Sorry...these pages require javascript.

Click to Zoom

Come to Gold Country

     The history of the California Gold Rush is rich in folklore and interesting places, many of which are in hiking and driving distance from Willow Creek Campground.

     It is not uncommon to find people panning for gold alongside the creeks and streams of the area, or to stumble upon an abandoned gold mine, some of which is easy to imagine the flurry of activity that was taking place back in 1849.

     A great source for information before your trip is The California Gold Country: Highway 49 Revisited, by author Elliott H. Koeppel. While the book is temporarily out of print, sections of it can be found online on the author’s website.

     Nearest to the campground are the towns of Camptonville, Nevada City, and Downieville. The people may have changed, but each of the towns has maintained it’s unique Gold Country identity for more than 150 years!

Downieville Museum

Located in a stone building with original iron doors and window shutters that date back to 1852, the Downieville Museum has a collection of local artifacts that depicts the life of this community from its Gold Rush origins to the present day. The collection includes a variety of pictures of Downieville from early days, pioneer portraits, a collection of paper goods and documents, as well as items that reflect 160 years of life in Downieville and the surrounding area.