Yes, during the days of the Gold Rush, the miners knew this town by the names of "Bedbug" and "Freezeout." But the Name Ione, believed to have been given by Thomas Brown (after one of the heroines in Edward Bulwer Lytton's drama "The Last Days of Pompeii.") finally stuck. Unlike many other communities in Amador County, which were founded on gold mining, Ione was a supply center, stage and rail stop and an agricultural hub.
The first school was built in 1853. The historic Methodist Church was organized in 1853 and the structure was completed in 1862. The first flour mill was built in 1855. The first brick building was built by Daniel Stewart in 1855 for his general merchandise store and is still owned and operated by the same family.

At the time of the National centennial of 1876, Ione had a population of about 600 The town included one public school, 4 churches, 4 general stores, one meat market, one laundry, one brewery, a restaurant, millinery shop, an art gallery, six saloons, a drug store and barber shop, and many other business establishments. The centennial also celebrated the completion of the railroad to the town of Ione. The centennial celebration was the beginning of what is now known as the Ione Homecoming. This annual celebration has been held during the month of May almost every year since that first Centennial celebration in 1876 and is now held on the first weekend in May every year.

The City of Ione was incorporated as a General Law City in 1953.

Ione has many interesting landmarks and historical points of interest:

The Preston School of Industry, known as The Castle, was built between 1890-1894 to serve as a school for juvenile boys referred by the courts. The Castle is currently not in use, but as a member of the Preston Castle Foundation, know that we are working to help restore The Castle and put it to good use for the community, and of course, Preston School is still going strong next door to the Castle, still holding many of California’s “young male wards of the state”.

A few of the local points of interest are the Ione Community Cemetery, next to Howard Park on Church Street, reflects the pioneer history of Ione and dates back to 1852.

"Iron Ivan", located in a park behind City Hall on Main Street, was the seventh and last steam engine used by the Amador Central Railroad.

These days Ione is still going strong, mostly as a local hub for outlying areas like Jackson Valley, and Camanche Village. This town is a great place to live if you want both commuter access to the Stockton-Sacramento metro area and a small town, rural, foothill lifestyle. Castle Oaks Golf course and Community Is on the West side of town and offers a nice new upscale atmosphere, and some beautiful homes!

The recreational offerings in the area are wonderful, many lakes, equestrian facilities, and other outdoor offerings, combined with antique hunting and the beauty of the mother-load foothills makes Ione a very pleasant place to be. Jackson, a few minutes to the East, has a movie theater, Martel, also to the East has the local bowling alley, dinning is all over the area, with many choices from fast food to fine dining!

Amador County School District was recognized last year as one of the only districts in the state to have no underperforming schools.

Services are available for all of your needs, and Ione is within Kaiser Permanente’s service area.