Living in a state known for sprawling cities and crowded freeways, we forget California was a frontier backwater until Jan. 24, 1848. That was the day James Marshall, who was building a sawmill for John Sutter on the South Fork American River, noticed flakes of something sparkling in the sand. It was Marshall’s “Eureka” moment — and California’s. The discovery of gold in “them thar’ hills” brought more than 300,000 people to the region over the next decade. Some of the “forty-niners” got rich — from gold, but more so from providing food, supplies and services to the prospectors in the hundreds of mining camps and towns that sprang up.
Today, you can explore California Gold Country by meandering along State Highway 49, which runs north-south about an hour east of Sacramento, and points nearby. You’ll discover parks, hotels, saloons, restaurants, antique shops and more with an Old West ambiance. It’s a road trip — and a step back in time.
(The map addresses are of the city halls or towns’ Main Streets, unless otherwise noted.)
