Yosemite's original road - The Coulterville Toll Road - exploring Coulterville and Bower Cave

I first experienced Coulterville and Bower Cave while riding motorcycles along the Highway 49 corridor through California's historic Mother Lode country. It's a fascinating geologic area, which of course lead to the 1849 gold rush which opened the area to a flood of fortune-seeking miners from around the country, and the world. George Coulter arrived along the Maxwell Creek diggings in 1850, and set up shop as a supplier of good for the miners flocking to the area. Within a year he moved his store into what would become his namesake community, Coulterville, where he built a more permanent structure to house both his store and home. At least 8 mines were in operation at the peak of activity, with the Mary Harrison being the largest in the area. Coulterville would burn to the ground on three occasions in 20-year intervals, 1859, 1879 and finally in 1899. Even more curious, each of these fires occurred during the month of July. Bower Cave, or Grotto, was first known by the indigenous Mi-Wuk Indians who had lived in the area for hundreds of years. Considered by them to be "Oo-tin", or Home of the Evening Star, it would remain unknown to the miners populating the area until 1851-52. Two miners would lay claim to the cave and soon after began promoting it as a tourist attraction. When a local county road, built just beneath the cave, began operating as a toll road to Yosemite in 1874, the cave became so popular a hotel was built as a stop-over point along the 4-day journey from the Central Valley. Soon after, a stairway was built into the cave to provide access. At the same time, a stage was built for musicians and entertainers, while a seating area and dance floor were constructed on the opposing side of the cave. This area is off-limits these days, but I was able to look down upon the ruins and capture a few photos and video. While doing research for this video I came across some terrific photos captured by someone who actually repelled into the cave. Cool stuff! I don't condone or promote such illegal activities, but I'm happy to share the photos in the video so we can see what actually remains (and can avoid the temptation into making the descent ourselves). Hiking and recording for this part of the video was my favorite part of the entire project. And finally let's talk about the original road into Yosemite, the Coulterville Toll Road. Completed in 1874, it ran directly beneath and within walking distance of Bower Cave. Originally a county road, once improved and completed, it became a toll road to accommodate the earliest travelers to Yosemite, the majority of which came by stage coach. It was a 4-day ordeal from the Central Valley, so travelers were more than happy to take a break from the grueling journey to relax at the hotel, enjoy entertainment (and cool air) at Bower Cave, and then continue their journey into Yosemite. So there it is, the history I'm humbly attempting to recapture, a piece at a time, in this video. Hopefully, this lengthy introduction sheds a little light and insight into the story which lead to my journey into researching and recording this video. It was certainly a fun project, and one of the most interesting to research and record in recent memory. And of course, as always, Thank You for tagging along as we explore another piece of history. #Coulterville #motherlode #Yosemite #californiahistory #bower #cave #grotto #tollroad