( 95642)

County seat of Amador County, Jackson has a population of 3,877 (please see extensive census data at the bottom of this page). It was founded a as a Gold Rush camp in 1848 and named for Colonel A. M. Jackson, who came to the area from Jacksonville on the Tuolumne River. Jackson had been a leader in the Mexican War.

By 1850 Jackson had grown to a community of 100 homes and vied with Mokelumne Hill to be the county seat. In an election, Mokelumne Hill won, but William Smith, first judge in the county, declared Jackson the winner anyway. A couple of men convinced the county clerk, Colonel Collyer, that he should hand over the records so they could be taken to Jackson. Later Collyer said he had been tricked, but Judge Smith felt insulted enough to shoot and kill Collyer on the street in Jackson. Even in the rip-roaring lawlessness of the times, this was a bit much, and Smith was forced from office.

The worst mine disaster in the Southern Mines occurred at the Argonaut in 1922 when fire broke out. The mine shaft was sealed off to smother the flames and 47 men were trapped. A rescue effort took too long, and all the men died. By the time the mine closed in 1942 it had reached a depth of 6,152 feet and the neighboring Kennedy mine was 5,912 feet The mines were the deepest in the world at the time. The huge 58-foot-high tailing wheels from the Kennedy Mine still stand a little ways north of Jackson.

No visit to Jackson is complete without a stroll through its crowded downtown, pictured below. Here visitors will find antique shops and much more.

Jackson's lively history is well illustrated in the book, Images of America: Jackson, by Deborah Coleen Cook. To order the 128-page book, which was published in 2007, contact Arcadia Publishing.

If you'd like an autographed copy, you can contact the author, Deborah Coleen Cook, directly.

In this aerial view looking north, the buildings of oldtown Jackson crowd together while Highway 49 curves to the left.

At the entrance to the National Hotel, a sign shows off the variety of rooms available.

**2000 U.S. Census Information-Jackson**
Go here for a detailed explanation of the figures below
Subject	Number	Percent
Total population	3,989	100.0
SEX AND AGE
Male.	1,777	44.5
Female	2,212	55.5
Under 5 years	229	5.7
5 to 9 years	215	5.4
10to14 years	211	5.3
15 to19 years	222	5.6
20 to 24 years	176	4.4
25 to 34 years	388	9.7
35 to 44 years	486	12.2
45 to 54 years	494	12.4
55 to 59 years	208	5.2
60 to 64 years	211	5.3
65 to 74 years	423	10.6
75 to 84 years	469	11.8
85 years and over	257	6.4
Median age (years)	46.6	(X)
18 years and over	3,193	80.0
Male	1,372	34.4
Female	1,821	45.7
21 years and over	3,076	77.1
62 years and over	1,269	31.8
65 years and over	1,149	28.8
Male	439	11.0
Female	710	17.8
RACE
One race	3,906	97.9
White	3,731	93.5
Black or African American	20	0.5
American Indian and Alaska Native	55	1.4
Asian	23	0.6
Asian Indian	1	-
Chinese	7	0.2
Filipino	9	0.2
Japanese	4	0.1
Korean	-	-
Vietnamese	2	0.1
Other Asian	-	-
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	3	0.1
Native Hawaiian	1	-
Guamanian or Chamorro	1	-
Samoan	1	-
Other Pacific Islander	-	-
Some other race	74	1.9
Two or more races	83	2.1
Race alone or in combination with one or more other races:
White	3,806	95.4
Black or African American	29	0.7
American Indian and Alaska Native	90	2.3
Asian	33	0.8
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	8	0.2
Some other race	109	2.7
Subject	Number	Percent
HISPANIC OR LATINO AND RACE
Total population	3,989	100.0
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	258	6.5
Mexican	190	4.8
PuertoRican	9	0.2
Cuban	1	-
Other Hispanic or Latino	58	1.5
Not Hispanic or Latino	3,731	93.5
White alone	3,572	89.5
RELATIONSHIP
Total population	3,989	100.0
In households	3,721	93.3
Householder	1,746	43.8
Spouse	764	19.2
Child	902	22.6
Own child under 18 years	726	18.2
Other relatives	118	3.0
Under 18 years	46	1.2
Nonrelatives	191	4.8
Unmarried partner	75	1.9
In group quarters	268	6.7
Institutionalized population	174	4.4
Noninstitutionalized population	94	2.4
HOUSEHOLD BY TYPE
Total households	1,746	100.0
Family households (families)	1,024	58.6
With own children under18 years	419	24.0
Married-couplefamily	764	43.8
With own children under 18 years	240	13.7
Female householder, no husband present	210	12.0
With own children under18 years	144	8.2
Nonfamily households	722	41.4
Householder living alone	630	36.1
Householder 65 years and over	349	20.0
Households with individuals under 18 years	453	25.9
Households with individuals 65 years and over	698	40.0
Average household size	2.13	(X)
Average family size	2.74	(X)
HOUSING OCCUPANCY
Total housing units	1,859	100.0
Occupied housing units	1,746	93.9
Vacant housing units	113	6.1
For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use.	43	2.3
Homeowner vacancy rate (percent)	0.8	(X)
Rental vacancy rate (percent)	2.4	(X)
HOUSING TENURE
Occupied housing units	1,746	100.0
Owner-occupied housing units	983	56.3
Renter-occupied housing units	763	43.7
Average household size of owner-occupied units	2.12	(X)
Average household size of renter-occupied units	2.15	(X)

(above) The huge 58-foot-high tailing wheels from the Kennedy Mine still stand a little ways north of Jackson.

North of Jackson, these huge tailing wheels mark the site of old gold mining operations. They're falling into disrepair, as shown below.

Do not copy without permission.