Sutter's Fort was a 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in the Mexican Alta California province. Established in 1839, the site of the fort was originally called New Helvetia by its builder John Sutter, though construction of the fort proper would not begin until 1841. The fort was the first non-indigenous community in the California Central Valley. The fort is famous for its association with the Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and the formation of the city of Sacramento, surrounding the fort. It is notable for its proximity to the end of the California Trail and Siskiyou Trails, which it served as a waystation.
Amador County is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The Heart of the Mother Lode". There is a substantial viticultural industry in the county.
Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California. Its population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census. The city is accessible by both State Route 49 and State Route 88.
Sutter Creek is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 2,501 at the 2010 census, up from 2,303 at the 2000 census. It is accessible via State Route 49.
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.
The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada, which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United States and named after American miner Henry Comstock.
State Route 49 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that passes through many historic mining communities of the 1849 California gold rush and it is known as the Golden Chain Highway. The highway's creation was lobbied by the Mother Lode Highway Association, a group of locals and historians seeking a single highway to connect many relevant locations along the Gold Rush to honor the 49ers. One of the bridges along SR 49 is named for the leader of the association, Archie Stevenot.
Archie Stevenot was a prominent citizen in Calaveras County, California and Supreme Noble Grand Humbug of E Clampus Vitus. Born in Carson Hill, Stevenot helped found the California Chamber of Commerce and his family established the borax industry in the state. He also established the Mother Lode Highway Association in 1919 which was primarily responsible for the creation of State Route 49. As a result, the bridge across the Stanislaus River between Tuolumne and Calaveras counties on SR 49 is named the Archie Stevenot Bridge in his honor, and his birthplace has been declared a California Historical Landmark No. 769.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is a state park of California, United States, marking the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in 1848, sparking the California Gold Rush. The park grounds include much of the historic town of Coloma, California, which is now considered a ghost town as well as a National Historic Landmark District. The park contains the California Historical Landmarks: a monument to commemorate James Marshall (#143), the actual spot where he first discovered gold in 1848 (#530). Established in 1942, and Coloma Road (#748),. The park now comprises 576 acres (233 ha) in El Dorado County.
Havilah is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California. It is located in the mountains between Walker Basin and the Kern River Valley, 5 miles (8.0 km) south-southwest of Bodfish at an elevation of 3,136 feet (956 m).
The Butte store is the only structure still standing of the original mining town of Butte City. It used to be one of 100 buildings. It was built in 1857 by Enrico Bruni, an Italian stonemason. It is made of brick and fieldstone from Calaveras. It also has three doors made of iron. Xavier Benoist used it as a store and bakery. The building served as a post office. It was also a general store called Ginocchio's. The Ginnochio family owned it for 50 years. It closed in the 1900s. It is a California Historical Landmark.
The Mariposa County Courthouse in Mariposa, California was built in 1854, making it the oldest courthouse in California. It was listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1977.
The Big Bar, also called Upper Bar, is a gold mine in Jackson, California, United States. The mine opened in 1848 along the Mokelumne River and is registered as California Historical Landmark #41.
The Pioneer Jewish Synagogue was a former Jewish synagogue located in Jackson in Amador County, California, in the United States. Built in 1857, the congregation vacated the building in 1869, and the former synagogue building was demolished in 1948.
The site of the Old Mining Camp of Brownsville is a California Historical Landmark on Pennsylvania Gulch Road east of the town of Murphys, California in Calaveras County. The Mining Camp of Brownsville was a California Gold Rush camp in Pennsylvania Gulch in from 1850 to 1870. The camp is named after Alfred Brown, who was the former owner of the Table Mountain Ranch. There were many rich mines in the area and Brownsville Mining Camp supported this activity. So rich was the area, the Brownsville Mining District limited the size of mines in the District. Each miner could claim and own only one wet and one dry site, no larger than 150 square feet each. Brownsville Mining District was in the area of Pennsylvania Gulches and Missouri Gulches 2 miles from Murphys. There are no remains of the camp, but nearby is the Brownsville Mining District Cemetery. A plaque monument was dedicated on July 19, 1953, by California State Park Commission with the monument base built by Christa Parlor No. 137 and Ruby Parlor No. 49 of the Native Daughters of the Golden West.
