Adventure: 051, Site 116 – DryTown

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 051, Site 116 – DryTown

California Landmark Number: 31

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 27, 2012

Location:

Latitude: 38° 26.529′ N

Longitude: 120° 51.46′ W.

Address: On State Hwy 49 (P.M. 13. 7), 0.2 mi N of Drytown

Description:

Drytown is not what you think—it did have its saloons at one time, ut the name is because of the lake of water to do its gold mining. Initially, the town was pretty vibrant, but as the easy gold ran out and the lack of water took its toll on area, the turn turned into a ghost town. Not to say people do not live there still. But it is a shell of the vibrant town as what was there before, where the likes of William Randolf Hearst's father operated a printing press. There is a second marker for Drytown, about a quarter mile away, placed there by the Amador County Historical Society.

NO. 31 DRYTOWN - Founded in 1848, this is the oldest town and first in which gold was discovered in Amador County. Its venerable town hall and other picturesque structures remain. The town was not 'dry,' as the name implies-it once contained 26 saloons.
Location:  On State Hwy 49 (P.M. 13. 7), 0.2 mi N of Drytown



References:

• Noehill
  
• Historical Marker Database (HMDB.org)
  
• Dry Diggings on Ghost towns site
  

Overall Landmark References:

• David Schmitt's California State Historical Landmark (Schmitt)
  
• Wikipedia: California's National Landmarks (WCNL)
  
• State of California's California Historical Landmarks (CHL)
  
• Wikipedia: California State Landmarks (WCSL)
  
• State of California Historical Resources (CHR)
  
• Noehill (NOE)
  
• Historical Marker Database (HMDB)