Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park

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Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
Malakoff Diggins, State Historic Park (Retouched).JPG
Canyon wall created by hydraulic mining at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
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Location Nevada County, California, United States
Nearest city Nevada City, California
Coordinates 39°21′46″N120°55′28″W / 39.36278°N 120.92444°W / 39.36278; -120.92444
Area3,143 acres (12.72 km2)
Established1965
Governing body California Department of Parks and Recreation
Malakoff Diggins-North Bloomfield Historic District
Area865 acres (350 ha)
Builtc. 1850–1899
NRHP reference No. 73000418
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1973 [1]

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is a state park unit preserving Malakoff Diggins, the largest hydraulic mining site in California, United States. The mine was one of several hydraulic mining sites at the center of the 1882 landmark case Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company. [2] The mine pit and several Gold Rush-era buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Malakoff Diggins-North Bloomfield Historic District. [3] The "canyon" is 7,000 feet (2,100 m) long, as much as 3,000 feet (910 m) wide, and nearly 600 feet (180 m) deep in places. Visitors can see huge cliffs carved by mighty streams of water, results of the mining technique of washing away entire mountains of gravel to wash out the gold. The park is 26 miles (42 km) north-east of Nevada City, California, in the Gold Rush country. [4] The 3,143-acre (1,272 ha) park was established in 1965. [5]

Contents

History

Hydraulic mining underway in North Bloomfield in 1890 North Bloomfield Mine (Malakoff Diggins) - a7195.gif
Hydraulic mining underway in North Bloomfield in 1890

The Malakoff mine pit on the San Juan Ridge is the impetus for one of the nation's first environmental protection measures.

In 1850 there was little gold left in streams. Miners began to discover gold in old riverbeds and on mountainsides high above the streams. In 1851 three miners headed northeast of what is now Nevada City for a less crowded area to prospect. One miner went back to town with a pocket full of gold nuggets for supplies and was followed back by many prospectors. These followers, however, did not find any gold and declared the area "Humbug", thus the stream was so named "Humbug Creek". Around 1852, settlers began to arrive in the area and the town of "Humbug" sprang up. These miners could not decide how to move the dirt to a place where there was water. [6]

By 1853 miners invented a new method of mining called hydraulic mining. Dams were built high in the mountains. The water traveled from the reservoirs through a wooden canal called a flume that was up to 45 miles (72 km) long. The water ran swiftly to the canvas hoses and nozzles called monitors waiting in the old riverbeds. The miners would aim the monitors at the hillsides to wash the gravel into huge sluices. Over time the monitors became bigger and more powerful. Their force was so great they could toss a fifty-pound rock like a cannonball or even kill a person. Over 300 Chinese worked on this project and two Chinese settlements existed in North Bloomfield.

By 1857 the town had grown to 500 residents. Locals felt the name "Humbug" was too undignified and renamed the town "Bloomfield", but California already had a town by this name so they renamed the town "North Bloomfield".

In the late 1860s the towns of Marysville and Yuba City were buried under 25 feet (7.6 m) of mud and rock, and Sacramento flooded repeatedly. [7] The farmers in the valleys complained about the tailings that flooded their land and ruined their crops. Thousands of acres of rich farmland and property were destroyed as a result of hydraulic mining.

By 1876 the mine was in full operation with 7 giant water cannons working around the clock. The town had grown to a population of around 2000 with various business and daily stage service. In 1880 electric lights were installed in the mine and the world's first long-distance telephone line was developed to service the mine, passing through North Bloomfield as it made its way from French Corral to Bowman Lake. [8]

By 1883 San Francisco Bay was estimated to be filling with silt at a rate of one foot per year. [6] Debris, silt, and millions of gallons of water used daily by the mine caused extensive flooding, prompting Sacramento valley farmers to file the lawsuit Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company . On January 7, 1884, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer declared hydraulic mining illegal. [9]

