A Sunday Jaunt To Auburn

Right, the back story on today's little mini-adventure is silly, but it has to be told.

A while back--maybe a year, maybe two years ago, I took a sign picture while wandering around Auburn with my parents:

With my recent Twitter sign picture sharing with Richard of Keane, I half-joked with my duckie friends that maybe I should Tweet this picture to Richard on his upcoming birthday. The consensus was, well, yes.

Then it occurred to me that I had absolutely no clue who this Rattlesnake Dick was, and why Auburn had seen fit to erect a sign bragging that he had shopped in this little old Gold Country town in Northern California. So last night, I got on Google and found some information.

Turns out Rattlesnake Dick was an outlaw, and there is even a legend of missing treasure associated with him. "After a series of bad decisions and poor choices coupled with a penchant for ill-gotten gain, Rattlesnake Dick embarked on his criminal career. Turning to horse rustling, he promptly found himself arrested and thrown in prison for two years. Upon his release in 1856, he joined up with a notorious outlaw gang led by Tom Bell. Upon Bell's death, Rattlesnake Dick took over as leader. Under his control the gang robbed a Wells Fargo safe and robbed several stagecoaches, netting them $30,000" (Examiner, Sacramento).

Anyway, I don't like to glorify the bad guys, but clearly I need to know more. So today, I drove to Auburn, which is about 14 miles from Lincoln, and actually not all that far from where I grew up in Folsom.

Alas, I forgot to print out directions to the cemetery where Rattlesnake Dick rests for eternity, but I did enjoy a little stroll around downtown Auburn--the "new" town, which is actually not all that new, but newer than Historic Auburn, where I went for a stroll after.

I was dismayed to find that the sign mentioned above is now replaced by an advertisement, and I'm very glad that I took the picture when I did.

But the trip wasn't a total waste--I took some lovely pictures and added sign pictures to my collection, as well.

Auburn's courthouse sits on a high hill and can be seen from all over.

The "newer" part of town.

Interesting little detail on a building.

 

 

A large mural

Ahhh, there he is!

 

I've been wanting this sign pic for ages--but I never quite catch it when
driving by, so today I walked down to get it.

Highway 49 goes through Gold Country...I wonder if it
was named for the 49ers who came during the Gold Rush?

Now the pics are getting into the older part of town.

There was a large Chinese population back in the day.

The courthouse, looming over Old Town Auburn.

Looking down some old, unused stairs.

Bikes on the post office.

WHERE?!!

The tree from the picture above.

Not bad for being taken through glass!

I had to cross the street to get a good picture of the
old firehouse.

Where the stucco falls away you can see the brick of the old buildings.

Old railroad trestle, the miner statue, and Interstate 80.

I did not take a picture of that old bar sign today--I got that one ages ago!

Later, I found a Victorian home made into a museum, so I stopped in. It was free, so I figured, why not?

Swimmies!! And the most obnoxious wallpaper ever.

Wine grapes

I only spent a couple of hours, all told, before coming back to Lincoln. I like Auburn; it's a nice little town and now that I'll be living so near it, I might explore it from time to time. I definitely want to get back and find Rattlesnake Dick's grave now!