Murphys, CA - July 12, 2019
After visiting the Columbia State Historic Park, we decided to head into the small gold mining town of Murphys. It sits right off of California State Route 4, between Angels Camp and Arnold. Today, hiding among the well preserved buildings of 1850 - 1860s gold rush era, is a modern mecca of wine tasting rooms, trendy boutiques, art galleries and shops. What we know today as Murphys, started out life in the 1850s as little more than a depression in the road that the Murphy brothers stopped in, set up camp and began mining for gold. The original name was Murphy's New Diggin's, as a town began to spring up in this location, it became known as Murphys Camp and today it is simply Murphys.
Murphys is a really picturesque town but quite different from what we had just experienced at the Columbia State Historical Park. Where in Columbia, every effort has been made by the towns people to not only preserve the buildings as you may have found them during the gold rush days but to also try to capture the way of life and culture. It is a entirely different in Murphys. Although the buildings have all been well preserved, they have all been brought into the 21st century. A building that may have been a feed and grain store in the 1860s now gives way to a trendy wine bar, where you can sample wines from local vineyards. There are countless boutiques that sell locally designed clothing or crafts and numerous art galleries that feature local artists. It is all really well done, but at the same time it just felt a little weird to us. Maybe, its because we were still mentally back in 1850 and we weren't prepared for this. Or, maybe it just because we didn't take the time to immerse ourselves in 2019 Murphys with a nice chilled bottle of local white wine.
Murphys is still a neat town to explore if you are in California Gold Country.
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