April 24, 1974 (8 pages)

PERIODICALS SERTION i. nat ; GAL. ST. LIBRARY "(5-16-74 : ‘SACTO. CAL. 95814 ‘ NEVADA COU ; meat cart Dect NTY N CE G Omega, French Corral, Rough and Ready, Graniteville, North Sweetland, Alpha, Ser: ng the communities of Nevada City, Grass Valley, ated p Dog, Town Talk, Glenbrook. Little York, Cherokee, M ooney Flat, : r City, W alloupa, Gouge Eye, Lime Kiln, Chicago Park, Wolf, Christmas Hili, Peardale, Summit San, Juan, North Bloomfield, Humbug, Relief Hill, Washington, Blue Tent, LaBarr Meadows, Cedar Ridge, Union Flat, Sebastopol, Quaker Hill, Gold Bar, Lowell Hill, Bourbon Hill, Scotch Hill, North Columbia, Columbia Hill, Brandy Hill, Liberty Hill, Sailor Flat, Lake City, Selby Flat, Grizzly Hill, Gold Flat, Soggsville, Tremens. Delirium House, Anthony Hill, Remington Flat, Orleans Flat, Willow Valley, Newtown, Indian-Flat, Bridgeport, Birchville, Moore’s 10Cents A Copy. Wednesday, April 24,1974 2 ‘VOLUME 49° ydraulic mining was a part of N. C.’s history o Yuba Rivers. . . it followed, then, that the largest and most mines were founded Perhaps the best definition of successful there. . . and set off operated and ‘“‘hydraulic. mining’ is that devastation of utter of period a in written by one Harry Wells the county. over all ridges the History of Nevada County likely that record of matter a is It published by Thompson and By PHYLLIS L. SMITH storage facilities for the debris. down his decision which efdamage being done by the A fine idea on paper, but putting fectively ended _ full-scale debris washed down onto their it into practice was very costly. . hydraulic mining. It came about land from the mines above . beyond the value of the gold long-waged them. as a result of the war between mining men on the ridge and the valley farmers. . . the latter claiming great recovered and so an era of en So, . the mines were licensed to operate if they could provide i ; ' deavor and golden hopes came to an end in California. n 1880 more “han _ 1850 and West in 1880. It reads, in part. . . betwee of ditches were 6,500 miles constructed to carry run-off (and therefore very cheap) water from the melting snows of the higher reaches of the Sierra to the mines down below. Un-° of little dams and tunnel in which is set a system of counted scores of mule-trail miles more many flumes or sluices for catching built in also were “roads” the gold and being finally of this new and exdischarged into a ravine or support project. profitable ceedingly canyon and denominated ,” It is estimated that more than million was spent by in$100 A “Connecticut Yankee,” who s in the new form of vestor was also a miner, Edward E. in California by the year Matteson, has been given credit mining in this day of figures Even for being the person responsible 1882. astronomical ing reach for putting water under pressure “washing down the auriferous hills of the gravel range by directing a powerful stream of water against the bank, the dirt and rocks being carried by the water through a deep cut or dimensions, that is no trifling to work in such an operation. after the fact! His discovery came about sum 90 years while he was working on a gravel claim, in 1853, near Nevada City with a chap named Eli Miller. Matteson designed a canvas hose to which was attached a lightweight sheetmetal Of all of the mines in the Ridge region perhaps the richest was the Bloomfield Hydraulic Mine at North Bloomfield. . . in the heart of our now famous park at the old “Malakoff Diggin’s” a short 14-15 mile ride from nozzle. With this contraption, downtown Nevada City. the two men first washed some gravel from a small hill and quickly panned out the gold which glittered enticingly before their eyes. Matteson’s brain-child met Mine manager W. Hamilton Smith, Jr. (no relation to. the writer) kept some records that make interesting reading for y visitors and other tor buffs his books show that with almost instant success, the to the area. His period, 1875 to news of the new gadget traveled lightning-fast across the hills and valleys of Nevada county. Soon miners in Rough and Ready and over in Little York were giving it trial runs. Wherever water could be ob tained in abundance the method proved successful and terribly exciting. It wasn’t long before hydraulic mining was the biggest item on many tongues and soon capital and ambitious men began pouring into this area. in one 10-year 1885, a total of $2,611,800 was taken from 26,619,571 yards of gravel for a yield of 9.81 cents per cubic yard. . . a figure seldom matched or topped as far as local records show. But, all ‘‘good” things must eventually’ come to an end. Whether one is of the opinion that hydraulic mining was either good or bad, it must be admitted as a source of great wealth for quite a few op hard-headed Notably ‘the richest gravel portunists and for quite a deposits in the county were to be on i.< San Juan Ridge found dividing the South and Middle business heads period. On January 9, 1884, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer handed i me at the edge of his ELLWOOD ELLINGER stands near the partially bloc ked spillway into his pond and have moved . pond near the Colfax Highway. About 12 beavers 5.) page on story have begun housekeeping. _ (See d

