Winter snow fall in the Sierra Nevada adds excitement and adventure to back-roads in the California Gold Country. During the winter time it’s common to experience snow fall throughout the Foothills of the Sierra Nevada but every once in awhile an unusually cold storm blows in from the north and blankets the ground with an unusually deep level of winter snow. These special occasion add excitement and adventure to the typically traveled back-roads which become quiet and nearly abandon during a heavy winter snow fall. The common sites usually found throughout the foothills become an entirely different scene as the winter snow blankets the trees an covers the meadows with fresh winter snow. This winter adventure ride explored the back-roads and historic sites of the once booming mining town of Georgetown California.

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Georgetown; was founded August 7, 1849, by George Phipps and party, Georgetown was nicknamed “Growlersburg” because of the heavy nuggets that “growled” in the miners’ pans.

Arriving with a party of prospectors from Oregon, a young man named Hudson is credited with discovering the rich diggings in Georgetown in the summer of 1849.  It is said that Hudson dug out more than $20,000 in gold within a six-week period. Soon after, a company of sailors lead by George Phipps began working the stream at a spot below the present townsite where they uncovered rich placers and took out a fortune in gold. During the first few years the small mining camp was made up of tents, shacks and canvas structures lining the camp creek until a fire occurred in 1852 which totally destroyed the tent city. The fire didn’t close down the camp … instead the local folk set out immediately to rebuild their camp. They  decided to make sure that they would never again lose their town to fire … so they moved the townsite from the Empire Canyon to its present location today.  The streets were much wider than before to keep any future fires from jumping.  Many of the new buildings were made of brick and stone and also fitted with fireproof iron doors. When they were finished, Georgetown was a thriving and beautiful mountain town. It quickly rose to prominence as one of the richer camps in the region and came to be known as the “Pride of the Mountains.”

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