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Guide to the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection
CSPA-335
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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
The collection is open for research. Cultural and archaeological site maps are
restricted. Reports with sensitive data may be restricted. Consult repository for
details.
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.
[Identification of item], Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Collection, CSPA-335:
[box: folder number], California State Parks Archives, McClellan, California.
Railtown 1897 SHP donated this collection in 2001.
Megan Lohnash processed this collection and created and encoded its finding aid in 2015.
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.
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.
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
California State Railroad Museum Collection CSPA-372
Old Sacramento State Historic Park Collection CSPA-372