California Gold Country┃Drytown to Amador City (Ultra HD)

There may still be gold in "them thar hills!", but there sure are steep climbs too, 3 of them are between Drytown and Amador City!

Drytown (No. 31 California Historical Landmark) - Founded in 1848 and with a peak population of 10,000 people, Drytown was the largest mining settlement in Amador County. Today 200 people live here. The name comes from the creek that ran dry in the winter. The town was certainly “dry.” With 26 saloons in town, the camp became a focal point for the first prohibition movement in California. The names of area mines also give clues to the area’s wild past. Rattlesnake Gulch, Murderer’s Gulch and Blood Gulch are reminders of the intense competition and violence among miners as the magnetic lure of gold attracted men in a search for quick riches. Today the town presents clues to its former glory in the Gold Rush Era buildings that remain. Antique stores and gift shops line the main street. A butcher shop still stands. Another building thought to have been a print shop of George Hearst, the father of William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon who built Hearst Castle in Cambria, on California’s central coastline. Click here to learn more.

Amador City, Heart of the Gold Rush Country - Jose Maria Amador, a wealthy California rancher, mined along a nameless creek in 1848 - 1849. Later in 1854 his name was used to designate the town and a new county in California - Amador County. Gold mines surrounded the area, bringing miners and necessary businesses. In 1915 the town was incorporated. Still a viable working town today, Amador City is the smallest incorporated city in the state, located on the Golden Chain Highway. The oldest known substantial structure was most likely built around 1855 and is now part of the Amador Hotel. The oldest store in the City dates from the 1860s. Electricity came in the mid-1860s and telephone service in 1878. Some historians believe that there were more than 4,000 folks in the City during the height of the Gold Rush. The street names in Amador City paint a unique picture: God's Hill, School Street, Cross Street, Pig Turd Alley, Church Street, Bunker Hill, Water Street and Stringbean Alley to name a few. In fact, you could gently walk every street in the City in under 1 1/2 hours. Click here to learn more.

As always, choose Discovery mode and turn the sound ON for a more realistic and immersive experience. Choose Challenge mode if you are in a racing mood.

For your maximum enjoyment, this video was recorded and Uploaded in 4K Ultra HD