Gold was discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848, and like many areas in California’s Gold Country, this brought thousands of prospectors, who founded such Gold Rush towns as Columbia, Jamestown (then called “Jimtown”) and Sonora, all of which still remain today. Sonora was named the county seat in 1850, when Tuolumne became one of the state’s original counties. With advances in mining equipment, a second Gold Rush occurred in the 1890s, but by then the riches of the county began to extend beyond all that glitters.  In the vast Sierra Nevada forests to the east, timber became a significant commercial commodity and led to the establishment of such present-day towns as Twain Harte and Tuolumne City. Cattle ranches and apple orchards also evolved into viable entities contributing to the area’s economy. And now due to breath- taking natural views and a history traced to frontier days, tourism has become an important part of this growth.  With its beautiful, varied scenery and colorful past, the diversity of Tuolumne County has provided settings for more than 300 movies, television shows and commercials filmed there since 1919.