“Gold Rush Gardens” Proposed For Jamestown Mine Site

Jamestown, Ca — The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors heard a proposal Tuesday by Vincent Estell who would like to transform the Jamestown Mine Site into a garden park similar to the Butchart Gardens, located near Victoria, British Columbia.

Estellco, which is based out of the Central Valley, would like to use 63.5 of the 447 acres of land off Hwy 108 to construct a garden that would hopefully draw tourists to the area.

?The Victoria tourism board has stated to me that they get 2.2 million people into Victoria each year, and 60% of them go to the garden,? Estell told the Board of Supervisors. ?They pay $29 a ticket to go there, and most of the visitors that go there end up coming back multiple times.?

Besides Gold Rush Gardens, Estell is proposing to use the remaining mine site property to build a convention center, hotel complex, soccer and baseball sports park, RV park, a village square, outdoor amphitheatre and commercial buildings.

When the County purchased the Jamestown Mine site in 1996, it did so with the intent of developing certain areas, selling some parcels, and preserving others for recreational uses.

While no direct action related to the project was taken Tuesday, the Board voted to move ahead and pursue potential uses for the property. It will likely go before the Supervisors at an upcoming meeting.

Written by BJ Hansen