About 50 miles southeast of Sacramento, Jackson sits in the heart of California's Motherlode. Founded in 1848 by miners panning the numerous creeks in the area, the town is named after Colonel Alden Jackson. The town became the county seat of Amador County in 1853, an honor it still holds today.
Coming over the Argonaut Grade on Highway 49, you'll see a tall headframe to your left. It's the remains of a famed mine.
Reaching over a mile underground...and over 4,000 feet below sea level...the deepest mine shaft in the United States belonged to the Kennedy Mine. The mine closed early in World War II, the pumps were shut off, and...while the tunnels are still there...the shafts flooded.
Nextdoor, the Argonaut Mine's shaft reaches nearly 5,000 feet down. In 1922, 47 miners were trapped deep in the mine. A tunnel was dug from the Kennedy's shaft to try to rescue them but for naught...they all perished.
It was California's worst mine disaster.
While the Argonaut is now a Superfund site and off-limits, on weekends you can take a surface tour of the Kennedy Mine and see the giant tailing wheels that swept mining debris into a canyon over the hill.
Placerville and Sutter Creek to the north and Muphys, Sonora, and Columbia to the south attract more tourists but there's still a lot of history to see and experience here at the crossroads of highways 49 and 88.
If you're hungry, you can get a nice Italian meal at the city's oldest restaurant, Teresa's Place, which has been operating on Jackson Gate Road a couple miles west of downtown for over 100 years.
Wander to the back of the parking lot to the creek and notice the rock outcropping on each side. This is the historic Jackson Gate where so many miners descended on the creek that water sold for a dollar an inch...back in 1850.
Today, the reward is a dinner fit for a king in Teresa's homey dining room or bar.
Follow Jackson Gate Road east where you can take a break at the Tailing Wheels Park where you can see a couple of the giant wheels that would take the waste rock from Kennedy Mine up over the hill the the basin where it was dumped. One wheel is preserved in a weather-proof enclosure while another is laying on its side, deteriorating in the elements.
Continuing on, past the Serbian and Public Cemeteries, Jackson Gate turns into Main Street and you'll find yourself in the heart of Jackson's old downtown. Sitting proudly at the other end of Main Street is the National Hotel, founded in 1852, where the current building dates back to 1860.
The hotel was brought up to modern standards a few years ago by former owner Stanley Lukowicz, including an elevator and accessible rooms so that wheelchairs have access to the entire building.
The area was settled in large part by many Serbian immigrants. In celebration of Serbian Christmas each January, many of their descendants gather in front of the hotel, firing shotguns (loaded with blanks) into the sky. It's loud and racous but one of the many local traditional celebrations here.
Across from the hotel, between the excellent Serbian Blue Door bakery (try the sourdough and morning rolls) and Rosebud's Cafe, look for the historic plaque in the sidewalk noting the former location of the hanging tree.
Like many Gold Rush towns, Jackson was home to not only many saloons and taverns but hosted many brothels and gambling halls. In fact, those vices clung stubbornly here with casinos and "houses of comfort" operating pretty openly with the blessings of the business and political communities until well into the 1950's when the laws of the state finally caught up to the city and shut them down.
Most of those buildings still adorn Main Street. That quaint little antique shop may have hosted a roulette wheel or that jewelry store might of hosted some ladies of the night less that 70 years ago.
Some gambling continued, including a legendary game of poker featuring John Wayne that ended up with the western star down tens of thousands of dollars at the National Hotel in 1963. It's also rumored that the actor settled up with a check that bounced...although some say he eventually made good.
Now, gambling is legal again...at least on tribal lands...and the Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians runs the Jackson Rancheria Casino and Resort just north of town off of highway 88.
Other pastimes here are sampling wines from the several dozen wineries in the area, particularly in Shenandoah Valley to the north (although Avio Winery is located on the north edge of town on Ridge Road), skiing at the world-class mountains of Kirkwood 60 miles east on highway 88, playing and fishing along the Mokulomne River which delineates the separation of the counties to the south of town, or fishing and boating on local lakes such as Pardee, Camanche, and Tabaud.
Lake Tahoe is only 90 minutes away.
One good place to get your bearings and see what the area has to offer is the gas station at the intersection of highways 88 and 49...where 88 splits off on its journey over the mountains to Nevada. Tresslers offers some of the lowest gas prices in the county and also is home to a giant mural by artist Rand Huggett, which is a giant map of Amador County highlighting points of interest and history of the region.
Jackson is a great place to spend the day, maybe even longer. It makes a great base to explore Amador County and the Gold Country beyond. The aforementioned National Hotel has plush, accessible accomodations for the travel while the Jackson Rancheria Casino and Resort offers excellent affordable rooms with resort amenities making this a very comfortable place to call home while you explore the area.
Darryl Musick
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