Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-01-18
The Men of Affairs in the
Early Fifties.
JACKSON Was ONCE A FULL PLEDGED CITY
Judge A. C. Brown, Chairman of the
Board of Trustees Jennings
Clerk of the Board.
BY WILL A. NEwcuM. }


small towns of the mining sections of
our State, where, from 1S49, placer and
hydraulic mining drew to them the
Drawn and brain of the older states, in
tent on seeking gold, and eager also to
possess plenty of it and then return to
the home of youth, to the aged mother
or father, or sweetheart. and then live
in peace and quiet forever afterward
The hopes of but very few were rea-
lized, the result being thai some re-
NAMED in the mining towns, gradually
assuming positions in those walks of
life for which nature and their attain
ments may have fitted them or their
luck cast them; others wandered to
more congenial camps or cities, and
there continued the life they sought or
were impelled by force of circumstances
to live.
In the years that have elapsed since
this piece of the earth we call jackson
was first peopled by while settlers, the
far greater number of pioneers have
passed to the great beyond. In some
instances their chidreu's children are
still here to keep green their memories.
while in the majority of cases the inevi-
table changes wrought by time have
with grim precision left but a vague
vision of the men and women of Jack
son during the early fifties.
The above is called to the mind of
the writer most wildly by the contents
of little record book, the fly leaf of
which contains the following legend:
Records of the Proceedings OF the
Board of Trustees OF the Town of Jack :.
son, Organized by order Of the County
Court made November 7, 1853. Town
First Board of Trustees. elect. qualified
Dec. 5, 1853. Charles Boyuton, Clerk of
the Board of Trustees.
incidentally it may not be out OF
peace 10 mention the fact that at the
first meeting OF the State Legislature,
and on March 81 1850. there was pass.
ed an act to provide for the incorpora-
ton OF towns. The act provided that
on petition and necessary proofs the
County Judge could declare the towns
Incorporated and order an election for
officers, to be held. The citizens of
Jackson made the proper showing and
the County Judge, Henry Emo, of Gala
veras county, which then included that
part of Amador County. south of Dry
Creek, Mokelumne Hill being the
county seat, Elade the proper order
Noyem Der 5th, and the first election
was held November g. 1853 The de-
scription OF the town as laid down in
the petition to the County Court was:
commencing on the North Fork of
Jackson Creek at the mouth Of the
first gulch or tributary entering into
said North Fork on the south side
below the Gate, running thence in a
direct southeast direction to the South
Fork of Jackson Greek, thence dow n
said South Fork to its mouth in the
Middle Fork of jackson Creek, thence
down said Middle Fork about one hun
dred yards to the mouth of the North
Fork of Jackson Creek, thence up said
North Fork to the place of beginning,
the territory to be incorporated as
town being all that lying between the
said North and South Forks OF Jack
son Creek up to the said line of bound
airy first above mentioned, and the
whole being less than two miles
square.
According to the law of 1850 the Of
fcers consisted of five trustees, treas
urer, an assessor and marshal, and
at the election held in 1853 there were
three tickets in the field and one hun
dred and thirteen ballots were cast.
There were nine candidates for trustees,
two for treasurer, one for assessor and
three for marshal. The officers of
election were Bruce Husband inspector;
A. A. Humphreys judge; w. D.
Skidmore and Eric Rossander clerks.
Their canvas of the. vote showed the
following result:
For Trustees-A. c. Brown, Il:
VIM. L. McKim, los; Leon Sompayrac,
20; Thomas Jones, SO; Ellis Evans, 70;
G. 81. E. White, AZ; P. A. Bowman,
AZ; r. II. Hall, 43; Amos Barrett, 43.
For Treasurer-W. II. r. Thomas,
Sc; J. P. Coolidge, IS.
For Assessor-E. Fl. Williams, 108.
For MARSHALL. C. Webster, 49,;
Joseph VIM, 40; B. B. Redhead, 10.
A special meeting was called for the
following Thursday, and of the men
who were candidates for Office and the
officers of election on that memorable
election day, November 26, 1853, and
the man elected town clerk at the first
meeting of the Board of Trustees and
those who were appointed officers of
the town, making twenty-nine all
told, there is but one, the Hon. A. c..
Brown, remaining in Jackson, and al
though during his eighty-fve years of
life time has dealt lightly with him
and he is still hale and hearty, yet he
is nearing the border land.
Born in Missouri and reared in Hi
nois his early manhood was spent in
Wisconsin which state he left in 1S49
for California across the plains. At
that time Mr.. Brown was married and
had wife and family of six children
whom he left behind until he could eX-
plot the new Ell Dorado. In Septemb Der
1849, he arrived at what is the town of
Shasta and engaged in mining and for
time, in company with DR.. Shurtliff,
now of Napa, conducted trading post
Mr.. Brown has the distinction of hav-
ing named Shasta. A meeting had
been called for that purpose and most
all the population was in attendance
Several names were presented, but the
name "Shasta" presented to the meet
ing by Mr.. Brown, was adopted as the
name of the town.
Having concluded to make California
the future home of himself and family,
Mr.. Brown returned to the States and
settled up his business and with his
family was again crossing the plains in
1851. In the fall of that year the party
rolled into Pleasant Valley Gel Dorado
County, SO named at that time by Mr..
Brown because they struck good lead
at Pleasant Valley they moved on to
Jackson, driving up to the French
Gardens that they might secure feed
for their cattle. This was in October.
After remaining few weeks at the
French Gardens Mr.. Brown took up a
lot on the Jackson Gate road (the one
on which L. Poggi recently built new
residence) and got out poles and shakes,
bought the boards and built house by
setting the poles in the ground and
Mailing on the sides and roof The