Skip to main content

Former California State Route 49-108 on Main Street in Jamestown

By


Jamestown is a community located in Tuolumne County in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Jamestown was founded during 1848 and is one of the many traditional Gold Rush towns located along California State Route 49.  The original alignment of California State Route 49 in Jamestown was located along Main Street.  California State Route 49 along Main Street in Jamestown was joined by a multiplex of California State Route 108 likely during the late 1940s.  California State Route 49 and California State Route 108 were moved to a bypass alignment west of Main Street in Jamestown during the 1970s.  California State Route 49 can be seen passing through Jamestown along Main Street on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Tuolumne County.  


Part 1; the history of California State Route 49-108 in Jamestown

Jamestown was settled one mile from the first mining claim located what is now Tuolumne County during 1848.  Jamestown is named after Colonial George F. James who arrived in the community during 1849.  Colonial George F. James was a popular merchant in early Jamestown known for supplying champagne to patrons and was once elected community Alcalde.  Ultimately, poor mining investments by Colonial George F. James led to the community bearing his name to briefly be renamed American Camp by angry residents.

Jamestown can be seen along the road to Sonora Pass on the 1857 Britton & Rey's Map of California.  


The population of Jamestown would peak around 4,000 before a devastating fire struck the community during October 1885.  The post-mining era decline of Jamestown was short lived as a community became the headquarters for the Sierra Railway during 1897.  Jamestown would never incorporate as a city. 

State Highway service would come to Jamestown as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act.  The First State Highway Bond Act defined the road from Salida east to Sonora through Jamestown as State Highway.  In time the State Highway through Jamestown would come be to be known as Legislative Route Number 13.  The routing of Legislative Route Number 13 through Jamestown was via Main Street.

Legislative Route Number 13 can be seen passing through Jamestown via Main Street on the 1917 California State Automobile Association Map.  


The initial run of Sign State Routes was announced in the August 1934 California Highways & Public Works.  Legislative Route Number 13 between Yosemite Junction-Sonora via Jamestown was assigned as part of California State Route 49.  



California State Route 49/Legislative Route Number 13 can be seen passing through Jamestown along Main Street on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Tuolumne County.  

The relocation of California State Route 49/Legislative Route Number 13 south of Jamestown off of what is now Harvard Mine Road was featured in the September 1941 California Highways & Public Works.  The new alignment of California State Route 49/Legislative Route Number 13 south of Jamestown was dedicated on August 31, 1941.  


The September/October 1948 California Highways & Public Works references California State Route 108 being extended west of Jamestown co-signed with California State Route 49 to an unclear point.  A summary of major construction projects cites California State Route 49 and California State Route 108 as being co-signed through Jamestown to at least Montezuma Road.  


The bypass of Jamestown alignment of California State Route 49-108 opened after the California Highways & Public Works publication ended during 1967.  The illustration below shows the difference between the original routing of California State Route 49-108 on Main Street versus the modern bypass.  The California State Route 49-108 appears to have been constructed during the early 1970s.  


Part 2; exploring former California State Route 49-108 on Main Street in Jamestown

Originally California State Route 49-108 were aligned through downtown Jamestown on Main Street.  Modern California State Route 49-108 bypass downtown Jamestown to the west of Main Street.



Jamestown along Main Street largely appears much as it did during the height of the Gold Rush.  Some of the notable structures on Main Street are the1898 Branch Jail, the 1897 Emporium, and the 1880 Jamestown Hotel.








Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more