Coloma and Placerville, CA

Today's day trip took us on historic highway 49 south of Auburn, CA.  The first six miles south of Auburn were very curvy and hilly.  We were in the car, and Dave decided that he would never want to drive our big motorhome on this part of the road.

It took us almost 50 minutes to drive the twenty miles to Coloma.  There we visited Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, the site where James Marshall first discovered gold and sparked the California Gold Rush.   We didn't have time to visit the museum, but we saw Sutter's Mill.   Marshall was an employee of John Sutter's when he found several flakes of gold.  Sutter and Marshall tried to keep the discovery a secret, but eventually the word got out.  During the next seven years, around 3000,000 people came to California to seek their fortunes.

Sutter's Mill was only in operation for a couple of years, then a flood damaged it.  When it was rebuilt in 1967, they found some of the original timbers still there.

Sutter's Mill in Coloma

The South Fork of the American River where John Marshall discovered gold in 1848

After our brief visit to Coloma, we drove further south on Highway 49 to the town of Placerville, where Highway 50 intersects with 49.  Many Californians know Highway 50 as the "road to Tahoe".  We didn't have time to visit Lake Tahoe this trip, as it was another 61 miles away.  

Placerville was a fun town to visit.  After lunch at Buttercup Pantry, we walked up and down the historic main street.  Many of the old buildings had signs explaining their history.  Many of the old buildings had been refaced and it was good to see them still in use today.

Placerville used to be called Hangtown.  It's the county seat of El Dorado County, and during the Gold Rush era, it was known for the many hangings that took place there.  The hanging tree is gone now, and the old buildings that replaced the tree are now being refurbished.  It was renamed Placerville after the placer gold mining that took place there.

A person of fame in Placerville was Snowshoe Thompson, the famous Norwegian skier who delivered mail, medicine, and supplies in the treacherous Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The California seal on the El Dorado County courthouse in Placerville.

This historic bell tower was used to summon the volunteer firemen.

One of the old buildings, now an Italian  restaurant

The next picture is not one of the old buildings.  This dress was featured in the window of a formal wear shop.  Dave couldn't understand why I wanted to get a picture of it.  This dress was all metallic and was one of the most unusual modern dresses that I have ever seen.  I didn't go inside the store to inquire about the price of the dress.

The dress to be worn by the belle of the  Christmas Ball?

And finally, on our way home, we had a good view of  this I-80 bridge, crossing the north fork of the American River, just east of Auburn, a road that many Californians know as "the road to Reno".