Guide to the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection
Railtown 1879 SHP Collection
Processed by Megan Lohnash
California State Parks Archives
4940 Lang Avenue Suite 114
McClellan, CA 95652
Phone: 916-263-0779
FAX: 916-663-0858
Email: department.archives@parks.ca.gov
URL: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1080
© 2015
California State Parks Archives. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection
Date (inclusive): 1897-2011
Date (bulk): (bulk dates 1982-1989)
Collection number: CSPA-335
Creator:
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Extent:
2.5 linear feet, including 1 map folder.
Repository:
California State Parks
McClellan, California 95652
Abstract: Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is a functional steam-powered locomotive
passenger attraction and railyard and is located in Jamestown, Tuolumne
County. The Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection is arranged in twelve
series: 1. Correspondence, 2. Meeting Minutes, 3. Financial Documents, 4.
Interpretative Material, 5. Histories, 6. Subject Files, 7. Ephemera, 8.
Cartographic Material, 9. Photographic Material, 10. Publications, 11. Media, and
12. Reports. Items span the years 1897 to 2011, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1982 to 1989.
Physical Location: California State Parks Archives
Languages: Languages represented in this collection:
English
Access
The collection is open for research. Cultural and archaeological site maps are
restricted. Reports with sensitive data may be restricted. Consult repository for
details.
Publication Rights
For permission to reproduce or publish, please consult the California State Parks
Archives archivist. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of
the California State Parks Archives, McClellan as the owner of the physical
items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that
may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State
Parks Archives.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection, CSPA-335:
[box: folder number], California State Parks Archives, McClellan, California.
Acquisition Information
Railtown 1897 SHP donated this collection in 2001.
Processing Information
Megan Lohnash processed this collection and created and encoded its finding aid in 2015.
Administrative History
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is a functional steam-powered locomotive
passenger attraction and railyard and is located in Jamestown, Tuolumne
County. There are thirty-two historic structures and rail cars on the Railtown 1897
SHP property. The State of California acquired the Jamestown railyard property
and rolling stock from Sierra Railway in 1982 by legislative mandate.
The Sierra Railway Company of California was founded by Thomas S. Bullock,
Andre Poniatowski, and William H. Crocker in 1897. The original line running
from Oakdale to Jamestown was completed during that year. The Sierra Railway
Company of California ran both freight and passenger services to the
communities along its rail line. The rail line eventually grew to include Angels
Camp, Tuolumne City, Arnold, and Sonora. The park has been used as scenery
for films and television series' since the 1920s. However, this did not prevent the
Sierra Railway from economic hardship during the Great Depression when the
company went into receivership in the 1930s. In 1935, Sierra Railway underwent
reorganization and became the Sierra Railroad Company. In 1939, routine
passenger services were discontinued.
Sierra Railroad purchased its first diesel locomotives in 1955, prompting the
retirement of the Jamestown Depot as a working facility. Steam enthusiasts were
able to charter steam excursion trains from 1957-1963, but this service was
discontinued due to a derailment in 1963. Motion picture companies continued to
utilize the facilities and equipment as scenery during the 1960s, as operational
steam-powered engines became increasingly rare. Public interest continued to
grow during this period. Sierra Railroad Management decided in the late 1960s to
use the Jamestown Depot and rolling-stock to enter into the tourism business.
Railtown 1897, a historically themed tourist attraction on the Jamestown Depot
property featuring steam powered train rides, opened for business in 1971.
Unfortunately, this venture was not profitable and the Sierra Railroad discontinued
passenger services January 1, 1980.
The State acquired the property in 1982. It later transferred ownership of the
Railtown 1897 property to the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 1983.
Soon after, Parks sought out a concessionaire to handle the day to day
operations, maintenance of the property, and rolling-stock. Over the course of
operations there have been four concessionaires: the Pacific Locomotive
Association, Western Railroad Service, Inc., the Sierra Railway Company of
California, and the California State Railroad Museum and Foundation. The
California State Railroad Museum and Foundation has operated the concessions
at Railtown 1897 SHP since 1992.
Scope and Content
The Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection is arranged in twelve series: 1.
Correspondence, 2. Meeting Minutes, 3. Financial Documents, 4. Interpretative
Material, 5. Histories, 6. Subject files, 7. Ephemera, 8. Cartographic Material, 9.
Photographic Material, 10. Publications, 11. Media, and 12. Reports. Items span
the years 1897 to 2011, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1982 to 1989.
Series one, Correspondence, consists of correspondence and memorandum
related to the opening of the park and the start of operations between Railtown
employees, regional Parks employees, and other state government officials
spanning the years of 1982-1984. Series two, Meeting Minutes, consists of
records from one meeting dated January, 7 1983. Series three, Financial
Documents, consists of documents, correspondence and memorandum dated
1982-1987 related to financial planning, allocation of funds, settlement
distribution, project scope and budget estimate.
Series four, Interpretative Material, consists of one interpretive document
summarizing the history of Railtown 1897 SHP. Series five, Histories, consists of
an application to become a historical point of interest, Action Synopsis, drafts of
cultural reports, and excerpts and indexes from various historical publications.
Series six, Subject files, is subdivided into nine subseries: 1995 Historic
Restoration, Centennial Celebration, Concessions-Pacific Locomotive
Association, Concessions- Western Railroad Service Inc., Sierra Railway
Company of California, National Register of Historic Places, Roundhouse
Drainage System, and Train Rides California State Railroad Museum. Series
seven, Ephemera, contains press releases, pamphlets, and a Kids Fun Book.
Series eight, Cartographic Material, contains maps and diagrams.
Series nine, Photographic Material, consists of photographs, negatives and
slides of Railtown 1897 facilities. Series ten, Publications, consists of two
magazines and news clippings relating to Railtown and the Sierra Railroad at
Jamestown. Series eleven, Media, consists of three digital video discs. Series
twelve, Reports, consists of inventories, evaluations, closure study, and historic
structure reports dating from 1981 to the present.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California--History
California, Northern
Sierra Railroad
Historic warehouses
Freight cars
Jamestown (Calif.)
Locomotives
Motion pictures-- Setting and scenery
Museums and motion pictures
Railroad
Railroad cabooses
Railroad cars
Railroad dining cars
Railroad passenger cars
Railroad rails
Railroad repair shops
Railroad shops & yards
Railroad stations
Railroad trains
Railroad travel
Railroad yards
Railroads--Freight
Railroads-- Rolling stock
Roundhouse (Railroads)
Railroads--Freight--United States
Railroads-- Rolling stock--United States
Steam-engines
Steam-engines--History
Related Collections
California State Railroad Museum Collection CSPA-372
Old Sacramento State Historic Park Collection CSPA-372
Box 1 : 1
Series 1.
Correspondence
1982-1984
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged chronologically by most recent installment.
Box 1 : 2
Series 2.
Meeting Minutes
1983
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged chronologically.
Box 1 : 3
Series 3.
Financial Documents
1982-1987
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged chronologically. Includes draft budgets and concession bids.
Box 1 : 4
Series 4.
Interpretative Material
undated
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged alphabetically.
Box 1 : 5 - 1 : 10
Series 5.
Histories
1968,
1983,
1995,
undated
Physical Description: 6 file folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged chronologically by publication with undated materials arranged alphabetically at the end.
Box 1 : 5
Point of Historical Interest Application
June 7, 1968
Box 1 : 6
Cultural Resource Portion of the Jamestown Project
January 1983-February 1983
Box 1 : 7
Euro-American History of the Sierra Railway Company/Sierra Railroad Company, Draft
February 1983
Box 1 : 8
Action Synopsis: State Park and Recreation Commission
April 8, 1983
Box 1 : 9
Sierra Railtown Project Inventory of Features for Classification, Draft
undated
Box 1 : 10
Excerpts and Indexes
1985,
1995,
undated
Box 1 : 11 - 3 : 4
Series 6.
Subject Files
1982-1997,
2009
Physical Description: 13 file folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged alphabetically, internal structure left intact.
Box 1 : 11
1995 Historic Restoration, Stabilization and Fire Suppression Transportation Enhancement Activities Application and Instructions
October 1995
Box 1 : 12
Centennial Celebration
1994-1997
Box 1 : 13 - 2 : 1
Concessions: Pacific Locomotive Association
1982-1988
Box 2 : 2 - 3
Concessions: Western Railroad Service Inc.
1987-1990
Box 2 : 4 - 6
Concessions: Sierra Railway Company of California LTD.
1990
Box 3 : 1 - 2
National Register of Historic Places
1985-1987
Box 3 : 3
Roundhouse Drainage System Repair
May 15, 2009-November 10,2009
Box 3 : 4
Train rides-California State Railroad Museum
1995-1996
Box 3 : 5
Series 7.
Emphemera
1979-2000
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged chronologically.
Box 3 : 6
Series 8.
Cartographic Material
1962,
1968,
1980,
1982,
1987
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Maps arranged chronologically within size. See archivist for a complete list.
Box 3 : 7 - 3 : 9
Series 9.
Photographic Material
1987-1990
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged chronologically within type. See archivist for a complete list.
Box 3 : 10 - 3 : 12
Series 10.
Publications
1897-2005
2011
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged alphabetically by type. News clippings arranged chronologically.
Box 3 : 10
Railroad Model Craftsman
July 2011
Box 3 : 11
Sierra Railroad: A Centennial Tribute 1897-1997
April 12, 1997
Box 3 : 12
News Clippings
1897-2005,
undated
Box 3 : 13
Series 11.
Media
1992-2006
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged by type chronologically.
Box 4 : 1 - 15
Series 12.
Reports
1981-2008
Physical Description: 15 file folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Arranged alphabetically by first letter of the report to coincide with the
Department Unit Data File System.
Box 4 : 1
Archaeological Excavation Report
February 6, 2004
Box 4 : 2
Cultural Resource Evaluations
1984-1986
Box 4 : 3
Historic Resource Inventories
May 1983-July 1983
Box 4 : 4 - 5
Historic Structures Report for the Warehouse and Handcar Shed
June 28, 2002
Box 4 : 6
Park Closure Study Issue Paper, Draft
February 15, 2008
Box 4 : 7
Railtown 1897 Preliminary Evaluation, Revised
May 5, 1981
Box 4 : 8
Scope of Collections, California State Railroad Museum
June 24, 1998
Box 4 : 9 - 10
Sierra Railtown Project Inventory of Features, Draft
ca. 1983
Box 4 : 11 - 12
Sierra Railtown Project Inventory of Features
March 1983
Box 4 : 13 - 4 : 14
Sierra Railway Jamestown Depot Reconstruction Report
February 1991
Box 4 : 15
The Sierra Railroad: An Economic Analysis
May 1981
