Ione, California

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Ione is a small city in Amador County, California, in the Ione Valley. As of 2020, about 5,141 people live there, down from the 2010 count. Ione grew during the California gold rush and was once known as Bedbug and Freeze Out. It served as a supply hub, stage and rail stop for miners headed to the Mother Lode, and it is also the historical home of the Sierra Miwok people.

The town sits on land that was once part of the Mexican ranchos. The name Ione may come from a heroine in a 19th-century novel, though other stories exist. The first post office opened in 1852, followed by a school in 1853, and the local Methodist Church (built in 1862). The first flour mill began in 1855, and a brick store built in 1855 by the D. Stewart Company is still owned by Stewart descendants.

In 1865, Camp Jackson was built nearby. By 1876, about 600 people lived in Ione, including a Chinese community in what was known as Chinatown. The Stockton and Ione Railroad reached the town in the 1870s, but rail service ended in 1876. The Ione Homecoming festival began at that time and has continued most years since.

Ione became an incorporated city in 1953. The town has several points of historical interest and three California Historical Landmarks. It covers about 4.6 square miles, with a warm-summer Mediterranean climate.

Mule Creek State Prison is located in Ione and houses around 3,800 inmates, more than half of the town’s population. Nearby are the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Training Academy and the Preston Youth Correctional Facility.