Gold country -California

California State Route 49 (SR 49) is a north-south highway in California that runs through a bunch of historic mining towns from the 1849 Gold Rush. It’s also known as the Golden Chain Highway. The idea for the road came from the Mother Lode Highway Association—a group of locals and historians—back in 1919.

The highway starts at State Route 41 in Oakhurst, Madera County, in the Sierra Nevada. From there, it heads northwest, passing through towns like Goldside and Ahwahnee before crossing into Mariposa County. It continues north through several counties—Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, and Plumas—finally ending at State Route 70 in the small town of Vinton.

I live just off Hwy 49 on Hwy 20, which connects Marysville in Yuba County to Nevada City in Nevada County. Marysville is the gateway to the goldfields where thousands of hopeful prospectors started their journey to find gold in 1849. Hwy 20 follows beside the Yuba River all the to Nevada City, and Yuba County is at the heart of the gold country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.By the end of the 1800’s Marysville was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in California.

SR 49 corridor was designed to connect historical locations and landmarks of the California Gold Rush. These include:

Mariposa County

Mormon Bar was first mined by veterans of the Mormon Battalion in 1849.

Bear Valley, where John C. Frémont operated his Ride Tree and Josephine Mines between 1850 and 1860.

Coulterville, where George W. Coulter settled in 1850 and established a tent store to supply miners.

Tuolumne County

Jacksonville was the principal river town in 1850 for miners working along the Tuolumne River. The site has since been inundated by Don Pedro Reservoir.

Chinese Camp was the headquarters for stagelines and for several California Chinese mining companies in the 1850s.

The Wells Fargo Express Company Building in Chinese Camp was built in 1849 and was the home of a general merchandise store.

Montezuma, a mining town that flourished after a ditch and flume were completed in 1852, bringing in water for placer mining. The town was nearly destroyed by an incendiary fire in 1866.

Jamestown became known as gateway to the Mother Lode and the southern mines. Large quantities of gold were found from nearby Woods Creek.

Tuttletown, named after judge A. A. H. Tuttle who settled there 1848, was an early-day stopping place.

Calaveras County

Robinson's Ferry was established in 1848 to ferry passengers and freight across the Stanislaus River.

The birthplace of Archie Stevenot, who helped found the California Chamber of Commerce and was officially named "Mr. Mother Lode" by the California legislature in 1961.

Carson Hill was one of the most productive mining areas in California. The largest gold nugget in the state was discovered here in 1854, weighing 195 pounds troy.

Angels Camp was founded in 1849 and became one of the richest quartz mining sections of the Mother Lode.

The Angels Hotel in Angels Camp was originally a canvas tent erected in 1851, replaced by a one-story wooden structure, and then rebuilt with stone in 1855.

Altaville was the site of a foundry that was established in 1854. Most of the stamp mills and a large portion of the mining machinery erected in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties were built at this foundry.

The Prince-Garibaldi Building in Altaville was built in 1852, originally housing a general merchandise business.

Fourth Crossing became notable in the 1850s for its rich placer ores. The town also served as an important stagecoach and freighting depot, particularly for the southern mines.

San Andreas was originally established as a mining camp by Mexican gold miners in 1848. The gold uncovered from the town's underground river channels and placer mines contributed to the Union's success during the American Civil War.

Chili Gulch was the richest placer mining section in Calaveras County.

Mokelumne Hill was the richest placer mining section of Calaveras County and one of the principal mining towns of California.

Big Bar, along the Mokelumne River, was mined in 1848.

Amador County

The Butte Store, built in 1857, is the only structure still standing in Butte City.

Both Argonaut Mine and adjacent Kennedy Mine were discovered in the 1850s and became the highest-yielding gold mines in the state.

Sutter Creek became a boomtown after quartz gold was discovered in the area in 1851.

Drytown, founded in 1848, is Amador County's oldest community, and the first in the county in which gold was discovered.

El Dorado County

El Dorado, originally an important camp on the old Carson Trail, become the center of a mining district by 1849-50 and the crossroads for freight and stagecoach lines.

Diamond Springs was among the most gold-rich locations in the region, with its most thriving period in 1851.

Placerville, a gold rush town that also served as a relay station of the Central Overland Pony Express from 1860 to 1861.

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, which marks the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in 1848. Marshall then traveled on Coloma Road to give news of the discovery to John Sutter.

Placer County

Auburn developed into an important mining town, trading post, and stage terminal after gold was discovered nearby in 1848.

Nevada County

The former Overland Emigrant Trail, which was used by travelers from points east to the California gold fields, crosses the present day SR 49 near Wolf Creek.

Empire Mine was in constant operation from 1850 to the late 1950s.

Gold Hill in Grass Valley was the site of one of the first discoveries of quartz gold in California.

traveling on Hwy 49 , besides being a beautiful scenic journey, is also a journey through time. Enjoy the ride.