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Railtown 1897 Presents A Special Living History Event
Grizzy Adams
‘Grizzly Adams’ will be part of the History Train event. Photo Contributed

JAMESTOWN – California State Parks, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation are excited to present “The History Train” on Memorial Day Weekend, May 28, 29 and 30, 2022. The unique interpretive experience will include living history reenactments inspired by the Gold Rush era in Tuolumne County and the early days of the Sierra Railroad. Guests will be treated to a one-hour excursion train ride behind a historic locomotive with colorful historical characters aboard sharing fascinating facts and stories of intrigue, humor, and adventure. Train rides will be offered three times each day over the Memorial Day Weekend at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Each train will have a variety of different characters aboard dressed in period attire and may include historical figures such as Mark Twain, Grizzly Adams, Colonel George James (founder of Railtown), Anne Kline Rikert (first woman president of a railroad), Leanna Donner App (who lived most of her life in Jamestown and the local area), Benjamin Woods (first to discover gold in Tuolumne County with Woods Creek named after him), William Bailey (the first casualty of the Sierra Railway in 1898), Mayor of Jamestown (telling stories of haunted local buildings), Miss Adelaide Prudence (who lived the life of a “school marm”), and more. As part of “The History Train” activation, guests will have the opportunity to mingle and take pictures with the historical characters, and also enjoy a special Gold Rush treat.

Excursion train ride tickets for “The History Train” are available online or at the Depot Store, on a first-come, first-served basis if still available. All train ride tickets include Park admission and cost $22 for adults, $17 for youth ages 6-17 and are free for children 5 and under.

2022 is a special year for Railtown 1897 SHP as it marks 125 years of the Sierra Railway Company of California and the 100th birthday for the historic steam locomotive Sierra No. 28, a Baldwin locomotive built in 1922. For more information about “The History Train” special activities and/or Railtown 1897 SHP in general, call 209-984-3953 or visit www.railtown1897.org for updated information.