Amador City History
This area was first mined by wealth rancher Jose Maria Amador starting in 1848. More miners arrived in the area and by 1851 a settlement started to develop that would later be known as Amador City. During the early 1850s the settlement was known by many names, including Amidor, and South Amadore.
Placer gold was exhausted in the first few years, but discovery of lode deposits in 1851 would turn Amador City into one of California's most important gold mining centers. By 1859 three stamp mills were crushing ore from the mines.
A post office was established in 1863 and still operates today.
The district's most famous mine was the Keystone which produced over $24 million in gold from 1853 to 1942.
It All Started With The Gold Rush
The great California Gold Rush kicked off the entire saga of western mining. Read about it at The California Gold Rush.
California Gold
"Where to Find Gold in California" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.
