Collection: Directories and Documents > Pamphlets

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Title: Sketches of Nevada County (PH 10-12)(06-16-1970) Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Pamphlets Catalog #: PH 10-12 Author: Chet Mell Published: 06-16-1970 # of Pages: 7 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Metadata By: Shelby Figueroa Printed or handwritten: All typed text Date Scanned: 2024-11-19 11:01:23 Scanned By: Shelby Figueroa Scanning Equipment: CZUR Book Scanner OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: JPGs First Created: 2025-03-17 05:48:57 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 05:48:57

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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known as the East Eureka, on Union Hill; later a shaft was sunk 2% miles from Grass Valley, on the Colfax Road. As a part of the Idaho~ Maryland Complex, it came into it's own. The Eureka was discovered in 1851, on the North Fork of the Wolf Creek Tributary, bordering the Idaho, as well. Mr. William ‘‘att, purchased it for $400 000 in 1865, within two years it had produced over $2 Million, and a $500,000 pro~ fit for the owner. In 1873, the rich vein disappeared, and the mine worked itself out by 1877, but in the period that Mr. \latt operated it, it produced $4,600,000; and became a part of the Idaho-Maryland complex in 1930, The Coleman Brothers, mentioned earlier, having sold the North Star, (a bit to early), bought the Idaho in 1867, though a large group of owners had started it, in 1863, but the vhaft wasn't started until 1865. Under the original group, it was a rathe> meager producer, but under the Coleman's, until 1891, it had produced over $12 Million, and paid over $6 Million in dividends, In 1925, it came into it's own once more, as one of the big producers, a part of the Idaho-hiaryland Group. A Golden Center Mine was right in the heart of Grass Valley, having . about 150 acres of Mineral rights, it used the Peabody <haft, and it was noted for having water problems, for it bordered Volt Creek. But it was a profitable Mine under Mr. Cooley Butler, and it's Incline . Shaft was cut by the Vertical shaft of the Scotia Mine, 2 modern Min-~ ing Complex, just iYest of Town. Allison Ranch Mine is south ox Bese ey Valley, and reached a depth of 1600 feet. It produced for it's owners some $2.3 Million, when it closed in 1896, never to Té=OpeNe Up on Opher Hill is perhaps the most famous of all the Mining Com= plexes, which in later years, became the Empire~North star Mine Group, a part of the Ne:mont Mining Company, of New York, George Roberts started the original Empire Mine on Opher Hill in 1850, and sold i 4 at an auction in 1851, In 12 years, it produced over $1 MeL ton ret in 1878, it was closed as being to deep to operate profitably. eae re-opened in 1883, for seven more years, and then at the turn e 2 Century it came into it's own, and under the direction of the oun s : Family, it produced many Millions, From 1891 until 1928, Sasi $30,367,596 Dollars, and a total of over $35 Million, since Bost When it closed down in 1956, do to strikes and low return for a A the Incline Shaft had reached a depth of 11,007 feet.» The funpe . and shaft from this complex make up one of the hughest networks o Nee oes Systems to be found, for eventually it reached into the re aren Complex, which iS on the opposite side of Town. The Empire ae €a the Pennsylvania Mine, and the operation of the Pennsy, con-= tinued for many years, but the ore was taken by rail to the Empire stamp Mill for it's processing, The North Star on Lafayette Hill, West of ‘olf Creek, was discovered in 1851, and the Coleman Brothers bought it in 1860, for $15,000, and Beir years it paid a half million in dividends, and the Colemans ane Testor $450,000, but in 1875 the Mine Closed, as being worked ai , in 1884, it started up again, with ten years of high yield, and g Re again for six years; then in 1900, it started to produce, and oes it was consolidated with the Empire, it had produced nearly ep lle), about 10 percent of the Nevada County's Gold. The In-~ 5 ine Shaft of the North Star, was well over 11,000 feet, and a newer caeeee Shaft was sunk, which was a Vertical Hole, that penetrated the ree Incline Shaft, twice, The Central Power Plant, was a \Jater ‘Jheel _ Pelton Wheel) driven Air Compressor »ystem, that provided all of the power to the Mine operation, This is now a part of the Historical vociety Museum, where the largest Diameter Pelton ‘’heel in the ‘/orld Still stands on it's original base, Nevada County Hard Rock Mines, produced from 1880 to 1939, nearly $201 Million in Gold, alone, and it ae estimated, that the Hydraulic and Earlier Mining ventures had prouced another $100 Million, $0, a thumbnail historical sketch come to a close, Unlike the Comstock Lode of Nevada, which worked itself out th a Span of 20 years, (the decline of Silver Markets, helped too), : e Northern Mines spanned a period of 116 years, and when they closed pOuns 1t was no longer profitable to bring the Ore to the surface, ecause the strikes, Costs and Fixed Gold Price, made it so. There Sta remains, untold wealth beneath the streets of our Cities, where ive safely remains, until such time as the need for Gold and a fairaren Will make it profitable to remove it. sone going down on the Incline (generally followed a ledge at about ie to 50 degrees from the horizontal, and some reached depths of more rs an 11,000 feet, to:a vertical depth of over 4,000 feets; (about 1400 cet below Sea~level), Hoisting these long depths became difficult.