Climate

At an altitude of 3,248 feet (990 m), Malakoff Diggins generally has warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Weather can change rapidly any time of the year. Rain and snow fall usually from October until April, though there may be thunderstorm activity in the summer as well. [4]

North Bloomfield

The visitor center has exhibits depicting life in the old mining town of North Bloomfield, with a past population of 1,500 that served as a supply base for the Diggins. About a block of buildings, some dating to the 1850s, are restored or re-created in a Gold Rush style, including white picket fences. One of the buildings is used as park headquarters and there is a museum with old artifacts, and a model showing how hydraulics worked. In summer, park rangers lead tours through a general store, a furnished home, and a drugstore whose shelves are lined with bottles, boxes and vials of medicines. A church, schoolhouse and other buildings are also part of the tour.

Park facilities include hiking trails, picnic area, swimming and fishing, a campground and rustic cabins that can be rented by campers.

Humbug Days, including a parade and barbecue, is an annual event. [10]

Hiking and trails

Looking out the Hiller Tunnel near Malakoff Diggins Hiller Tunnel, Malakoff Diggins.jpg
Looking out the Hiller Tunnel near Malakoff Diggins

Visitors to the state historic park can hike on miles of trails. The mining pit is unfenced and accessible from the road and pathways that surround it. Hikers can enter the 556-foot-long (169 m) Hiller Tunnel, through which water for the mining operation once flowed. The park also contains a 7,847-foot (2,392 m) bedrock tunnel that served as a drain. Other hiking includes: [11]

Proposed for closure

Malakoff Diggins was one of 70 California state parks proposed for closure by July 2012 as part of a deficit reduction program. [12] It was previously one of many state parks threatened with closure in 2008. Those closures were ultimately avoided by cutting hours and maintenance system-wide. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydraulic mining</span> Mining technique using high-pressure water jets to carve away minerals

Hydraulic mining is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold. It is also used in mining kaolin and coal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Country</span> Historic gold-mining region in Northern California

The Gold Country is a historic region in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, that is primarily on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Yuba River State Park</span> State park in California, United States

South Yuba River State Park is located along the South Fork of the Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada, within Nevada County, in Northern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Mine State Historic Park</span> State-protected site in California

Empire Mine State Historic Park is a state-protected mine and park in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Grass Valley, California, U.S. The Empire Mine is on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal Historic District, and a California Historical Landmark. Since 1975 California State Parks has administered and maintained the mine as a historic site. The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California". Between 1850 and its closure in 1956, the Empire Mine produced 5.8 million ounces of gold, extracted from 367 miles (591 km) of underground passages.

You Bet is a small unincorporated community in Nevada County, California. You Bet is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Grass Valley and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northeast of Chicago Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Juan Ridge</span>

The San Juan Ridge is a geographic feature extending approximately 24 miles (39 km) east-northeast between the South and Middle Yuba Rivers in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada. The elevation is approximately 790 m (2,600 ft) above sea level.

North Bloomfield is a small unincorporated community located in Nevada County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company</span> Historic site in North Bloomfield, California

The North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company of North Bloomfield, California, was established in 1866 and operated a hydraulic gold-mining operation at the Malakoff Mine subsequent to the California Gold Rush. In its day, no other company's operations matched North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company in size or expense. The company operated until 1910. In the years prior, its profits and procedures had been reduced due to the landmark ruling of Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company.

Lake City is an unincorporated community in Nevada County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3300 ft. about 10 miles northeast of Nevada City as the crow flies, and about three miles southeast of North Columbia, and three miles southwest of North Bloomfield. It is located at the junction of modern day North Bloomfield, Back Bone and Lake City Roads. It was an important mining and transportation center in the second half of the 19th century.

Moore's Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge about 19 miles northeast of Nevada City, California and about 5 miles northeast of North Bloomfield, California. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba at an elevation of about 4200 ft. On either side of it, lay the mining towns of Orleans Flat and Woolsey's Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled around 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats." All three were part of Eureka Township.

