Sutter Creek

(courtesy of Amador County Museum Archives)

Bellotti Inn

The Bellotti Inn, whose first two stories were formerly known as Nixon's Hotel, The American Exchange Hotel, and The American House, dates from 1867. There has been a hotel on this site since 1853, when Dwight Crandall and his partner Jonathan Jones bought two lots and put up their American House. Besides providing shelter, the building was home to a stage stop, express office, bar, restaurant, and post office. In 1856, Crandall sold the lot north of the hotel to John Keyes and a man named Clute, who put up a brick building in 1858. This brick structure survived the fire of 1865, alas, the hotel did not. On May 5 of 1866, Dr. Fifield bought the hotel's lot for $200. He then commenced building a new, two-story brick hotel, which he named the American Exchange Hotel. Sometime during the 1890's, the Keys and Clute brick building became an annex to the hotel. The third story was added in 1896.