Drytown History
Believed
to be the first gold camp established in what is now northern Amador
County, Drytown, along Highway 49, was established in 1848. The name
doesn't fit the town; often Dry Creek, rushing through here, overflows
with water in the winter season. In its Gold Rush heyday, the town
featured 26 saloons to quench the thirst of the miners. Perhaps
coincidentally, the first temperance movement in the state was founded
here. Fire leveled the town in 1857 or thereabouts, although several
brick buildings remain from the boom years.