Mark Twain Cabin

Mark Twain Cabin. . This cabin was first built in 1922 to commemorate the famed author’s presence in Tuolumne County during the winter of 1864-65. Sam Clemens had come over the mountains from Virginia City, Nevada, to San Francisco with his friend Steve Gillis. His various biographers gave different reason for Clemens coming to Jackass Hill. No matter the reason, Sam Clemens arrived here on December 4, 1864., Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, stayed with the other two Gillis brothers, Jim and Bill, and Dick Stoker (local pocket miners) until about February 25, 1865. While living on the hill, Sam heard the story of the “Jumping Frog” in an Angels Camp saloon. His version would find their way into Mark Twain’s later writings. That short stay here in the Sierra had quite an impact on American literature., Time and the elements took their toll on the first “Mark Twain Cabin.” So the Sonora Sunrise Rotary Club, during 2002-05, restored the cabin as its centennial project, celebrating 100 years of Rotary (1905-2002). This cabin was dedicated on February 23, 2005, the 100th birthday of Rotary International.