Weekend Getaway Spots in California's Gold Country

There are likely a few reasons why California is called the Golden State, they probably are the state's illustrious history involving the discovery of gold, California's abundant sunshine, and the golden hue of the foothills during the warmer months.

One of California's most notable historic events was probably the discovery of gold from the American River near Coloma, California. During the winter of 1848, a man named James Marshall was building a sawmill for a man named John Sutter when he discovered gold. A few months later, by August, the hills above the American River were dotted with tents and wooden shacks by the first miners who had been lured to California by the tales of the discovery of gold and were hoping to strike it rich. People came from near and far. There was reportedly over $2,000,000,000 in gold removed from the area before mining ceased operation.

Get Away to Gold Country in the Golden State

If you live in central or northern California, chances are you've probably visited the foothills or the area that makes up what is known as Gold Country or the Mother Lode. Maybe you are even lucky enough to live in Gold Country or somewhere in the foothills of California. But If you aren't familiar with it and you don't live there, if you are are able to, you would probably be glad you visited the cute little towns throughout this historical region of California. For those who cannot make it, I am including photographs I've taken and I will try to be as descriptive as possible. I'm not covering the whole Gold Country area in this hub, this will be on a few of the little towns that lay on State Route 49 through Amador County. I will follow with more hubs on the other 12 counties included in California's Gold Country.

The Golden State of California's Gold Country or the Mother Lode region is an area in California which encompasses 12 counties and lays near the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the northeastern and central parts of California.

Given the name Gold Country for obvious reasons -- it is where some of the largest mineral deposits and gold mines were located that attracted thousands of immigrants, known as 49ers, during the California Gold Rush which began in January of 1848.

The term Mother Lode refers to a principal vein or zone of veins of silver or gold. In Spanish, the word Mother Lode is translated to Veta Madre. Veta Madre is an old Mexican mining term and is probably where the word Mother Lode originated from. Additionally, there is a 6.8 mile long Veta Madre that was discovered in 1548 in Guanajuato, New Spain (present day Mexico).

The Mother Lode, however, was the name that was most famously given to the region in California where, stretching over 120 miles through 12 present day counties, there lays a long alignment of hard rock gold deposits. This large alignment of gold and minerals spans northwest to southeast along the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. It is a long stretch but is only about 3.5 miles wide. It begins in the north at Georgetown in El Dorado County, extends through Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties heading south to where it completes its journey at Mormon Bar in Mariposa County covering the 12 counties of  Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Tuolumne, Plumas, and Yuba. 

Today, State Route 49 winds through these mining towns of yesterday. 

As with most gold rushes, the California gold rush began with the discovery of placer gold in sands and gravels of creeks and rivers where the gold from the hard-rock vein deposits had eroded. Placer miners followed the gold-bearing sands upstream to discover the source in the bedrock. This source was the "mother" of the gold in the river and so was named the "mother lode".

As advancements in science were made, the theory of plate tectonics was discovered and.the Mother Lode was found to correspond with the line of terrane called the Smartville Block. This area includes some of the largest and best-known historic mines of the California Gold Rush era. There are individual mines of gold-bearing quartz veines thousands of feet long and about 50 feet thick. The California Mother Lode area was one of the United States' most productive gold-producing districts and reportedly more than two billion dollars in gold was mined during that era.

If you're driving up Highway 160 from Sacramento heading east, this is the way it looks: like miles of farmland with older farmhouses and newer houses here and there with some trees around the homes or areas where there is water. But as you proceed further, the trees and bushes will become more dense than sparse and will evolve into a landscape of oaks, pines, manzanitas, azaleas, dogwoods, and more.

After you travel down Highway 160 for about 40 minutes or so, you will reach the sign for Ione or Jackson. The first one is Ione, which you will pass, and take the Jackson - Highway 49 exit. You will then make your way through some turns until first reaching Drytown.

Drytown, California, is one of the first few old mining towns you will reach after you take the turn-off from Highway 160 to Highway 49. Drytown, which is in what is now northern Amador County, was established in 1848 and it is believed it is the first gold mining camp. Dry Creek runs through Drytown and in the summer, the creek bed is usually dry, but in the winter, it can rush through the area overflowing its banks.

During the Gold Rush when the town was first established, there were 26 saloons. Also, California's first temperance movement began in Drytown. In about 1857, there was a fire which leveled the town, but there are a few brick buildings that still remain from that era.

In Drytown, you can still see an old brick building dating from the 1850s which is said to have been used by George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon. Mr. Hearst operated a printing press and maintained his mining office in Drytown.

Today, there are some antique shops and a gift shop which is also the location of the post office for Drytown, California.

Amador City will be the next landmark you will reach. Amador City is one of the smallest incorporated cities in California; there are only a little over 200 people who call it home. Even thought it's small, it has a lot to offer visitors who decide to stop there to shop, to eat, or to stay overnight in a Gold Rush Era building at the Imperial Hotel.

There are antique stores, cute little boutiques, museums, art galleries, a restaurant, evenan old-fashioned soda fountain. Like the Imperial Hotel, these places are also located in Gold Rush era buildings and there is still a real historic charm in Amador City. There is an old mine that is fenced off that can be seen from the road as well. It's pretty interesting to step back in time.

Sutter Creek, California, probably has many things to offer those who want to come for the day or for the weekend. There are a couple hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, many shops, boutiques, and places to eat. There is a gas station in Sutter Creek with a mini-mart for snacks and things. The town can be easily walked from one end to the other in just a few short minutes so driving in Sutter Creek isn't necessary.

Sutter Creek has about 2000 residents and was incorporated in 1854 and was found a in 1848, when Sutter's men were sent out from his fort on the American River to search for a source of lumber. One such party discovered an excellent stand of sugar pine about 45 miles east-southeast of the fort on a ridge above two creeks. It is told the settlement at today's Sutter Creek began because of a single tent raised there for miners to use on rainy Sundays when they could not get to Jackson or Drytown.

For more history on Sutter Creek, click here.  

Click here for a printable history and walking map of the town.

Click here for a photo gallery of old pictures.

Jackson, California, is the town I will be concluding with in this hub. Jackson sits at about 1200 feet in elevation and is home to about 4500 residents. Jackson was incorporated in 1905 and has small town charm with big city amenities such as grocery stores, Target, etc. There are many places to visit in Jackson, including tours to some of the richest gold producing mines in California. .

There are several attractions, accommodations and restaurants; too many to list. I will add some more area links but have included a few below. There are no bad parts of Jackson so any place that looks good to you probably is a good place to stop and stay.

Have fun in this region with such a rich historical past. Have fun in Gold Country.