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census-designated place in Tuolumne County, California, United States
North America > United States of America > California > Gold Country > Tuolumne County > Jamestown (California)

Jamestown is a historical town in Tuolumne County, in the Gold Country region of California.

Understand

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Jamestown was founded in 1848 within a few months after gold was discovered in Woods Creek, a mile south of town. This discovery was itself within a few months after the original discovery of gold in Coloma, upstream from Sacramento on the American River at John Sutter's sawmill, that initiated the California Gold Rush. In the earliest years, the American miners continued to mine near Jamestown, while miners from Mexico moved a few miles up Woods Creek to what has now become known as the city of Sonora.

Jamestown fell on hard times after the Gold Rush, but had a resurgence in the 1880s and 90s because many underground quartz mines were nearby. In 1897, a steam railroad was built, running at first from Oakdale to Jamestown, and later to Sonora and Tuolumne City, that was headquartered in Jamestown and further contributed to the town's economic prospects.

Get in

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Map
Map of Jamestown (California)

Jamestown can be reached in several ways. Highway 108 from the California Central Valley passes through Modesto and continues into Tuolumne County, passes Jamestown, and continues over the Sierra Nevada mountains. During Highway 108's travel from Oakdale, near Modesto, it shares the same road as Highway 120, the route to Yosemite. Highway 120 makes a turn at Yosemite Junction to head toward Yosemite; continue 7 miles further on Highway 108 and you'll enter Jamestown, with Main Street turning off on the right from Highway 108.

Jamestown is also on the Gold Country highway 49, as it follows the Mother Lode vein south from Angels Camp through Sonora, then briefly turns on Highway 108 to pass Jamestown on its way to Coulterville and Mariposa.

By bus

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  • 1 YARTS 'Sonora-Hwy 120' Route connects Sonora, Jamestown, Groveland, Buck Valley, Yosemite Valley. Passengers connect to other YARTS buses at the Yosemite NP Visitors Center. (local bus stop at Rocca Park on Main St)
  • 2 Tuolumne County Transit Rt #3 More localize buses that connect Jamestown to Columbia via Sonora. Passengers transfer to their other lines in Sonora to reach Tuolumne, Twain Hart and other towns along the way in Tuolumne County. Local Stops are at Rocca Park, Post Office, Preston Ln Apts and on 5th & Willow St. Marker at Post Office stop.

By plane

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There is an airport for private planes in Columbia, about 6 miles from Jamestown.

Get around

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Jamestown is a small town and most of the areas of interest to visitors can be walked to. There are four main areas of interest. Downtown Jamestown, on Main Street, looks in many ways as it did a hundred years ago, and has many restaurants and shops. A few blocks east is Railtown 1897, a state historic park (and a branch of the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento). An area just west of downtown on Highway 108 has more restaurants (and best reached by car), and there is also an interesting historical site about a mile west of downtown, Woods Crossing, that definitely requires a car to get to.

Downtown Jamestown has many examples of different historical architectural styles, including dry-laid stone buildings, the sort that had iron shutters (one still does) to protect against fire, that were popular in the 1850s. There are also many examples of wooden frame buildings from the latter 19th century, including Queen Anne style buildings. Many of these have wooden boardwalks and balconies on the second floor. There are also examples of buildings from the 1920s, built of poured concrete. An audio walking tour of downtown is available that describes the history of downtown and the different styles of buildings.

The main things to do in Jamestown are walking along the historic streets, hanging out on the wooden benches and downtown park, and visiting Railtown 1897 and riding (summer weekends only and a few special occasions)on a steam train. Railtown 1897 consists of the original depot, headquarters, and roundhouse of the Sierra Railway, built in 1897 to carry passengers, ore from mines, and logs by steam railroads. It offers tours of the roundhouse during which you can climb aboard some of the historic rail cars and locomotives. There is also an audio history walking tour available (see below).

  • 1 Sunshine Rafting, (meeting location) 18000 Covered Bridge Rd (Go southwest from town on Hwy 49/108 and 120 for 20 mi (32 km). Right on Kennedy left on Sonora; cross bridge to Stanislaus River Park (at Knights Ferry) and it will be on right.), ☏ +1 209 848-4800. Rafting near Jamestown CA. Sunshine is safe and affordable with over 25 years experience on the Stanislaus River. $17+. 
  • 2 Jamestown Gold Panning, 17712 Harvard Mine Rd (From Main Street, make a left onto Highway 49 / 108 (west), make a right 1/4 mile, cross over old bridge (old Highway 49 Bridge), drive 1/2 mile, we will be on the left), ☏ +1 209-984-4038. 9AM to 5PM. Learn to pan & sluice for gold on the historic Woods Creek. Located across the road from the historic Harvard Mine. 
  • 3 Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, 10501 Reservoir Rd (South along 5th Ave which becomes Reservoir Rd in the southside of town approximately 0.5 mi (0.80 km) south of town.), ☏ +1 209 984-3953. Apr-Oct 9:30AM-4:30M; Nov-Mar 10AM-3PM. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, and its operating entity, the Sierra Railway, is known as "The Movie Railroad." Both entities are a heritage railway and are a unit of the California State Park System. Railtown 1897 is located in Jamestown, California. The entire park preserves the historic core of the original Sierra Railway of California (later reincorporated as the Sierra Railroad). The railway's Jamestown locomotive and rolling stock maintenance facilities are remarkably intact and continue to function much as they have for over 100 years. Admissions $5 adults; $3 youth ages 6-17; free for children under 5. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (Q7284127) on Wikidata Railtown_1897_State_Historic_Park on Wikipedia (updated Oct 2019)

Jamestown has many antique and gift shops:

Jamestown has a wide variety of restaurants and other eating places. There are formal restaurants, including those contained in historic hotels, and ice cream and sandwich shops.

Drink

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Jamestown also has several bars, most in historical hotels, some of which have the original bar from the 19th century.

Sleep

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Jamestown itself has two main kinds of lodging: historic hotels and bed and breakfasts. There are also two motels and an RV park about two miles east of downtown, on Highway 108. There is also lodging available in nearby Sonora, about three miles east of Jamestown.

Connect

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Go next

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Visitors can continue into Tuolumne County and visit other historic towns, including Sonora, in its day the central city of the Southern Mines of the Gold Rush era, and Columbia, a few miles north of Sonora, which has been restored to the 1850s as part of becoming a state historic park.

Visitors can also travel southeast to Yosemite National Park, or continue east on Highway 108 to the high country areas of Mi-Wuk Village, Pinecrest, and, except in winter, Kennedy Meadows and Sonora Pass.

Map
Neighboring destinations

  • 1 Sonora
  • 2 Columbia
  • 3 Angels Camp - Angels Camp is a Gold Rush town where Mark Twain overheard a tale that inspired his short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"; today the town hosts a "Jumping Frog Jubilee" every May that draws thousands of visitors. Visitors will also enjoy the historic downtown and find amenities including several hotels and restaurants. Attractions located just outside of town include the Natural Bridges trail, a 2 miles (3.2 km) hike through two short but spectacular limestone caverns that have been carved out by Coyote Creek, as well as the Carson Hill ghost town, a former mine where a 195 pound troy gold nugget was unearthed in 1854.
  • 4 Twain Harte
Routes through Jamestown
Auburn ← Sonora ←  N  S  → Coulterville → Oakhurst
Modesto ← Oakdale ←  W  E  → Sonora → Jct N S


This city travel guide to Jamestown is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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