Experience Sonora California
Each step down Washington Street in Historic Sonora is a step rich in history. The street was an Indian trail until the Gold Rush transformed it into a mining camp, with canvas tents and colorful flags flying from the brush houses built by the Mexicans. Imagine it with throngs of miners walking down the street, gambling tables made of rough-hewn wooden planks set up in front of each establishment.
These temporary structures were eventually replaced by wooden buildings, most of which burned in the Great Sonora Fire of 1854. The town was then quickly rebuilt, largely with brick.
Many historic buildings from those times remain. The Gunn House, now a hotel, was once the office of the Sonora Herald newspaper, established in 1854. A few blocks west of Washington Street on Bradford sits what was once the county jail, now a museum, with a few jail cells still intact. A tiny park near the museum has early gold mining equipment--an arastra, a stamping machine, and a Pelton water wheel.
The City Hotel building, once an 1850s elegant hotel, remains, as does, across the street, the Sonora Inn, at the turn into the 20th century considered one of the most elegant hotels in the state.
A block west of Washington Street is the Tuolumne County Courthouse, built in 1898 of distinctive yellow pressed brick. It is still used today.
At the north end of the street is the well-known Red Church, built in 1860. Also the Morgan Mansion. small park with hand fire cart. Fire museum. Veterans hall with military museum.
Sonora has many places to eat, from coffee houses to formal restaurants offering Mexican (of course), Chinese, Thai, pasta and Italian, and Barbecue and steak.
Informal places include sandwich shops, including bagel sandwiches, hot dogs, pizza, and light fare at various coffee houses, and ice cream. One sandwich & ice cream store has a historic saloon bar and the downstairs bookstore has the look of an underground quartz mine.
There is also shopping, with gift shops and antique stores carrying many unique items.
Each step down Washington Street in Historic Sonora is a step rich in history. The street was an Indian trail until the Gold Rush transformed it into a mining camp, with canvas tents and colorful flags flying from the brush houses built by the Mexicans. Imagine it with throngs of miners walking down the street, gambling tables made of rough-hewn wooden planks set up in front of each establishment.
These temporary structures were eventually replaced by wooden buildings, most of which burned in the Great Sonora Fire of 1854. The town was then quickly rebuilt, largely with brick.
Many historic buildings from those times remain. The Gunn House, now a hotel, was once the office of the Sonora Herald newspaper, established in 1854. A few blocks west of Washington Street on Bradford sits what was once the county jail, now a museum, with a few jail cells still intact. A tiny park near the museum has early gold mining equipment--an arastra, a stamping machine, and a Pelton water wheel.
The City Hotel building, once an 1850s elegant hotel, remains, as does, across the street, the Sonora Inn, at the turn into the 20th century considered one of the most elegant hotels in the state.
A block west of Washington Street is the Tuolumne County Courthouse, built in 1898 of distinctive yellow pressed brick. It is still used today.
At the north end of the street is the well-known Red Church, built in 1860. Also the Morgan Mansion. small park with hand fire cart. Fire museum. Veterans hall with military museum.
Sonora has many places to eat, from coffee houses to formal restaurants offering Mexican (of course), Chinese, Thai, pasta and Italian, and Barbecue and steak.
Informal places include sandwich shops, including bagel sandwiches, hot dogs, pizza, and light fare at various coffee houses, and ice cream. One sandwich & ice cream store has a historic saloon bar and the downstairs bookstore has the look of an underground quartz mine.
There is also shopping, with gift shops and antique stores carrying many unique items.
Gold Rush History
In its Gold Rush heydey Sonora was the most ethnically diverse, cosmopolitan, and tolerant town in the Sierra. It was the only town with a significant number of women.
The town's existence resulted from conflicts that Mexican miners from the province of Sonora had with American miners when they tried to mine near Jamestown. The Mexican miners eventually moved a few miles up Woods Creek--where Americans thought there was no gold--and found a rich supply of the metal.
It was originally known as Sonorian Camp, and miners from Chile, Peru, Argentina, France, and other countries came as well as Mexicans. The Mexicans and South Americans, unlike the Americans, brought their women. Later women from France and elsewhere, hearing of the large population of women, came here too.
Weekends in Sonora were a wild scene, as miners from camps all around came to town for supplies and recreation. There was much gambling, drinking with the most expensive spirits, bull fights, even fights between bulls and Grizzly bears. Many costly items were on sale that miners could pay for with the gold they had recovered with only a few hours of work.
In late 1849 a town government was established with the name of Sonora, with a Town Council who were Americans but sympathetic to the foreigners. The town organization allowed the construction of a hospital, needed because large numbers of the Mexican miners were suffering from scurvy. The population was about 5,000.
In June 1850 the new California legislature's ill-conceived Foreign Miners Tax took effect, levying a $20 per month tax on all foreign miners, far beyond the ability of the average miner to pay. Overnight the population of the town decreased by four fifths. The town became dangerous, with many people attacked in their tents while sleeping or on the roads, by marauders who were thought to be Mexicans.
Sonora's town leaders hired a well-known attorney to challenge the law as unconstitutional, but this was unsuccessful. Eventually, however, the tax was repealed, then later followed by a tax at a much lower rate.
