Murphys Hotel

Historic 1856 hotel whose guest log reads like a 19th-century who's who

One of the oldest continuously operating hotels in California, the Murphys Hotel has been putting up travelers since 1856 — back when the town it's named after was a serious economic engine, not a charming backwater. The building is a solid stone structure typical of Gold Rush-era Murphys, built to survive fire in a way that wooden buildings couldn't. Inside, the lobby and bar have been restored without being fussed over: wood, brick, and a certain lived-in quality that distinguishes the real thing from themed approximations.

The restaurant and bar are open to non-guests, which makes the hotel a natural stop on any visit to Main Street. Stop in for a drink even if you're not staying — it's the kind of place that rewards an hour of sitting and looking around. The hotel also runs a modern lodge section for those who want the address without the antique plumbing, but the rooms in the historic building are worth the upgrade.

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A story
The hotel's original guest register — still on display — includes Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, Horatio Alger, and J.P. Morgan. Less respectable guests included Black Bart, the stagecoach robber who terrorized Gold Country in the 1870s and 1880s and is said to have stayed here between jobs. He was eventually caught partly because he left a handkerchief at a crime scene that was traced back to a San Francisco laundry.