“Although John Sutter’s sawmill was about forty miles away, Sutter Creek is in the heart of the California Gold Country. Sutter made camp here, trying to avoid the gold rush crowds, but miners soon spilled in and made the town. Mining boomed and then faded…making way for today’s contagion: wine fever. In and around Sutter Creek you can mosey along sidewalks shaded by filigreed balconies.” – New York Times 36 Hours
Yesterday & Today
The town derives it’s name Sutter Creek after John Sutter. Sutter as early as 1844, had in pursuit of timber, established whipsawing pits and an outdoor manufacturing business named Pine Woods. It was this area near the creek, which runs behind City Hall, that became the site of new and permanent settlement. It is told the settlement started because of a single tent raised there for miners to use on rainy Sundays when they could not get to Jackson or Drytown. Sutter Creek truly established itself permanently when Gold quartz was discovered in 1851 and the became a major supply center.
Among other notable historic landmarks like Knight Foundry and the nearby Kennedy Mine, visitors should take some time to enjoy the historic wine country surrounding Sutter Creek. Wine production in the area dates back one hundred fifty years, when pioneers seeking their fortunes in gold found the ideal climate for growing wine grapes. Today Amador County boasts over 25 wineries and is famous for its red Zinfandels.
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