The year was 1848. Through noble forests roamed a relatively peaceful group of Native Americans know as the Central Sierra Miwok. The Miwok gathered acorns, harvested various wild plants and hunted wild game. The area abounded with herds of deer and antelope, flocks of wild fowl, and streams alive with fish. Covered by towering pines, and cedars 300 feet high and often 12 to 18 feet thick, and groves of oak. The land, although wild, was far from being just a wilderness. The country, with its snow-covered summits in the distance, was one of the most pituresque in the world.

On a cold January morning in 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in the tailrace at Sutter's Mill (now called Coloma). Miners from all over the world began a stampede which changed the country forever.

In June of this same year, a mining company formed by Benjamin F. Wood of Clatsop Plains in Oregon, founded the first claim in Tuolumne County. The camp was known as Woods' Diggings and later as Woods' Crossing. It is now Jamestown and Main Street is located about a mile north where Woods Creek crosses under Highway 108 and where Mr. Wood found the first gold in Tuolumne County.

The richness of the diggings on Woods Creek became legendary. The creek was so rich that it was reported that Woods & Company extracted $200 to $300 (40 to 60 ounces) daily by simply prying nuggets from their resting spots with hunting knives. Comparing the $8 to $12 an ounce in 1848 to the price of gold today (about $300), imagine the excitement of finding that same 40 ounces today which would be worth $16,000.

One historian, Peter Justesen, wrote that in 1848, two miners of Woods' Crossing decided to purchase a bottle of brandy from town, located a quarter mile from their camp (probably Jamestown). The partner who went to fetch the brandy was advised to look along the road as he would be sure to find enough gold enroute to pay for the bottle. This, he was able to do!

Another miner, according to local legend, desired to purchase a pistol from a fellow prospector. The owner agreed to sell the weapon for $200. The purchaser, armed only with a knife, pryed this sum from the gold-rich crevices in Woods Creek in short order.

The winter of 1848 was a fierce one. The camp along Woods Creek was moved higher ground because of flooding to the approximate area where the south end of Main Stree is located. Many miners suffered and perished from land scurvy due to the lack of fresh vegetables and fruits and pulmonary diseases as a result of exposure to the elements. During this harsh winter, many tales floated around San Francisco about the abundance of gold at Wood's Crossing. When spring came, hundreds of miners flocked to the area which soon became known as the Gateway to the Mother Lode. One of those who arrived was Colonel George James. He brought a wagon full of supplies and treated everyone to champagne. The people were duly impressed with the Colonel and immediately named the town in his honor (often referred to as Jimtown).

Colonel James had practiced as a lawyer in San Francisco, and because of this, the people appointed him to serve as Alcalde (chief judicial officer) of Jamestown. James also operated a hotel and store and gained considerable fame after serving as the defense attorney during the first murder trial in Tuolumne Country in the spring of 1849.

It all started when a gambler by the name of Atkins shot into the saloon, killing an Irishman named Boyd. The Irish and other foreign miners were all for hanging Atkins on the spot, but James set up a guard to protect him until an official from out of town, James Frazier, could arrive the next morning to hear a jury trial. Atkins was found guilty of murder, was fined $500 and given 24 hours to leave town. He paid his fine and took off for Northern California where he was later elected sheriff of Siskiyou County.

One morning, the town awoke to find that James had made a hasty exit during the night. Among his many activities, he had been paying script against investments in his mining projects. The scripts far exceeded any proceeds the project would produce. Many in the town were in dire financial straits. The miners were angry enough to change the town's name to American Camp; however, the post office had been established by the government so the name remained Jamestown.

In the early 1850's, John Capon Adams (referred to later as James Capen Adams in many accounts of his adventures) owned a trading post and tavern on the east bank of Woods' Creek. He was born in Massachusetts in 1812. Adams was a reckless speculator and careless in his business affairs. He was also a gambler. Penniless and embittered against mankind, whom he blamed for his financial problems, Adams deserted his wife and children to start life anew as a hunter and wild animal trapper in the Sierra Nevada. He became obsessed with hunting grizzly bears which led to him being known as Grizzly Adams. He died in 1860 while on tour with P.T. Barnum. Later his life as a hunter and alleged victim of injustice became the subject of several books and furnished the plot for a popular television series.

The glory days of large nuggets, big strikes, and easy placer mining were short lived. Even though many miners moved on, Jamestown managed to hang on. Other establishments that sold liquor, food and "Ladies of the Night" held the town together during the years after the goldrush.

On November 10, 1897, Jamestown boomed again when the Sierra Railroad arrived. The town became the lifeline between Tuolumne County and the outside world. Today, Railtown 1897 is a living museum as a 26-acre California State Historic Park. The original depot and a hotel were destroyed by fire, but another depot was rebuilt. The atmosphere at Railtown 1897 complete with its roundhouse lends a certain familiarity to its many visitors. It should because Engine No. 3, Engine No. 2, and Engine No. 28 have appeared in more than 300 movies including High Noon, The Virginian, Petticoat Junction, Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Back to the Future III. Owned and operated by the California State Railroad Museum, part of the California Department of Parks and Recreation,Railtown's historic and famous steam engines take visitors on weekend excursions from May through Labor Day and on special events throughout the year.

Many of the historical structures of Jamestown have undergone reconstruction due to fires in 1855, 1966, and 1978. Yet, the quaint streets lined with curio and antique shops, award-winning restaurants, hotels with its resident ghosts, and saloons with that "old west" atmosphere make Historic Jamestown the ideal place to introduce the family to the heritage, charm, and authenticity of this historical Sierra Nevada foothill town...Jamestown, California - Gateway to the Mother Lode!

EDITOR'S NOTE: This history has been obtained from many sources including journals written by the prospectors themselves. The book written by Stoddard is used by many; however, there are errors in fact which do not bear up with further research. With the exceptions of the legends mentioned above, the County Historian, Carlo deFerrari has concurred that this account is the most accurate