Showing posts with label Ghost towns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghost towns. Show all posts

Monday, July 16, 2007

Amador and Calavaras Chronicle Day 1

It has taken me a while to post about our most recent ghost town extravaganza because I have been too busy itching myself. As posted in other blogs about the subject we had a rough first day. The Wild Dani was cranky because we had forgotten to feed her. She refused our offerings of a much varied array of snack foods. She would only be satiated by meat. Our first option for camping (we didn't plan ahead, poor Wild Dani) was a bizarre trailer park slash convalescent home. It's motto was something to the effect of "Come for a day and stay forever." I was already scared. But being the rough and ready ghost-towners that we are I pushed my fear aside and explored. This odd depot for decrepit faux-transients boasted a historic attraction called "The Glory Hole." When we got out of the truck I immediately heard the rustling of dragging walker wheels headed our direction. The old people were circling! We wrestled W.D. back into the truck and high tailed it out of there. We eventually found another campsite right before W.D. turned into a snaggle toothed demon searching for something to devour. Then we discovered that OH NO! we had forgotten our campstove and tent. (Don't ask how, but I accept no responsibility) Wild Dani flew into a rage (Andy conveniently went to the potty) and she rubbed my exposed skin with poison oak-- which is why I have been to busy itching to post.

The veracity of the above account is already in question but I stand by it.


The Butte Store:
There is no longer anything left of Butte except this store with no roof.


We found other things along the road that were slowly fading from existence.

There was an old appliance store that burned down. Andy has theories about the chain of events







Campo Seco or Dry Camp was the first ghost town that I got really excited about on this trip. There was a row of deserted stone buildings one of which was the Adams Express Building. It is amazing that people still live in this community. They have built their houses and lives right next to visible ruins of the past.

Amador and Calavaras Chronicle Day 2

Our camp grounds had left overs from Miwoks. We snuck in this round house. There has been much blog discussion about the Indian grinding rock, so I won't mention it here save to say-- I don't see nothing wrong with a little bump and grind.


Driving and driving...Looking for places that are barely there.


This is a tailing wheel from the Kennedy Mine in Jackson. With much research and an intense set of diagrams I now understand that the tailing wheels where used to transport the useless sediment to some place it can be dumped. The Kennedy Mine and others were forced to impound their tailings in 1912 after years of polluting streams and rivers. The Kennedy had a system of four wheels, 2 still upright and one crushed on its side.


Sheep Ranch strangely only had 2 sheep that I could fine and they were in a sad state, their poor wool was in dreadlocks. But there was an old gas station that was pretty awesome.




Chinese Camp. Varney said the main street of Chinese Camp repeatedly invited a sketch book. And boy was he right! We poked around these little houses that were barely larger than their attached chicken coops. Chinese Camp was home to some of the first Chinese laborers and had a population of close to 5,000 at one point.









We went to so many towns on this trip and these were my favorites. I am basically too lazy to carry my big ass camera around with me all the time so I didn't always take pictures.
Others not pictured were Volcano, Fiddletown, Amador City and Knight's Ferry.


My Traveling companions: