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1902 Map of Jackson

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Jackson
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1906
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1906

About this map

The Mokelumne River carves a deep path through the heart of the Mother Lode on this late nineteenth-century survey, dividing Amador and Calaveras counties. This is a landscape defined by the extraction and transport of wealth, where the Amador Branch Railroad terminates at Ione and the San Joaquin and Sierra Nevada Railroad pushes east toward Valley Springs. The map documents established mining hubs like Mokelumne Hill and San Andreas, alongside smaller, specialized camps such as Rich Gulch Mine and Campo Seco.

Transitioning from the foothills into the steeper slopes of Bear Mountain and Gopher Ridge, the terrain is marked by dozens of named gulches and flats that speak to the frantic search for gold. Points of local gathering, such as the Fair Grounds at Ione and the early settlements of Sutter Creek and Drytown, provide a detailed look at the social and industrial network of the Sierra foothills during the post-Gold Rush era of development.