After the placer gold from the streams was mostly played out, Sonora continued as a gold-mining region because of its substantial underground "pocket" mines, in which highly concentrated gold could be found in the quartz. This was before the technology existed to extract gold from low-grade quartz and gold rock. Sonora's pocket mines and its status as the county seat and business center of the Southern Mines allowed it to survive while many other mining camps became ghost towns.
For more on the history of the town see History of Sonora and Life at Sonora 1849-52
In its Gold Rush heydey Sonora was the most ethnically diverse, cosmopolitan, and tolerant town in the Sierra. It was the only town with a significant number of women.
The town's existence resulted from conflicts that Mexican miners from the province of Sonora had with American miners when they tried to mine near Jamestown. The Mexican miners eventually moved a few miles up Woods Creek--where Americans thought there was no gold--and found a rich supply of the metal.
It was originally known as Sonorian Camp, and miners from Chile, Peru, Argentina, France, and other countries came as well as Mexicans. The Mexicans and South Americans, unlike the Americans, brought their women. Later women from France and elsewhere, hearing of the large population of women, came here too.
Weekends in Sonora were a wild scene, as miners from camps all around came to town for supplies and recreation. There was much gambling, drinking with the most expensive spirits, bull fights, even fights between bulls and Grizzly bears. Many costly items were on sale that miners could pay for with the gold they had recovered with only a few hours of work.
In late 1849 a town government was established with the name of Sonora, with a Town Council who were Americans but sympathetic to the foreigners. The town organization allowed the construction of a hospital, needed because large numbers of the Mexican miners were suffering from scurvy. The population was about 5,000.
In June 1850 the new California legislature's ill-conceived Foreign Miners Tax took effect, levying a $20 per month tax on all foreign miners, far beyond the ability of the average miner to pay. Overnight the population of the town decreased by four fifths. The town became dangerous, with many people attacked in their tents while sleeping or on the roads, by marauders who were thought to be Mexicans.
Sonora's town leaders hired a well-known attorney to challenge the law as unconstitutional, but this was unsuccessful. Eventually, however, the tax was repealed, then later followed by a tax at a much lower rate.
After the placer gold from the streams was mostly played out, Sonora continued as a gold-mining region because of its substantial underground "pocket" mines, in which highly concentrated gold could be found in the quartz. This was before the technology existed to extract gold from low-grade quartz and gold rock. Sonora's pocket mines and its status as the county seat and business center of the Southern Mines allowed it to survive while many other mining camps became ghost towns.
For more on the history of the town see History of Sonora and Life at Sonora 1849-52
Live Theatre
Live theatre has been a part of Sonora since its earliest days. Sonora today has two theatre companies—Sonora Repertory Theatre and Stage 3 Theatre.
Upcoming plays in 2011:
Hairspray--The Broadway Musical. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. February-April 2011.
The Rainmaker. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia. April 2011.
The Full Monty. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. April-July 2011.
Boeing-Boeing. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia.May-June 2011.
Annie. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia. July-Sept 2011.
The Ladies Man. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. July-August 2011.
Delicate Balance. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. September-October 2011.
A Dash of Rosemary. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia. Sept-Oct 2011.
Events in Sonora
For specific upcoming events go to Visitor Bureau Events and select "Sonora" on the Regions Menu.
Among the more popular events for 2011:
Celtic Faire. March 11-13, 2011. Fairgrounds.
Mother Lode Round-Up Parade & Rodeo. May 7-8, 2011. Downtown and the Fairgrounds.
Concert in the Vines. June 5, 2011. At La Bella Vineyards.
Mother Lode Fair. July 7-10, 2011. Fairgrounds.
Magic of the Night. April 12, 2011. Downtown.
Sierra Apple Festival. September 24, 2011. Fairgrounds.
Bach Festival. September 30-October 9, 2011.
Art Show, Mother Lode Art Association. October 20-22, 2011. Opera Hall.
Live theatre has been a part of Sonora since its earliest days. Sonora today has two theatre companies—Sonora Repertory Theatre and Stage 3 Theatre.
Upcoming plays in 2011:
Hairspray--The Broadway Musical. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. February-April 2011.
The Rainmaker. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia. April 2011.
The Full Monty. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. April-July 2011.
Boeing-Boeing. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia.May-June 2011.
Annie. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia. July-Sept 2011.
The Ladies Man. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. July-August 2011.
Delicate Balance. Sierra Repertory, East Sonora. September-October 2011.
A Dash of Rosemary. Sierra Repertory, Fallon House, Columbia. Sept-Oct 2011.
Events in Sonora
For specific upcoming events go to Visitor Bureau Events and select "Sonora" on the Regions Menu.
Among the more popular events for 2011:
Celtic Faire. March 11-13, 2011. Fairgrounds.
Mother Lode Round-Up Parade & Rodeo. May 7-8, 2011. Downtown and the Fairgrounds.
Concert in the Vines. June 5, 2011. At La Bella Vineyards.
Mother Lode Fair. July 7-10, 2011. Fairgrounds.
Magic of the Night. April 12, 2011. Downtown.
Sierra Apple Festival. September 24, 2011. Fairgrounds.
Bach Festival. September 30-October 9, 2011.
Art Show, Mother Lode Art Association. October 20-22, 2011. Opera Hall.
Sonora is the center of the Gold Country Sonora™ region of California