Sheep Ranch Road is an approximately 13.4-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County. This roadway begins at Main Street in the town of Murphys and terminates at Railroad Flat Road after passing through the namesake community of Sheep Ranch. Sheep Ranch is a town site which was plotted following the discovery of gold in 1860 at ranching lands owned by George Johnson. The community is most famous for the Sheep Ranch Mine which was worked from 1867-1942.
Part 1; the history of Sheep Ranch Road
Sheep Ranch Road is named after the Gold Rush community of Sheep Ranch. Said community is located approximately nine miles north of the town of Murphys.
During the early California Gold Rush George Johnson owned a sizeable sheep ranch north of Murphys. Johnson's ranch was found to have gold ore deposits in 1860 which led to an influx of miners settling in the area. The mining camp grew into a small town called "Sheepranch." The early community was famous for being part of an open range which sheep freely roamed at.
Early Sheepranch was bolstered by the opening of the Sheep Ranch Mine in 1867. The community would receive Post Office service beginning in 1877 and a formal town site would be surveyed in 1878. The Sheepranch town plot was formally patented by a Calaveras County judge J.H. Reed in 1880. George Hurst (father of William Randolph Hearst) would purchase the Sheep Ranch Mine in 1897 but sold it off in 1898. The Sheep Ranch Mine would remain worked as an actively until 1942. In modern times the community's name appears in official records as "Sheep Ranch."
Sheep Ranch Road appears in detail on the 1891 United States Geological Survey map of Big Trees. The corridor of Sheep Ranch Road was part of a larger highway which connected Murphys northwest to Mokelumne Hill via Sheep Ranch, Mountain Ranch and Jesus Maria.
Modern Sheep Ranch Road appears on the 1914 Punnett Brothers map of Calaveras County aligned from Main Street in Murphys to Railroad Flat Road (near Mountain Ranch) via Sheep Ranch.
Sheep Ranch Road appears as a major local highway (dotted line) on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Calaveras County.
Part 2; a drive on Sheep Ranch Road
Northbound Sheep Ranch Road begins at Main Street in Murphys. The history of Vallecito and Murphys are strongly tied together. Both were founded by John and Daniel Murphy during the California Gold Rush. What became Vallecito was plotted first as Murphy's Diggings. The brothers would found another gold mining camp a short time later to the northeast which was initially known as New Murphy's Diggings. New Murphy's Diggings would receive Post Office Service in 1851 and would be renamed as Murphy's. The community's name would be shortened to just "Murphy" in 1894.
Sheep Ranch Road from Main Street to Church Street only carries one-way northbound traffic. Sheep Ranch Road quickly climbs out of Murphys to a bluff where it intersects Mercer Cave Road. Mercer Caverns is a popular tourist attraction in the Murphys area. The caverns were discovered in 1885 by Walter J. Mercer who filed a mining claim. The caverns being part of the Calaveras Formation contained large amounts of marble and thus never had any sizeable precious metal deposits. Mercer Caverns was fully mapped in 1986 and found to be 3,389 feet long.
Sheep Ranch Road descends to San Domingo Creek and crosses it via a culvert style bridge.
Northbound Sheep Ranch Road climbs to a junction with Avery-Sheep Ranch Road. Traffic continuing straight transitions to eastbound Avery-Sheep Ranch Road whereas traffic wishing to continue on northbound Sheep Ranch Road must turn left. Signage indicates Sheep Ranch is 2.2 miles from the junction.
Sheep Ranch Road continues northward and crosses San Antonio Creek. The roadway continues to ascend and enters the community of Sheep Ranch. Sheep Ranch is located at 2,359 feet above sea level.
Sheep Ranch Road approaches Main Street and performs a hairpin. Main Street in Sheep Ranch has several vintage structures and historic plaques. The community was almost wiped by the 2015 Butte Fire which was stopped approximately a quarter mile from town.
Sheep Ranch Road departing Sheep Ranch passes through a small rancheria reserved for the California Valley Miwok Tribe. This 0.92-acre reservation was purchased by the Federal Government in 1916 for Miwok tribal members local to the Sheep Ranch area and was originally known as "Sheep Ranch Rancheria."
Sheep Ranch Road widens to two lanes and ascends to a terminus at Railroad Flat Road.
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