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Collection: Photographs > North Star Mining Museum

Assorted Mining Photos (PIC 7-NSMMA) (17 images)

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Hydraulic Mining 2
Catalog #: PIC 7-NSMMA 9
Assorted mining-related historical photos.

Subjects: North Star Mining Museum
Digital Only? Digital
Scanned on: 2025-05-05 18:44:17
File Size: 1.29 MB
Dimensions (pixels): 1,661 x 3,253
Print Sizes:
  • 4" x 6" = 813 dpi,
  • 5" x 7" = 651 dpi,
  • 8" x 10" = 407 dpi
    • They Washed Away Mountains Miners, being an ingenious lot, found they could get at buried river gravels on a grand scale by piping water at high pressure through a nozzle called a giant, or monitor. From a rawhide hose used in the early 1850's by Anthony Chabot (of Oakland fame), the monitor evolved into a cannon-like monster weighing up to a ton, swiveling to reach its prey and having a business end as much as ten inches in diameter. This device could wash away entire hillsides, the mud being run thrgugh sluiceboxes to recover gold. Riverbeds all the way into the Sacramento Valley became choked with debris thus artificially eroded from the mountains. Flooded lowlanders rose in fury, resulting in the Sawyer court decision of 1884 that supposedly halted all operations except those able to contain their debris. Pockets of illegal hydraulicking went merrily on even as valley spies prowled the hostile hills, until in time the law prevailed. Most spectacular of all hydraulic mines was the huge Malakoff (now a State park) at North Bloomfield on the San Juan Ridge. Small giant throws an arc into Deer Creek during demonstration at Nevada City plaza. Box at back end is loaded with rocks as counterweight. JAf