changed a lot over the years: Back in about 1853, it had some 6,000 residents. Today, the population is maybe 200. This is the home to long-timers who like the off-the-beaten-path peace, and new-timers and artists who want to escape city life. Even in the 19th century, it was called “the Athens of the Foothills” with its thriving theater and debating societies.

Then comes the annual 4th of July Parade, which has to make two loops around the tiny town otherwise the parade doesn’t last long enough. Held non-stop since the 1860s, the parade has a reputation and long history of water-fight hijinks. Although the town fathers (and mothers) have enforced a few rules when things got out of hand a few years ago, the water fights have continued. Parade spectators show up with super soakers, water blasters, and buckets, prepared to take on anybody who wants to get wet. As one local told me a couple of years ago, “We take our water fights very seriously here.”

It’s also where we can try our hand at gold panning. Maybe we can all give it a try.

With the entire Gold Country area’s heritage stemming from the Gold Rush, who doesn’t want to visit a gold mine or try their hand at gold panning once there? Grass Valley’s Empire Mine State Historic Park is a must-see for any visitor. It was once the richest hard-rock mine in California, producing 5.8 million ounces of gold in its 106-year history.

So if you’d like, we can check all of this out for ourselves. Bring your family and friends with us. There’s plenty more to do here for a first visit.

Reach for the sky, partner.

And ask yourselves… do you feel lucky? Well, do you punk?