Living History

California’s gold country is rich in  history. If you are looking to experience a little of what made California known as the “golden state”, why not tour an old gold mine or two. Two of them are relatively near each other and make for a great day trip. Gold Bug Mine 2635 Gold Bug Lane, Placerville A self-guided walking tour takes you from station to station using a pre-recorded hand-held...

In the Sierra Nevada foothills, eight miles east of Jackson, rests evidence of the peaceful life of the Miwok Indians. It is a valley with large open meadows and tall valley oaks that once provided the native Americans of this area with ample supplies of acorns. The attraction of this state park, the grinding rock, is an outcropping of marbleized limestone with some 1,185 mortar holes — the largest collection...

Continuing on our Heritage Days tour (see previous post), on Sunday we went toward Auburn to do some mining. The first stop was the Gold Country Museum.  At the entrance is a dimly lit shaft, resembling a mine. Following it through you come to a room with some great mining relics, including a working stamping machine. Here is where large rocks were brought and crushed under heavy cylinders. Though the...

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to create experiences in history and culture. How do you instill in kids a sense of connectedness to our past and the world around us? Starting locally, any lesson in our history here in California must include Native American culture and The Goldrush. I have googled Native American dancing periodically, hoping to find a public event that will really capture the kids’...