Above: A beautiful stream with a walking bridge runs through town. Main Street banners and flags include a shamrock emblem on the street and Murphys Irish style flag banners hanging from light posts. A white picket fence lines a yard where one of the town's former residents, Mr, Michelson,  is honored with a statue in the yard of a private home.  Bottom row of photos show Main Street and a close up of Murphys Hotel, a historic place where you book a room and dream about previous guests such as Mark Twain or Black Bart. A new book by California historian Craig MacDonald features Michelson.

 

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Murphys, California - Located over an hour's drive southeast of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, Murphys is one of the lesser known communities in Calaveras County, home to the Jumping Frog contest made famous by the writings of Mark Twain.  A treasure of a town near Angel's Camp in Gold Country, the nearest beach is approximately 138  miles and a three hour drive away in San Francisco. 

 

Who needs Jumping Frogs when you can hear the Tommyknockers? Founded by the Murphy brothers as a trading post for gold mining operations in 1848, traditions such as a "Tommyknockers" celebration in December include munching on tasty foods and drinking local wines proudly created by Murphy vintners. It seems that for a town of around 1500 people, there's more merriment than you can imagine.  Annual events include Murphys Gold Rush Day, Calaveras Grape Stomp and Gold Rush Street Faire, Murphys Homecoming and Murphys Creek Theatre summer plays. 

 

For those just visiting any old time, you can tastee\ wines from half a dozen Murphys wineries, take a history walk on weekends, dine, shop, stroll, visit the museum, drive out of town to the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Mercer's Caverns and return to town to your hotel room in an historic Murphys Hotel which was built in 1856 and provided a bed for guests Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant, Horatio Algier and Charles Bolton, Silver Mountain who was commonly known as Black Bart. The hotel is seen in the photos above on the bottom right. There are no instant online reservations as of yet... you must submit an email request for availability and rates but the prices typically run between $70 and $125.

 

Though a fire burned Murphys down just a few years after it was established, it is considered the best preserved of the gold mining towns. Murphys Elementary School is the oldest continuously operating elementary schoolhouse in the state, built in 1860 and a visit to the Old Timer's Museum is a must, if you happen to be there when it's open.  Photos, books and all kinds of interesting items pack the place which occupies the oldest building in town. 

 

Word's gotten around! It's getting harder to cut across the street these days as interest grows and property values rise in this prized location. A grizzly man with a long beard passes by the hoosgow behind Murphy's Hotel, looking like he rose out of the pages of time when Murphys was a mining camp. Driving by him on the narrow road that descends behind the property to a parking lot, a park and the creek, a young couple in a late model Mercedes passes, looking for hotel parking. Retirees and young professionals, alike, are drawn this place somewhere in time.

 

John Kautz, founder of Ironstone Vineyards and son Steve Kautz, president, are pictured below.  Location: 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys  Phone: 209-728-1251  www.ironstonevineyards.com. 

 

From Barbara Steinberg- former Director of Publications for the State of California Division of Tourism
There's all kinds of wonderful stuff in Murphys (no apostrophe)!  Two wonderful restaurants The Alchemy Market and Wine Bar www.alchemymarket.com   and Grounds -- wonderful breakfasts (that's what I had) but friends from Sunset recommended it!! There are lots of other places (http://www.visitmurphys.com/dine.htm) that I didn't get to.  Wonderful stores of all kinds from great art galleries, women's fashions, gifts, antiques, etc. I was extremely impressed.  Several local wineries. Most well-known are Ironstone (an amazing complex that also features wonderful special events), Stevenot and Black Sheep.  Three of California greatest natural wonders are located in the immediate area:  Mercer, Moaning, and California caverns. Each is completely different and amazing in their own way. (www.caverntours.com) Also Greenhorn Creek Resort which is a fantastic golf resort with cottages you can rent (actually closer to Angels Camp.)