A Golden Find In The Golden State
A look into San Andreas, a obscure town that played a massive role in the growth of California
California’s modern-day economic fortunes are largely due to small towns in Calaveras County, where the county capital, San Andreas, has largely been abandoned and forgotten despite its prominence to the prosperity of the state. The diminutive town resembles an eerie and lonely setting, but its golden history makes it a fetching find.
Located 60 miles from Sacramento State, San Andreas was founded in 1848 by Mexican miners, devout Catholics who named it after Saint Andrew. It played in a pivotal role during the Gold Rush. Exemplary of its contribution to the state, a golden nugget weighing 214 pounds was discovered and sold to Wells Fargo for $12,000 in 1854. It became one of the biggest discoveries in the world at the time. California would later become acknowledged for fast success, new beginnings and where great wealth was attainable due to the many gold strikes in the surrounding area.
Departing from campus, the car ride takes an hour and 20 minutes going on CA-99 S and CA-12. The trip is pleasantly free of traffic and gas-affordable at only $20 round-trip in most compact vehicles.
Upon arriving, look out for the Calaveras County Historical Society Museum on 30 Main St. The hours of operation are 10 a.m to 4 p.m. seven says a week. The ticket price is a mere $3 for adults and $2 for kids.
Danielle Ballard works at the front desk most weekdays. A Sacramento State alumna herself, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Arts and History. She spent a few years away before returning to her hometown and finding employment in the museum.
“Our job is to preserve the history of the county,” Ballard says. “We have a lot of records here and old things donated by pioneer families. We are constantly working on maintaining records and helping people with research.”
The building contains donated memorabilia including old soda bottles, packaged goods, beds, dresses, and old medications organized and presented along art that shows you the history of the region. Informational graphics describe the ways old inhabitants lived and worked during those times.
In the adjacent building lies an old county jail yard, mimicking the structure of what an old cell resembled. It is the same site where the legendary outlaw Black Bart was incarcerated a century and a half ago. He was known for leaving poetic messages after his crimes and was widely notorious during the 1870s and 1880s.
Less than a mile up the road lies the Red Barn Museum on 891 Mountain Ranch Rd. Admission is complimentary for tickets previously purchased at the main building. A few feet from the entrance, a rusty wagon is visible, positioned by a large tree. An abundance of old wagons and machinery can be seen to the left of the building. Old carriages, horse stables, alongside hundreds of tools used during the Gold Rush and construction of the Oakland Bay Bridge are on display at the barn.
James Phillips is a Calaveras County native know-it-all who works at the front desk. The roots of the town fascinated him after he retired, ultimately leading him to give tours inside the museum as a volunteer.
“I have lived in Calaveras since 1979,” Phillips said. “I knew the history of Sonora but not San Andreas. And after meeting and talking to people here, I decided to buy a ranch of my own. Having done a lot of reading and knowing these people, I am now able to pass the history by giving tours.”
He also enjoys outdoor activities and thinks the town’s location can be attractive to many students.
“We have great camping sites here, big lakes and great locations for skiing and fishing,” Phillips said. “Bear Valley in Calaveras is great for skiing. Murphy’s (a nearby town) has a lot of wine and vineyards.”
Going back to the main site of the Calaveras County Museum, a slightly shorter and warm red brick building contains the Calaveras Art Council on 22 Main St. It is open daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is directed by administrative executive Kathy Mazzaferro, a passionate art devotee who encourages students to display their work at her facility year-round for only $35. “You don’t have to be Picasso,” she says. “ We accept all types of art, no matter how proficient you are.”
Mazaferro is also a lover for the outdoor and gave an insight into the three most popular lakes of the town.
“We have three lakes-Hogan, Pardee and Camanche, all located within a 15 mile radius,” Mazzaferro said. Each one is visited for differently unique purposes. Hogan is a well-known camping site, Pardee is a fisherman’s lake and Camanche is known as a “party lake.”
Mazafferro, born and raised in San Andreas, says she has seen the town change dramatically from one full of jobs to one that has largely been abandoned due to the growth of urbanism. Nevertheless, she has a great admiration for it.
“San Andreas is one of California’s best-kept secrets,” she says. “We have summer-long music festivals on a weekly basis, country fair frog jumps and grape-stomping contests that can reward participants up to $5,000.”
The music festivals she mentions start in June and are called the Ironstone Concert Series. The Calaveras County Fair runs May 17–20 and celebrates the frog jump jubilee (participants must register online before attending). The grape stomping contest occurs later in the year, commencing on October 6 this year.
San Andreas’ prominence to the state has certainly decreased, but the preservation of its long history remains vivid, as do the spirits of the current inhabitants of the town.
