Fiddletown

The sleepy little town has retained its charm. The site is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Folklore attributes the naming of Fiddletown during the early 1850s Gold Rush to the settlement by miners from Missouri who enjoyed playing their fiddles during slow mining periods. The town’s name takes on even more poignancy after a local judge with political aspirations didn’t like to be known as the “Man from Fiddletown,” so he had the town renamed Oleta in 1878 after his daughter. After his death locals petitioned the ultimate authority, the U.S. Post Office, to have it renamed Fiddletown. In 1932 the name was restored.

Fiddling is still the main entertainment. Locals host an annual jamboree in the Community Hall in the heart of downtown. A large wooden representation of a fiddle adorns the building. The old general store has gone out of business but the brick structure remains. Other than the terrific rock and gem store housed in the old saloon across the street, that’s it for contemporary businesses. The glass windows of the rock shop appear to be the original etched glass from the building’s previous life as a saloon.

There is a nice Walking Tour Guide and the entire town is photogenic. The two-storied Wells Fargo building is especially hard for photographers to resist.

Fiddletown was known to have had the largest population of Chinese in California outside of San Francisco. The Chew Kee Store established as an herb shop in 1855 has remained largely intact and is opened for tourists by the Fiddletown Preservation Society each Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., April through October – or by appointment. The Society is also restoring the Oleta Schoolhouse and is preparing to restore the Chinese Gambling Hall and the Chinese General Store.

Other than a delightful stroll through downtown, the Fiddletown area is not available for a lot of outdoor recreation activities. Except it lies in the heart of a system of connecting roads that are loved by cyclists – both pedal and motor. Over 25 wineries are only minutes away. This beautiful region in the Amador County foothills is often referred to as the “Tuscany of California.” Every – ok, almost all – of the little communities tucked along the road have a country store or deli. Mochas, lattes, and fresh baked goodies are favorites for visitors and locals alike.

Ride your road bike, take a picnic lunch, and the day definitely qualifies as an aerobic outdoor activity. The rolling foothills, spring wildflowers, or summer’s golden, grassy meadows and deep green oaks viewed from the many miles of paved, winding county roads offer a lovely setting. If you are pedaling, some of the hills will make you work for your wine; so pace your riding as well as sipping.

There are numerous paved roads that can keep you away from the heavy traffic along Highway 49. Favorite destinations are Volcano, Daffodill Hill, Fairplay, Mt Aukum, and Plymouth. And if you’re up to it – and up, and up – an uphill pedal to Cooks Station on Highway 89 via Omo Ranch will get your adrenaline going. So will the mostly-coasting ride back down. Then again, just relaxing in a day of quiet revelry celebrating yesterday’s adventure of mountain biking, motorcycling, hiking, or whitewater sport and you have the perfect weekend.

To Fiddletown

From Plymouth travel east for a pleasing six miles on the Fiddletown Road. You can also drop into town from the Shenandoah Valley and Fairplay wine regions by heading south on the Ostrom Road off the Shenandoah Valley Road

Communities

• Amador City
• River Pines