California State Route 49

State Route 49
State Route 49
Golden Chain Highway
	SR 49 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by Caltrans
Length	295.065 mi (474.861 km) SR 49 has three route breaks, and the length given above does not include the SR 120, SR 20, and SR 89 overlap mileages.
Existed	1934–present
Tourist; routes	Yuba-Donner Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end	SR 41 at Oakhurst
	SR 140 at Mariposa; SR 120 from Moccasin to Chinese Camp; SR 108 from near Jamestown to Sonora; SR 4 in Angels Camp; SR 88 from Jackson to Martell; SR 104 in Sutter Creek; US 50 in Placerville; I-80 in Auburn; SR 20 from Grass Valley to Nevada City; SR 89 from near Sattley to Sierraville;
North end	SR 70 at Vinton
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, Plumas
Highway system
	State highways in California; Interstate; US; State; Scenic; History; Pre‑1964; Unconstructed; Deleted; Freeways;

State Route 49 (SR 49) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that passes through many historic mining communities of the 1849 California gold rush and it is known as the Golden Chain Highway.^[2] The highway's creation was lobbied by the Mother Lode Highway Association, a group of locals and historians seeking a single highway to connect many relevant locations along the Gold Rush to honor the 49ers.^[3]^[4]^[5] One of the bridges along SR 49 is named for the leader of the association, Archie Stevenot.

The roadway begins at Oakhurst, Madera County, in the Sierra Nevada, where it diverges from State Route 41. It continues in a generally northwest direction, weaving through the communities of Goldside and Ahwahnee, before crossing into Mariposa County. State Route 49 then continues northward through the counties of Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, and Plumas, where it reaches its northern terminus at State Route 70, in Vinton.

^ Cite error: The named reference trucklist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Golden Chain Highway". Visit California. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
^ "Mother Lode Highway Is Boosted By Association". Riverside Daily Press. Vol. XXXVII, no. 98. December 16, 1922.
^ Archie D. Stevenot "Mr. Mother Lode". Near Angels Camp, California: Golden Chain Council of the Mother Lode and Grand Council of E Clampus Vitus. July 23, 1976. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ Barton, Robert M. "New Bridges - Modern Structures Built on Route Traveled by 49ers" (PDF). California Highways and Public Works. Vol. 32, no. 1–2. p. 15.

[trucklist-1] Cite error: The named reference trucklist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] "Golden Chain Highway". Visit California. Retrieved 2024-03-06.

[Riverside_Daily-3] "Mother Lode Highway Is Boosted By Association". Riverside Daily Press. Vol. XXXVII, no. 98. December 16, 1922.

[4] Archie D. Stevenot "Mr. Mother Lode". Near Angels Camp, California: Golden Chain Council of the Mother Lode and Grand Council of E Clampus Vitus. July 23, 1976. Retrieved January 23, 2023.

[5] Barton, Robert M. "New Bridges - Modern Structures Built on Route Traveled by 49ers" (PDF). California Highways and Public Works. Vol. 32, no. 1–2. p. 15.

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