Volume 034-4 - October 1980 (8 pages)

Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin Volume 34, No. 4 October 1980 THE ALPHA DIGGINGS By Robert I. Slyter The early feverish activity of the quest for gold in every creek, canyon and river of the Washington Mining District took the seekers into the ravines, draining a hill near the town of Washington into the South Yuba River. Colonel Crumbecker is credited with taking out $100,000 worth of gold in 1850, and then returning to Kentucky. According to local tradition, Henderson and Roberts took out small nuggets by the tin bucket full at another, steep, narrow ravine on the evestern side of the hill. Charles Phelps and McVey, who followed these ravines in search for the source of this gold, discovered the very rich auriferous channel. This channel is part of the main channel which extends from Omega to North Bloomfield. Since the first diggings ‘were at this location, they named the site Alpha, which is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. The earliest name for the site is stated to have been “‘Hellout-for-noon’’. Phelps filed a claim for mining and water rights but, believing that another hill across the canyon was a better prospect, he sold out to McNeal and McVey. He mined his second hill, which was named for him, until his death in 1903. We may ‘question whether this was a good move; it was reported that the total value of his estate did not exceed $270. According to Nevada County historians, Alpha Diggings was one of the richest placer mines in the county. W.B. Clark, in his Gold Districts of California! credits Alpha with the production of more than $2,000,000 in gold. This is a very low estimate. In its hey-days, Alpha was dependent on Nevada City for supplies. Later, the narrow gauge railroad which connected the Towle Brothers sawmill (about 2 miles SW of Alpha) with Towle, a small place on the Southern Pacific Railroad, brought freight to the Washington Mining District from Dutch Flat. The trade with Nevada City accordingly declined. “AUPHINAND OMEGA iy NORTH OF HERE WERE THE TOWNS OF ALPHA AND? OMEGA, NAMEDSBY GOLD MINERS IN THE EARLY BSOSMTHE TREMENDOUS ‘HYDRAULIC DIGGINGS, VISIBLE ROM NEAR -THISWPOINT, .ENGULFED MOST OF THE ORIGINAL TOWNSITES®ALIPHAGWAS: “THE BIRTHPLACE ‘OF FAMEDSOPERAVSINGER sEMMAWNEVADAy. MINING AT OMEGASCONTINUED WUNTIDMI949;—,AND @ UMBERING OPERATIONS WARE SCARRIEDYO HERE TODAY. “CAMIFORNIA ECISTERED™ HISTORICAL aLVANDMARKSINOSNE28%629.0 PLAGUE’ PLACED! ‘BY THe CACIFORNIASTATE PARK COMMISSION: iN COOPERATION WITH WHE NEVADA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, SEPTEMBER 7 1958. The food, tools, blasting powder and other supplies, bought by the Alpha miners in Nevada City, was paid for in gold dust or nuggets. The Nevada City merchants turned this gold over to the San Francisco Mint and credited mines in the Nevada City area as the source of this gold. The merchants often owned or had interest in a local mine; mint receipts were of enormous importance in convincing a prospective buyer of the value of the mine. Little is known of the history of Alpha. Neither Alpha, Omega or Washington ever had a newspaper. The closest town with a newspaper was Dutch Flat, where the Enquirer was published from 1860 until 1868. It is therefore fortunate that an early inhabitant, Stephen S. Jones, kept a diary. With some gaps, this diary runs from January 1, 1859 until December 31, 1864. Jones came to California in 1853 and was already living in Alpha for some years when he started his diary. This diary gives a very interesting and detailed account of a miner’s life, shoveling gravel, piling rock, cutting timber, cleaning bedrock (where most of the gold was found), repairing flumes, cleaning ditches of mud or ice, often wading in icy water all day and, most important, spending his free evenings and holidays. We will frequently quote from Jones’ diary and use the abbreviation “JD” to indicate this. 23.

Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin Volume 34, No. 4 October 1980 THE ALPHA DIGGINGS By Robert I. Slyter The early feverish activity of the quest for gold in every creek, canyon and river of the Washington Mining District took the seekers into the ravines, draining a hill near the town of Washington into the South Yuba River. Colonel Crumbecker is credited with taking out $100,000 worth of gold in 1850, and then returning to Kentucky. According to local tradition, Henderson and Roberts took out small nuggets by the tin bucket full at another, steep, narrow ravine on the evestern side of the hill. Charles Phelps and McVey, who followed these ravines in search for the source of this gold, discovered the very rich auriferous channel. This channel is part of the main channel which extends from Omega to North Bloomfield. Since the first diggings ‘were at this location, they named the site Alpha, which is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. The earliest name for the site is stated to have been “‘Hellout-for-noon’’. Phelps filed a claim for mining and water rights but, believing that another hill across the canyon was a better prospect, he sold out to McNeal and McVey. He mined his second hill, which was named for him, until his death in 1903. We may ‘question whether this was a good move; it was reported that the total value of his estate did not exceed $270. According to Nevada County historians, Alpha Diggings was one of the richest placer mines in the county. W.B. Clark, in his Gold Districts of California! credits Alpha with the production of more than $2,000,000 in gold. This is a very low estimate. In its hey-days, Alpha was dependent on Nevada City for supplies. Later, the narrow gauge railroad which connected the Towle Brothers sawmill (about 2 miles SW of Alpha) with Towle, a small place on the Southern Pacific Railroad, brought freight to the Washington Mining District from Dutch Flat. The trade with Nevada City

accordingly declined. “AUPHINAND OMEGA iy NORTH OF HERE WERE THE TOWNS OF ALPHA AND? OMEGA, NAMEDSBY GOLD MINERS IN THE EARLY BSOSMTHE TREMENDOUS ‘HYDRAULIC DIGGINGS, VISIBLE ROM NEAR -THISWPOINT, .ENGULFED MOST OF THE ORIGINAL TOWNSITES®ALIPHAGWAS: “THE BIRTHPLACE ‘OF FAMEDSOPERAVSINGER sEMMAWNEVADAy. MINING AT OMEGASCONTINUED WUNTIDMI949;—,AND @ UMBERING OPERATIONS WARE SCARRIEDYO HERE TODAY. “CAMIFORNIA ECISTERED™ HISTORICAL aLVANDMARKSINOSNE28%629.0 PLAGUE’ PLACED! ‘BY THe CACIFORNIASTATE PARK COMMISSION: iN COOPERATION WITH WHE NEVADA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, SEPTEMBER 7 1958. The food, tools, blasting powder and other supplies, bought by the Alpha miners in Nevada City, was paid for in gold dust or nuggets. The Nevada City merchants turned this gold over to the San Francisco Mint and credited mines in the Nevada City area as the source of this gold. The merchants often owned or had interest in a local mine; mint receipts were of enormous importance in convincing a prospective buyer of the value of the mine. Little is known of the history of Alpha. Neither Alpha, Omega or Washington ever had a newspaper. The closest town with a newspaper was Dutch Flat, where the Enquirer was published from 1860 until 1868. It is therefore fortunate that an early inhabitant, Stephen S. Jones, kept a diary. With some gaps, this diary runs from January 1, 1859 until December 31, 1864. Jones came to California in 1853 and was already living in Alpha for some years when he started his diary. This diary gives a very interesting and detailed account of a miner’s life, shoveling gravel, piling rock, cutting timber, cleaning bedrock (where most of the gold was found), repairing flumes, cleaning ditches of mud or ice, often wading in icy water all day and, most important, spending his free evenings and holidays. We will frequently quote from Jones’ diary and use the abbreviation “JD” to indicate this. 23.