Rams Horn Grade Road is an approximately 3-mile mountain corridor near the Amador County town of Volcano. The Rams Horn Grade was developed shortly after the founding of Volcano as one of many Amador County roads connecting eastward towards Carson Pass. The northern end of the Rams Horn Grade atop Shake Ridge would be where the Amador-Carson Valley Wagon Road tollhouse was once located.
Rams Horn Grade Road begins at the end of Consolation Road in Volcano. From Volcano the grade ascends rapidly with inclines as high as 8% to Shake Ridge Road.
Part 1; the history of Rams Grade Road
Rams Grade Road is located near the town of Volcano and begins at the eastern end of Consolation Street. Mining operations at Soldiers Gulch began in 1849 which were overseen by Colonel Stevenson. The early miners thought the valley floor at Soldiers Gulch had a volcanic origin and named their town "Volcano."
The Volcano Post Office would open in 1851 and by 1852 the town had over 300 homes. Volcano was the site of one of the first hydraulic mines in California which began to be worked in 1855. At the height of mining in Volcano the community had several thousand residents and seventeen hotels. The town plot of Volcano is laid out around Main Street and Consolation Street.
Rams Horn Grade Road is a continuation of Consolation Street which followed the course of Sutter Creek to the top Shake Ridge. The grade was used as the primary highway departing volcano east for Carson Pass and west to Fiddletown. The Rams Horn Grade can be seen east of Volcano climbing to Shake Ridge 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.
The Rams Horn Grade can be seen in detail on the 1889 United States Geological Survey map of Jackson. The Amador-Carson Valley Wagon Road tollhouse is shown to be located at the intersection of Rams Horn Grade Road and Shake Ridge Road.
Rams Horn Grade Road is shown as a minor local highway on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Amador County.
Southbound Rams Horn Grade Road begins at Shake Ridge Road.
Rams Horn Grade Road begins at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet above sea level. The grade rapidly descends southward following a winding course along Sutter Creek which has gradients as steep as 8%. The grade softens at Barone Road and turns west towards Volcano.
Rams Horn Grade Road enters the town of Volcano and becomes Consolation Street.
Consolation Street terminates at Main Street in the center of Volcano. Numerous historic plaques regarding the history of the town can be found at the intersection.
This view is from the end of Consolation Street facing north on Charleston Road.
This view is from the end of Consolation Street facing south on Main Street.
Old Abe Cannon can be found on display in a building at the northeast corner of Consolation Street and Charleston Road. In 1862 amid the American Civil War the town was divided among sympathizers of both the Union and Confederate causes. The Volcano Blues was a Union militia based in Volcano. Said Union militia felt outmatched and requested reinforcements from the Presidio of San Francisco. The Presidio was unable to send a garrison but instead sent a six-pound cannon barrel hidden inside a hearse. The cannon was named "Old Abe" and was affixed onto a carriage which was used to patrol Consolation Street. Old Abe was loaded and used to threaten the local Confederate militia known as the Knights. The Confederate influence in Volcano would wane and the community would remain peaceful through the Civil War.
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