The California Gold Country-2001-2002

Everyone knows the story of the great California gold rush during the mid-1800’s.Today, it’s still a treat to take in the atmosphere and reminders of times long past in the hilly streets of the many small towns scattered to the south and east of Sacramento.

                Amador City                                                                    Old Volcano

                    Another shot of Volcano

Here’s a small sampling of some of the spots we enjoyed during our sojourn in Jackson.  

                        Old town Jackson                                                    1880's Jackson churches

One of the highlights well worth taking time to visit is the museum in Jackson at the top of the hill, which used to be Judge Brown’s residence.

                    Amador County Museum                                                    Claudia in front of museum

For a small museum, it’s very well done, asks only for a donation, and presents an accurate picture of life in the mining towns of the 1800s. A fascination for me was an entire collection of hardbound books covering every detail and aspect of the entire Civil War…right down to every single campaign. Oh, note how it wasn’t referred to as the Civil War, but as The War of Rebellion.

 These works were commissioned right after the war ended at a cost of several million dollars, an enormous expense for the time. Yes, I asked: the museum will provide legitimate researchers access to the books.  

                    Check out this vacuum                                                Rachael in the museum

Antiquing is very big business in this section of the state with a sizeable portion of all of the downtown sections of these towns offering up plenty of opportunity for history buffs.  

                    Amador City antiques                                                  Downtown Sutter Creek

            Old Sutter Creek building detail                                            Old truck in Mokelome Hill

Outdoor recreation is possible year round as it rarely snows at this 1500-foot elevation. The area has many man-made reservoirs, which are used for camping, fishing, and house boating. Quite a few lakes have weekend homes and getaways on their shores and the area is within two hours of Yosemite National Park.

                        Lake Tulloch                                                                New Malones Marina

                        New Malones Reservoir

Another industry which has really grown in the past few years is the proliferation of wineries. It’s possible to take in 20 wineries on a wine tour in a one county region near the town of Plymouth and unlike the famous Napa Valley to the west, they don’t charge for tasting privileges!