Test Your Knowledge of Jamestown

Here comes another quiz in the "Testing Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode" series. This time the focus Jamestown, California. It has a fascinating past with the discover of gold at the center. After you're done you can check your answers below. Don't forget to click on the hyperlinks (in purple), too.

1. Gold was first discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848 in a Jamestown creek (Woods Creek) named after the following individual: (a) Elijah Wood; (b) Tiger Woods; (c) Natalie Wood; (d) Benjamin Wood.

2. Woods Creek was yielding some 40-60 ounces of gold per day at its height. At an average price at the time of $10.00 an ounce that equaled as much as $600.00. In comparison, the same amount of gold in today’s dollars would approximately be: (a) $430; (b) $4,300; (c) $43,000; (d) $430,000.

3. The largest gold nugget ever discovered in Woods Creek weighed a total of: (a) 7.5 ounces; (b) 75 ounces; (c) 7.5 pounds; (d) 75 pounds.

4. The town of Jamestown (or Jimtown as it was known early on) got its name from: (a) the outlaw, Jesse James; (b) Colonel George James, a San Francisco lawyer; (c) James Bond, the spy; (d) James in the Bible, a disciple of Christ.

5. This famous individual at one time actually owned a trading post and tavern in Jamestown: (a) Grizzly Adams; (b) John Adams; (c) Don Adams; (d) Kelly Adams.

6. The gold rush days eventually passed and like many other foothill towns, Jamestown suffered. It was this next “boom” that would pump new life into the town: (a) the opening of the Jamestown Sugar Pine Realty office; (b) the hanging of various criminals on a Main Street tree; (c) the construction of Highway 108; (d) the arrival of the Sierra Railroad.

7. Like some other Mother Lode towns, Jamestown’s history includes the following natural disaster destroying at least parts of the town more than once: (a) frogs; (b) flames; (c) fleas; (d) flies.

Answers: 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7. (b)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Jamestown, California History and Sierra Foothill Magazine – Jamestown.)