PERIODICALS SERTION i. nat ; GAL. ST. LIBRARY "(5-16-74 : ‘SACTO. CAL. 95814 ‘ NEVADA COU ; meat cart Dect NTY N CE G Omega, French Corral, Rough and Ready, Graniteville, North Sweetland, Alpha, Ser: ng the communities of Nevada City, Grass Valley, ated p Dog, Town Talk, Glenbrook. Little York, Cherokee, M ooney Flat, : r City, W alloupa, Gouge Eye, Lime Kiln, Chicago Park, Wolf, Christmas Hili, Peardale, Summit San, Juan, North Bloomfield, Humbug, Relief Hill, Washington, Blue Tent, LaBarr Meadows, Cedar Ridge, Union Flat, Sebastopol, Quaker Hill, Gold Bar, Lowell Hill, Bourbon Hill, Scotch Hill, North Columbia, Columbia Hill, Brandy Hill, Liberty Hill, Sailor Flat, Lake City, Selby Flat, Grizzly Hill, Gold Flat, Soggsville, Tremens. Delirium House, Anthony Hill, Remington Flat, Orleans Flat, Willow Valley, Newtown, Indian-Flat, Bridgeport, Birchville, Moore’s 10Cents A Copy. Wednesday, April 24,1974 2 ‘VOLUME 49° ydraulic mining was a part of N. C.’s history o Yuba Rivers. . . it followed, then, that the largest and most mines were founded Perhaps the best definition of successful there. . . and set off operated and ‘“‘hydraulic. mining’ is that devastation of utter of period a in written by one Harry Wells the county. over all ridges the History of Nevada County likely that record of matter a is It published by Thompson and By PHYLLIS L. SMITH storage facilities for the debris. down his decision which efdamage being done by the A fine idea on paper, but putting fectively ended _ full-scale debris washed down onto their it into practice was very costly. . hydraulic mining. It came about land from the mines above . beyond the value of the gold long-waged them. as a result of the war between mining men on the ridge and the valley farmers. . . the latter claiming great recovered and so an era of en So, .. the mines were licensed to operate if they could provide i ; ' deavor and golden hopes came to an end in California. n 1880 more “han _ 1850 and West in 1880. It reads, in part. . . betwee of ditches were 6,500 miles constructed to carry run-off (and therefore very cheap) water from the melting snows of the higher reaches of the Sierra to the mines down below. Un-° of little dams and tunnel in which is set a system of counted scores of mule-trail miles more many flumes or sluices for catching built in also were “roads” the gold and being finally of

this new and exdischarged into a ravine or support project. profitable ceedingly canyon and denominated ,” It is estimated that more than million was spent by in$100 A “Connecticut Yankee,” who s in the new form of vestor was also a miner, Edward E. in California by the year Matteson, has been given credit mining in this day of figures Even for being the person responsible 1882. astronomical ing reach for putting water under pressure “washing down the auriferous hills of the gravel range by directing a powerful stream of water against the bank, the dirt and rocks being carried by the water through a deep cut or dimensions, that is no trifling to work in such an operation. after the fact! His discovery came about sum 90 years while he was working on a gravel claim, in 1853, near Nevada City with a chap named Eli Miller. Matteson designed a canvas hose to which was attached a lightweight sheetmetal Of all of the mines in the Ridge region perhaps the richest was the Bloomfield Hydraulic Mine at North Bloomfield. . . in the heart of our now famous park at the old “Malakoff Diggin’s” a short 14-15 mile ride from nozzle. With this contraption, downtown Nevada City. the two men first washed some gravel from a small hill and quickly panned out the gold which glittered enticingly before their eyes. Matteson’s brain-child met Mine manager W. Hamilton Smith, Jr. (no relation to. the writer) kept some records that make interesting reading for y visitors and other tor buffs his books show that with almost instant success, the to the area. His period, 1875 to news of the new gadget traveled lightning-fast across the hills and valleys of Nevada county. Soon miners in Rough and Ready and over in Little York were giving it trial runs. Wherever water could be ob tained in abundance the method proved successful and terribly exciting. It wasn’t long before hydraulic mining was the biggest item on many tongues and soon capital and ambitious men began pouring into this area. in one 10-year 1885, a total of $2,611,800 was taken from 26,619,571 yards of gravel for a yield of 9.81 cents per cubic yard. . . a figure seldom matched or topped as far as local records show. But, all ‘‘good” things must eventually’ come to an end. Whether one is of the opinion that hydraulic mining was either good or bad, it must be admitted as a source of great wealth for quite a few op hard-headed Notably ‘the richest gravel portunists and for quite a deposits in the county were to be on i.< San Juan Ridge found dividing the South and Middle business heads period. On January 9, 1884, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer handed i me at the edge of his ELLWOOD ELLINGER stands near the partially bloc ked spillway into his pond and have moved . pond near the Colfax Highway. About 12 beavers 5.) page on story have begun housekeeping. _ (See d