Sutter's Mill: Coloma, California

After hiking the Monroe Ridge Trail last weekend, we decided to continue to explore the little town of Coloma. Our kids (and we) are fascinated with the Gold Rush era, and it's so interesting to explore the pieces of history that are still standing from that time period. It's like a history book coming to life! The hike spilled us out just a few feet short of the ginormous monument to James Marshall. It was so sunny and hot outside, I had a hard time getting a decent photo, but please bear with me. I still had to try to get a photo of California's first monument. Despite the sun, hopefully you can still get an idea of how impressive the monument was!

 Here's a little more info about Marshall:

Even though we were pretty tired after hiking, we pushed ourselves (and mostly our kids) a little bit to walk a few hundred feet further to explore the cabin of James Marshall. And hey, at least that part was all downhill. It was well-worth the visit. I highly recommend it! After rounding several bends in the road we spotted the cabin ahead. We were all amazed at what good shape it was in!

 

You can read more info about James Marshall on the plaque below. Click on this (or any of my photos) to enlarge them. 

 

It was fun to peer into the windows and check out Marshall's old home. Our little guy was especially interested in the outhouse (behind the cabin). 

 

Several steps away from the cabin was an old church, which was still in beautiful condition, and an old cemetery.  

 The walk from Marshall's cabin, back to our car, led us through the town of Coloma. What a quaint little town! Beautifully restored old houses were lined with picket fences and fragrant flowers.

I loved to see my guys walking up ahead of us, appearing so much smaller by the grandeur of the foothills beyond them. What a beautiful landscape!

Emerging from the neighborhood, we spotted the ruins of an old jail. Of course the kids ran up to explore it!

 Maybe this was for solitary confinement? It sure looks sturdy! I could put this to some serious use at my house. Kidding, just kidding! :)

 Across from the jail was the main street of town where we spotted the old post office, blacksmith, and cannon?! There was also a "farm to fork" restaurant that you know I will be back to visit next time!

A real "Smithy" was inside the blacksmith shop working. Very fun to observe.

 Of course he would be drawn to the cannon! Ha ha. Fun times.

 And the very end of our hike led us back to the replica of Sutter's Mill. The mill that began the gold rush in California.

It was a very fun day for all of us here in Gold Country! What a great place to explore.