Eagle Gold Mine Tour

Julian, California

California's second Gold Rush began here in 1870, only an hour's drive east of San Diego and many hundreds of miles south of the gold fields of Northern California. The precious metal was discovered in this unlikely spot by Fred Coleman, formerly enslaved, who, unfortunately for himself, was bad at keeping a secret. The Eagle Mine, one of Fred's many competitors, pulled gold out of the ground here for over 60 years.

Open as an attraction since the 1960s, the mine has an hour-long underground tour through its narrow tunnels and up and down occasional ladders. You can peer at exposed veins of gold ore and down shafts that descend hundreds of feet. Bare light bulbs hanging from the tunnel roof provide illumination, dusty mining tools line the passages.

Above ground the mine has thoughtfully created a fake Boot Hill, although Julian was not known to be especially lawless for a Gold Rush boomtown. Today, it's mostly known for its apple pies.