By
Stephanie Minasian
The shores of Lake Amador and the hills surrounding it were swarmed with hippies during one warm October weekend 40 years ago, when an estimated 40,000 people flocked to Amador County from all over the country to experience love, peace and good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll.
The Gold Rush Rock Festival of 1969 gave Amador County a taste of Woodstock, and attracted thousands of music-loving, free-spirited hippies from all of the western states - even as far away as Washington, D.C. - to Lake Amador to experience a rock holiday and see legendary musical acts such as Santana, Ike and Tina Turner, Taj Mahal, Kaleidoscope and Bo Diddley. The Sacramento Union reported in October 1969 that about 40,000 rock fans gathered in the fields around Lake Amador, but reported that only 20,000 were expected to show up. Tickets cost $3.50 at the gate, but it was suspected that thousands of hippies were able to sneak into the festival for free.
Amador County resident Gene Buckley was a senior in high school when the festival rocked the county. He remembers the long string of cars honking their horns and being backed up on Buena Vista Road to park in the 700-acre parking lot. Despite an extra 20,000 unexpected concert-goers, Buckley said that there was very little police inspection in order to gain entrance into the festival. He and his buddies snuck into the concert, along with the other thousands who did not pay for their tickets.
"Back then, the county didn't have a lot of police," Buckley said. "They (Amador County) had no idea how many people would show up. We drove in the back way."
The sheriff of Amador County at the time, Joseph Martin, mentioned to the Sacramento Union in 1969 that he was anticipating trouble at the festival and put in an advance order for reinforcements - including the National Guard. Despite the massive number of music fans that showed up at the lake, the county law enforcement reported to the Sacramento Union that the crowds were surprisingly well-behaved.
"Everyone was friendly," Buckley remembered. "There was no need for police." He also said that one of the major issues the county had with the festival was that it would attract uncontrolled people to the county.
"Amador County didn't want to remember it because it let drug-infested hippies come into the county," Buckley said.
The hippies came dressed in typical hippie-frocks - including serapes, chino pants and even donning nothing at all. It was reported by the Union that more than 50 free-spirited hippies stripped down to their birthday suits and swam to the small island in the lake, where they perched together to listen to the music.
Deborah Budrick was 17 years old when she and two friends ventured to Lake Amador to see the rock festival everyone was talking about.
"It was pretty busy," Budrick recalled. "Three of us girls hopped in a car, brought sleeping bags and set out to stay the night." She said she recalls a wide variety of people attending - all coming together to enjoy the music.
"I remember the music was good," she said. "My friend had told me about it and said that there was going to be great music, and I was available to go." Budrick and her friends didn't end up staying the entire weekend, but spent one night to enjoy the music.
Reminiscent of the Woodstock concert in New York the same year, drugs played an integral part at the Gold Rush Rock Festival. A journalist from the Sacramento Bee in 1969 reported that the air was hazy with marijuana smoke that was mixed with the dust kicked up by thousands of sandal-wearing youths. To prevent fires from sparking due to the dry scrub brush surrounding the area, state forestry officials had burned out weeds before the festival, according to an article from the Union.
It was also reported by the Union that there were at least two people who were taken to a nearby hospital in Jackson to be treated for drug overdoses. About six concert-goers were also found to be under the influence of alcohol. Although the sponsor of the festival had prohibited the use of alcohol on its grounds, Buckley remembers that red wine flowed heavily through the concert-goers. Those suffering from bad LSD "trips" were given shots of a tranquilizer by an on-site doctor.
James Hackworth was 22 years old when he and his wife and two kids ventured to Lake Amador for the weekend of music and recalls the camaraderie and good time they had.
"I remember looking over a sea of people and everyone was really happy and full of enthusiasm," remembered Hackworth. "The music was the catalyst that drew us together. It really was a time of believing in love and peace for humanity."
Even though 40 years have passed since the festival shook the foothills with rock 'n' roll, those who attended remember it as a peaceful, hip and huge historical event for the county - when the age of Aquarius took over the Mother Lode.
"It is part of Amador County history," Buckley said.
