The Hwy '49er Series:
This is a series of caches
meant to highlight some interesting and, maybe even, some more
obscure historical facts about California's gold mining
history. Most of these caches will be placed in the Sierra
Nevada foothills in the general vicinity of Hwy 49, the Gold
Country Highway. Highway 49 starts in the south at
Oakhurst, Madera County, and continues generally
northwest, weaving through many of the gold mining communities of
Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba,
Sierra, and Plumas counties
until it reaches its northern terminus at State Route 70, in
Vinton.
An
Invitation:
All local cachers
are invited to add to this series of caches, placing and calling
out new locations of gold mining history along highway
49. New caches can be of any type according
to cache publishing guidelines. It would be great to see this
series eventually run the entire stretch of Hwy 49.
Also, please share any information you may have about the
postings in your logs. There's bound to be some intersting
facts out there that can be shared with
everyone.
A
Warning - Please be careful when caching in any areas of the
foothills. These hills are home to many creatures, including
slithering ones. Please be aware of your surroundings
and keep a watchful eye, especially if you have children with you
while caching.
Agua Fria in
1854
Agua Fria
Mine & Camps - Agua Fria was mainly a mining camp divided into
Lower Agua Fria and Upper Agua Fria. The name was derived from two
springs of cold water about a quarter mile below Lower Agua Fria
(the main part of town). It may have been here that
John C. Fremont's men discovered gold in 1849.
By 1850 it was a
booming
trade center and the final destination for many new
arrivals in California. It was Mariposa County's first
Seat of Justice from February 18, 1850 to November 10,
1851. A post office was established October 7, 1851 and stayed in
operation until 1862. In 1853, a 6-stamp
quartz
mill was established in Upper Agua Fria. The camp boasted a
hotel,
express office,
assayers,
billiard room,
bowling alley, banks, about a dozen
stores, numerous
tents and
log cabins by the fall of 1850. The population started to decline
by the mid-19th century, and the city suffered destructive
fires as most structures were wood and was never
rebuilt.
The Sources: USGS
Topographical Maps 1:24,000, 1973; Wikipedia.org; Ghost Towns &
Mining Camps of California, Remi Nadeau, 1999; history.webroots.
ancestory.com; Images of America - Mariposa County, Leroy
Radanovich, 2005; mariposachamber.org