Wild West lives on in Calaveras County
If you are looking for the Far West can do nothing better than going to a place that was once home to Mark Twain and even memorialized in one of his stories. Luckily for residents of California, Calaveras County is a reasonable drive from north and south and put a large amount of gold history Rush all within a few square miles.
Students recall Mark Twain's celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County, a short story that was Twain actually first published work, and what finally made him famous. Today, the Angels Camp community reminds us of Twain and his story every May, drawing more than 2,000 "riders the frog "competing to see whose frog can jump farther.
Such is the spirit in Calaveras County, a fascinating collection of historic towns not have to wait until May to visit. In fact, jumping frog jubilee added traffic can only interfere if all you want to do is explore the many historical attractions, museums, interesting shops – and the wineries, even – are located in this scenic part of the state.
His exploration can be an order or holiday and can focus only on the Calaveras County or include any number of towns and attractions in neighboring counties. We spent a weekend parking, close to our Angels Camp RV and drive short distances to attractions in Calaveras County, as well as a couple on the border of Tuolumne County. Distances are short – 10 to 20 kilometers between the cities or places of interest – and sometimes the roads are always string scenic mountainous and forested this part of California.
The common denominator among all these attractions is the story – if you like history and love looking at historical cities, the state then this is your kind of place. A church history here, an old general store there, antique stores on every block – the Calaveras County cities are like a walk in the past.
Mark Twain's connection is a big one for Angels Camp and, like "Birds" has become a cottage industry for the location of the film, Bodega Bay, the short story by Mark Twain put Calaveras County and Angels Camp on the map. All sorts of memories of frog offered locally, and more than one business has the word frog in its name. You can visit the cabin where Mark Twain lived for the few months he was staying in the area.
Angels Camp is the only city Built in Calaveras County so that you say something about the rural nature of the neighborhood. Eager to share her story, Angels Camp offers visitors a map to a tour walk through the city. Each of the city's historic buildings – and I could say, all are historical – has published a number on the front of the building correspond to the numbers on the map. The map has a description and history of each place.
Angels Camp Museum and Carriage House is known for its excellent collection of historic mining equipment, as well as numerous Native American artifacts. There are memories of life in the mid-1800s as the stock drug with the many old remedies on display in its original packaging. The Carriage House has more than 30 carriages, wagons and carts of the time.
A few miles from Angels Camp, a little further into the mountains, is Murphys, a small village that also has many historical sites. Most of the buildings are from the mid-1800s, with thick stone walls, iron shutters and white picket fences. Once a town of 3,000 people, the current population is a fraction that, although the tourist numbers swell on weekends.
Not far from Murphys, we found a warehouse that had been recommended to us by Visiting the local association – Ironstone Vineyards. This 1.150-acre property includes a tasting room, tours and even a museum. The capture our attention was a nugget of 44 pounds that was on display with, as might be expected, a lot of precautions against theft. Ironstone also has an amphitheater on object that looked like the perfect place to enjoy a concert on Sunday. Altogether there are 14 wineries in Calaveras County.
Some of the best in the history of area actually is in neighboring Tuolumne County, where we visited the town of Sonora. Perhaps the most picturesque town in the area, Sonora has a main shopping street Western longer than Angels Camp, but also features historic homes and a couple of spectacular church steeples that make it great for taking photos. Once Moreover, Sonora is full of antique shops, and small, but interesting shops and restaurants.
Near Sonora is the Columbia State Historic Park, a theme park such as the reconstruction of a real city California gold rush. This is like the historic parks you hear about the East Coast where People dressed in period clothes to return to earlier days. Gold was discovered in 1850 in Columbia, and the city quickly became a full area-based mining in search of his fortune. Today, the park has a main street full of shops that actually have reconstructed real stores and shops inside. There is a shop blacksmith, a couple of saloons, a hotel and one to one carriage ride, plus many other small businesses. When we were there, a local bluegrass group was dressed with period dress, walking the streets and get the guests.
While we have not had time to visit, not far from Columbia to Railtown 1897 Historic State Park, which offers rides on authentic steam trains that have been used in television programs and movies.
Another historical attraction the same area is the Tuolumne Museum, which blends local history of the early Me-Wuk tribes and the gold rush period. Open only on weekend afternoons, the museum displays many items from the typical family of the era, including apparel, health issues and family photos. A scale model of a local railroad and its route are configured in an adjacent room.
Between Columbia and the Angels Camp, we find a unique experience. Groaning Cavernn is only four miles east of Angels Camp and is where we had the opportunity to walk down on the floor with a spiral staircase that opens to one of the largest caverns in the state. At one point, was just a hole in the ground which was discovered by local Indians, you hear a groan from the opening. Some accidentally step into the hole and plunge to death.
Later, when the great underground cavern was discovered, many of the human remains were discovered. A new opening was cut to allow insertion of the ladder and today, visitors have the option of taking the stairs or rappel rope more adventurous 165-foot. If that was not enough for you, guided tours are offered in the undeveloped and without light illuminated parts of the cave with helmets and ropes. We chose option A – the stairs – but there is still something unsettling about being underground a natural cave that would be large enough to place the Statue of Liberty inside.
This was just one of many surprises that are in the Calaveras County, near and, as Mark Twain, who had no trouble telling a short story or two when we got home.
AT A GLANCE
WHERE: County Calaveras is on the heart of California Gold Country and easy access from Highway 99 to the east-west roads you can get at several points south of Sacramento. One of the most direct route is Highway 4 Stockton.
WHAT: Calaveras County and several surrounding counties make up Gold Country, a historic part of California, that retains much of the flavor and charm of the period of the gold rush in mid-1800. Outdoor recreation is also plentiful here, including several campsites and New Melones reservoir, a paradise for sailors.
WHEN: Any time of year, although there is some mountain driving and most the roads are narrow and winding, so spring, summer and autumn would be betting.
WHY: The scenic beauty of the area – hills, mountains and forests – is a feast for the eyes, while the history of the area is visible almost everywhere you look.
HOW: To plan a trip to Calaveras County, contact the Calaveras Visitors Bureau at 800-225-3764, or visit www.visitcalaveras.org. For more information on places of interest that are Tuolumne County, contact the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau at 800-335-1333 or visit www.thegreatunfenced.com.
About the Author
Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of Getaway Media Corp, which publishes websites focused on regional getaway travel. Among the sites currently offered by GMC are http://www.californiaweekend.com , covering California spa vacations and other Golden State destinations, and http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com , covering Washington vacation ideas as well as other Pacific Northwest travel destinations.
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