Double Springs, California, is a historical site of the form town in Calaveras County, now in Valley Springs, California. The town was built during the California Gold Rush. Double Springs was founded on February 18, 1850, two years after the start of the California Gold Rush. Double Springs grew so quickly that it was the seat of Calaveras County in 1850. The County seat was a coveted honor and a year later, in 1851, Jackson was able to claim the title, but only for a year. In 1852 by popular vote, Mokelumne Hill was able to become the County seat until 1866 when it move to San Andreas. The Double Springs was in what is called the California Mother Lode mining region. The Double Springs old courthouse was built in 1849, and was moved, its original spot is now rural land. A foundation mark was placed at the site of the old courthouse, installed by the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce. The courthouse is now at the Calaveras County Museum Complex in San Andreas. Double Springs received its name from two springs nearby springs that are between the low hills nearby. Alexander R. Wheat built a large house from squared sandstone in 1860, the house is still there. One of the other remains of Double Springs is a family cemetery. Double Springs site is about 3.6 miles east of Valley Springs and is mostly rural land near Youngs Creek. The site of Double Springs is a California Historical Landmark No. 264.
Hangman's Tree was a tree in Placerville, California. The site of the tree is a California Historical Landmark No. 141, in El Dorado County, California. The stump of the tree is now under the building at 305 Main Street. During the California Gold Rush, the city was called Dry Diggins after the gold mining camp, but was known as Hangtown, as vigilantes hung many men for different types of crimes. During the Gold Rush, the site was Elstner's Hay Yard, next to the Jackass Inn. Hangtown was later renamed Placerville.
Plumas House was a historical building in Quincy, California. The site of the Plumas House building is a California Historical Landmark No. 480. The first building at the site was built in 1853. The second building that replaced the original was built by James and Jane Edwards in 1866. The Edwards building was a Hotel with a Ballroom, restaurant, and parlor. The Hotel caught fire on June 23, 1923, with no hope to save it. The fire did not spread to other buildings with the help of the volunteer fire department. The two buildings served the town and the 49er California Gold Rush miners. The town of Quincy was named by James Bradley after his hometown of Quincy, Illinois. The Plumas House was busy, as Quincy was the county seat for Plumas County. A historical marker is in the town center park at the Southwest corner of Main Street and Court Street.
Cherokee, California is a historical mining town site in Tuolumne, California in Tuolumne County, California. The site of the Cherokee, California is a California Historical Landmark No. 410 listed on December 11, 1949. The Scott brothers, descendants of the Cherokee Tribe, discovered gold in 1853 in Tuolumne County. Soon many placer mines started in the valley of Cherokee and the town of Cherokee was founded. When the placer gold panning (diggins) ran out, some quartz mines opened around Cherokee. Cherokee was the first mining town in the East Best of the California Mother Lode. Cherokee supported the other nearby mining camp of Independence, Little Jessie, Mary Ellen, Plowboy and Excelsior. At its peak Cherokee had a population of 700 in 1856. After the gold ran out the Scanvino brothers, Domingo and Ciovanni, from Italy, started a family farm that replaced Cherokee. Cherokee is now a neighborhood of Tuolumne City. A marker at the site was place there by the California Centennials Commission on December 11, 1949.
Shaw's Flat is a historical ghost town and mining town in Columbia, California in Tuolumne County, California. The site of the Shaw's Flat is a California Historical Landmark No. 395 listed on March 8, 1948. Shaw's Flat was 49 California Gold Rush town founded in 1850. The town is named after it first settler, Mandeville Shaw. In November 1849, Shaw started an orchard on the eastern slope of Table Mountain. The California Gold Rush started shortly after Shaw's. Nearby Tarleton Caldwell, started Caldwell's Gardens by growing black walnut. Caldwell found gold on his land. James G. Fair found Gold and went on to be a United States senator.
