Great Ranch Gelding

Ione is the historical home of the Sierra Miwok people, an indigenous people of California. In 1840, the future town site became part of the Mexican land grant Rancho Arroyo Seco in Alta California. The town is located in the fertile Ione Valley, which is believed to have been named by Thomas Brown around 1849 after one of the heroines in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's drama The Last Days of Pompeii , but conflicting legends and sources for the name exist. During the days of the Gold Rush, the miners knew the town by the names of "Bedbug" and "Freezeout." Unlike other communities in Amador County, which were founded on gold mining, Ione was a supply center, stage and rail stop, and agricultural hub. The first post office opened in 1852.