Released November 30, 2023
8 minutes checked out
Northern California’s historical Gold Country is growing– for the 2nd time. This string of previous mining towns in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada burst onto the scene in 1848 throughout the legendary gold rush.
The very first glinting rock was found in the American River at Sutter’s Mill, near Coloma (40 miles east of Sacramento), drawing thousands of prospectors to this area of shimmering blue rivers and oak-dotted hills. By the boom’s peak, in 1852, some $2 billion worth of gold had actually been drawn out, however after 20 years, the majority of the miners were gone, leaving defunct mines and faded Old West shops.
Now, Gold Country is experiencing a brand-new prime time, stimulated in part by an increase of brand-new citizens who moved here throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The 80-mile drive along Route 49 in between Auburn and Sierra City exposes historical towns with fashionable stores and dining establishments, revamped 19th-century hotels, and outside activities together with gold rush websites. Here’s how to check out.
Center of old and brand-new
An imposing, 45-ton concrete statue of a hunched-over gold panner marks the town of Auburnsimply off Interstate 80 east of Sacramento. It’s Claude Chanaa Frenchman who advanced here on May 16, 1848, a number of months after the descent on near Sutter’s Mill. No regional boom followed his discovery, Auburn did end up being the county seat and a supply center for neighboring mining camps.
(See how the gold rush changed California)
Today, Auburn socializes historical and modern attractions. Much of the 19th-century structures in the Old Town hold museums such as the Auburn Joss Housewhich looks much the way it did a century earlier when it functioned as a temple, schoolhouse, and hostel for Chinese immigrants who worked as low-paid mine workers. On the very first floor of the domed, 1898 Second County Courthousea museum displays jumbo gold nuggets and other artifacts associated with regional history.
More recent organizations include Typewriter + Mosswhere locally made walnut wood charcuterie boards, earrings, and other items are offered under a classic stamped tin ceiling, and Auburn Old Town Gallerywhich showcases paintings, ceramics, and images by regional artists. The Pour Choicea two-story coffee shop and beer tap space, bustles with young specialists on laptops and parents with kids in tow.
“The appeal of Auburn is that you can’t alter much on a macro level,” states Jordan Minyard, Pour Choice’s owner and an Auburn local who is bullish on clever, small-city advancement. “We reside on a canyon wall, and it’s currently developed out as much as it can be developed out.”
Wild West hotels born-again
North of Auburn, Route 49 explores the pine tree-filled heart of the Sierra Nevada rugged foothills. Drive 25 miles to reach 2 of Gold Country’s richest historical boom towns: Grass Valley and Nevada City
