Jail Break! - Hwy 49 - California Gold Country

AbandonedCaliforniaGhost TownStone RuinHwy 49Road TripExploratography

Jun 13

One of my favorite stone ruins in the gold country. It stands on a slight rise above the main street of an old, Gold Rush-era town and may have been quite escape-proof at one time; today it would be hard pressed to hold anyone as its roof is gone, along with a large portion of the front wall. The jail was built of schist rock set firmly in mortar and was equipped with a heavy iron ring embedded in the center of its floor, to which the prisoner’s leg irons could be attached if need be. It’s obvious after visiting a few of these old jails that a no-nonsense approach to holding law breakers once prevailed in California. Were the old ways better?

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