Jacksonville

This bronze was cast in the past tense from the start. It was dedicated in November 1971, the year New Don Pedro Dam was completed above the town it describes, so the words now inundated were true before the plaque was bolted down. Jacksonville was settled in 1849 by Julian Smart, who planted a garden and an orchard here rather than digging, and by 1850 it was the principal river town on the Tuolumne. The vista point where the plaque stands looks straight at the water.

What the plaque says

JACKSONVILLE NEAR THIS SITE, NOW INUNDATED BY THE WATERS OF DON PEDRO RESERVOIR, STOOD THE HISTORIC TOWN OF JACKSONVILLE. IT WAS SETTLED BY JULIAN SMART WHO PLANTED THE FIRST GARDEN AND ORCHARD IN THE SPRING OF 1849. NAMED FOR COLONEL A. M. JACKSON. IN 1850 IT WAS THE PRINCIPAL RIVER TOWN IN THE AREA. IT WAS THE GATHERING CENTER FOR THOUSANDS OF MINERS WORKING THE RICH BED OF THE TUOLUMNE RIVER. CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 419 PLAQUE PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE GOLDEN CHAIN COUNCIL OF THE MOTHER LODE AND THE 120 HIGHWAY ASSOCIATION, NOVEMBER 19, 1971.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Columbia State Historic Park — 14 mi
  The Gem of the Southern Mines, still open for business on a car-free Gold Rush main street.

More markers nearby

• Chinese Camp — 3.3 mi
• Wells Fargo Express Company Building — 3.3 mi
• Montezuma — 5.9 mi
• Big Oak Flat — 6.8 mi