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Shake Ridge Road

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Shake Ridge Road is an approximately 20.5-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada range of Amador County.  Shake Ridge Road begins at California State Route 88 near Antelope Creek and extends westward via the Shake Ridge formation to Gopher Flat Road at the Sutter Creek city limit.  The segment of Shake Ridge Road east of Fiddletown Road was part of several spur roads which connected the mining towns of Amador County with Carson Pass.  

By the 1880s the Shake Ridge Road corridor was extended west of Fiddletown Road to Amador City via Amador Creek.  Shake Ridge Road would be realigned in the late 1930s to Sutter Creek via Gopher Flat.  The Shake Ridge formation was once thought to have a volcanic origin during the early days of Amador County. 




Part 1; the history of Shake Ridge Road

Modern Shake Ridge Road connects the city of Sutter Creek eastward to California State Route 88 (Carson Pass Highway) via Shake Ridge.  Shake Ridge was once thought to have a volcanic origin and was described as such in the 1881 Thompson & West book titled History of Amador County. 


What is now Shake Ridge Road east of the Fiddletown Road/Rams (atop Shake Ridge) can be seen branching towards Carson Pass on the 1857 Britton & Reys map of California.  


When the Carson Pass Highway was established in the late 1840s the original western terminus was in the Placerville area.   By the 1860s much of the traffic using Carson Pass was diverting from the traditional alignment (Mormon Emigrant Trail) towards the towns of Amador County.  In 1862 the Amador-Carson Valley Wagon Road was organized to facilitate easier travel between Amador County and Carson Valley via Carson Pass.  The Amador-Carson Valley Wagon Road originated at the eastern end of what is now Shake Ridge Road at Antelope Spring.  

By the 1880s the corridor of Shake Ridge Road west extended west of the Fiddletown Road to Amador City.  This extension diverged from modern Shake Ridge Road and followed what is now Amador Creek Road into Amador City.  This extension can be seen on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California.  


Shake Ridge Road can be seen in detail between Amador City and the Rams Horn Grade tollhouse on the 1889 United States Geological Survey map of Jackson.  The divergence of this original western end of Shake Ridge Road follows Old McDonald Road and Amador Creek Road. 


By the late 1930s the western terminus of Shake Ridge Road was realigned to Sutter Creek via Gopher Flat.  This shift first appears on the 1941 United States Geological Survey map of Sutter Creek but was not present on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Amador County.  




Part 2; a drive on Shake Ridge Road

Westbound Shake Ridge Road begins at California State Route 88 a short distance from Antelope Creek.  


Shake Ridge Road heading westbound is initially aligned above the South Fork Cosumnes River along a winding canyon grade. 








Shake Ridge Road enters the Lockwood area and intersects Fiddletown Road.  Traffic wishing to access Volcano is directed to follow Shake Ridge Road towards the Rams Horn Grade.  












Shake Ridge Road intersects Rams Horn Grade Road.  Traffic wishing to access the Rams Horn Grade continues straight whereas westbound Shake Ridge Road traffic makes a right hand turn at the intersection.  





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