exterior. It was recently closed and legal activities have resumed in another, newer facility.
Early history The area was inhabited by the Northern Sierra Indians, who occupied areas along creeks, spring, and seep areas, including permanent and seasonal drainages, flat ridges, and terraces. Therefore, areas along
watercourses are considered likely locations for
prehistoric cultural resources. Permanent villages were usually placed on elevations above seasonal
flood levels. Surrounding areas were used for hunting and seed,
acorn, and grass gathering.
19th century and later Jackson, named after Colonel Alden Jackson, was founded in 1848 around a year-round
spring. Settlement of the region by American
pioneers was stimulated by the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills around 1848. The settlement was named for a local lawyer who was liked by miners named Alden Appola Moore Jackson. Although Amador County was an important mining center, its county seat of Jackson was not typical of the early gold camps. The camp grew quickly, as besides being a popular mining spot, it was also a convenient stopping place on the road from
Sacramento to the
Southern Mines. The camp became an important supply and transportation center for the neighboring towns, and by 1850, its population had reached an estimated 1,500. Jackson grew first as a watering hole for
cattle, then as one of the earliest and most durable of the
mother lode's hard rock mining areas. In 1854, Jackson became the county seat of newly formed Amador County, California. Previously, from 1851 to 1852, it had been the county seat of
Calaveras County.
Placer mining gave out by the 1860s, replaced by hard rock mining. One of the town's most prominent historical landmarks, the
Kennedy Mine, began operation in 1860; at the time of its closure during
World War II in 1942, it was the deepest
gold mine in North America, at 1802 m (5912 ft). On August 27, 1922, 47 miners became trapped when a fire broke out in the Argonaut mine. All 47 men died in the fire, but the last body was not recovered until over a year later. The Argonaut mine incident was the worst gold mine disaster in US history. In October 1942, the US government passed the War Production Board Limitation Order, which signaled the demise of gold mining in California. The government needed men for the war and gold was not considered a strategic war metal. ==Landmarks==