Experience Murphys...
Walk down Main Street past the iron-shuttered stone buildings and the wooden Victorian
houses, largely unchanged after more than a century.
You'll see historic buildings, most now shops, identifiable by the unique architecture and often
by plaques indicating the history.
There is the Murphys Hotel, where figures ranging from Horatio Alger to U.S. Grant have signed the
register. The "Murphys Pokey", the historic jail. The E.C.V. "Wall of Comparative Ovations", plaques
detailing the history of famous figures, which must be read with skepticism because of the "Clampers"
fondness for pranks, part of this over-the-top fraternal society's satirical take on the Masons.
Near the end of Main Street is the often-braying burro, Clarissa.
The shops here are unique and little duplicate each other.
Restaurants range from the elegant V Restaurant & Bar to the less formal but no less x Noto's. Alchemy,
Murphys Grille, and the. Murphys Hotel.
Gold Rush History
In the fall of 1848, two brothers, John and Daniel Murphy, moved south from Placerville, looking for
gold. They ended up in what become known as Murphy's Rich Diggings (to distinguish it from
a previous Murphy mining camp), where John set up a trading tent. John Murphy became very wealthy
largely by trading with the Indians who mined gold for him, and along the way married the daughter
of a local Indian chief.
Murphy's Rich Diggings became known by other names, including Murphy's Flat, Murphy's Camp, and then Murphy's.
Finally a postmaster removed the apostrophe to avoid confusion with other towns with the same name and it
became Murphys.
The gold here was especially rich. As more miners moved into the area, more water was needed to wash the
dirt and gravel to separate the gold, and a canal was built to tap into the Stanislaus River 15 miles up the
mountain. The project required the building of dams and large wooden flumes. In 1853, it was completed,
resulting in Murphys Creek that today flows through the downtown area.
Early mining towns were plagued by fire, and wooden buildings began to be replaced by the stone buildings with
iron shutters that you often see today. A fire in 1859 destroyed much of the town, but one such stone building, a dry
goods store, survived with its goods undamaged. The Murphys Hotel, however, was not so lucky, and it burned with
its contents. The photo above shows the Murphys Hotel after it was rebuilt.
For more on the history of Murphys Click Here
Wine Tasting
The Sierra foothills have developed into a significant source of wine grapes and wines.
Murphys is surrounded by vineyards and wineries, and most have tasting rooms on Main Street, all within
a few blocks. The first grapes were planted here during the Gold Rush. Common grape varieties grown here
include Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay. Vineyards are usually planted between
1500 and 3000 feet above sea level. There are over 100 wineries in the Sierra
Foothills.
Click on the green "Wine Tasting" button at the upper left of this page to see a map with pop-up descriptions and photos that show
the 18 tasting rooms.
Events in Murphys
Murphys has many events throughout the year. Among the more popular are:
&bu; St. Patrick's Day Parade
Duck Race
Art Walk
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