The history that encompasses downtown Jackson is undeniable, and Amador County Historical Society member Jerry Chaix is doing his part to see that the landmark buildings which make up the town - especially on Main Street - are preserved in their original architecture and style.

Chaix has taken pictures of all the historic buildings in downtown and created a slideshow, using the pictures along with a narration by Larry Cenotto, as an update for surveys conducted in 1934, 1983 and 2000. The surveys are intended for the planning and architectural commissioners to take note of in case they plan to update the historic buildings in the near future.

"When things go to the planning commission, they can stick to the historical look and have an accurate portrayal," Chaix said. "And maybe over time, it will move the look of downtown to what it used to look like prior to the 1950s."

The narration that corresponds with Chaix's photographs tells a detailed history of each building, including former owners, significant events and the important dates that occurred in the specific locations. This is part of a national registration of historic places, according to Chaix.

"I realized how much history there is," Chaix said. "This is like a snapshot in time." The slideshow was first shown at the grand opening of the historical society's new location on Main Street in October. It was also shown privately to the Jackson Architectural Regulations Committee, who thought it would be beneficial for them to view it - for a better understanding of each building's special history.

"The architectural regulations commission really needs to know about this," said Jackson Planning Commission member Kathryn Devlin. She added that it was helpful to watch the slideshow for any future restoration or developments that may come up. Chaix mentioned that the planning commission should be doing an update to the survey taken in 2000 soon.

Chaix is also planning on making a few changes to the slideshow to improve it for future viewers. Anyone interested in seeing the slideshow may do so by coming to the historical society office located at 1 Main St. Suite A in Jackson, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

"I got a lot of compliments on it," Chaix added. "There have been a couple people that said 'Wow, we didn't know there was anything like that around.'"