Orleans Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge about 20 miles northeast of Nevada City, California and about 5 miles northeast of North Bloomfield, California. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba River at an elevation of about 4200 ft. To the west lay the mining towns of Moore's Flat and Woolsey's Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled around 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats." All three were part of Eureka Township.

Woolsey Flat or Woolsey's Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge, located about 17 miles northeast of Nevada City and about 3 miles northeast of North Bloomfield. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba at an elevation of about 4200 ft. To the east lay the mining towns of Moore's Flat and Orleans Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled in 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats. All three were part of Eureka Township.

Birchville is a historic mining and agricultural community in Nevada County, California. Birchville is located about 10 miles northwest of Nevada City and about 2 miles northeast of French Corral. It is situated at an elevation of 1,765 ft (538 m) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Tent, California</span> Mining community in California, United States

Blue Tent is a historic 19th century gold mining community located about six miles northeast of Nevada City, California.

Cherokee is a former gold mining community in Nevada County, California. As explained below, it has also been known as Patterson, Melrose and Tyler. It is located on the San Juan Ridge about 4 miles east of North San Juan. Its elevation is 2,516 ft (767 m) above sea level.

Little York is the name of one of the first gold mining towns established in Nevada County, California as well as the name of the township in which it was situated. The town was located on the Lowell Ridge between Steephollow Creek and the Bear River, about 13 miles east of Nevada City, California and about 1 mile southwest of Dutch Flat, California at an elevation of about 2800 feet.

Malakoff is a former settlement in Nevada County, California. It lay at an elevation of 3051 feet. Malakoff is located 1.25 miles (2.0 km) west of North Bloomfield.

Relief Hill is an unincorporated community in Nevada County, California. Relief Hill is located roughly midway between North Bloomfield and the town of Washington. It lies at an elevation of 3,947 feet. The post office established in 1894 was named Relief, and that name appears on some maps, especially those from around the turn of the nineteenth century. However, the town's inhabitants and most historians called it Relief Hill. The post office was discontinued in 1921.

Remington Hill is a historic mining camp in Nevada County, California which prospered in the second half of the 19th century. It was named for Caleb Remington, a prominent local miner who lived mostly in neighboring Little York, where he died in 1865. It lay at an elevation of 4052 feet. It was situated around present Chalk Bluff Road about one mile south of Highway 20 and about 5.5 miles southeast of the town of Washington and 6 miles northeast of Dutch Flat, as the crow flies.

<i>Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company</i>

The case of Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company was a lawsuit brought to California courts in 1882 where a group of local farmers sued North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company over damages caused to farmland in the Central Valley. The farmers who brought the suit claimed that the company's hydraulic mining operations resulted in the disposal of excess sediment, debris, and chemicals in local rivers. Prosecutors argued that the debris raised river beds and restricted flow in the rivers leading to heavy man-made flooding. In the years prior, flooding of debris and chemicals had destroyed a large portion of the valley's agriculture.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Malakoff Diggins State Park". malakoffdigginsstatepark.org. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  3. Welts, Allen W. (September 20, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Malakoff Diggins - North Bloomfield Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California State Parks, Beaches and Historic Parks". Wildernet.com. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  5. "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks. p. 32. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  6. 1 2 "North Bloomfield". Ghosttownexplorers.org. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  7. "Onsite Adventures - Malakoff". Museumca.org. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  8. "North Bloomfield, CA". Ghosttown.info. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  9. "Travel - Malakoff Diggins is pure gold". Calgoldrush.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  10. "Auburn Journal" . Retrieved July 6, 2007.
  11. Carter, Dave (May 1994). "Hikes & Walks". Nevada City Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007.
  12. "State Parks Announces Closures" (PDF) (Press release). California State Parks. May 13, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  13. McGreevy, Patrick; Louis Sahagun (September 26, 2009). "State parks to stay open, but with cuts in hours, staffing". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif. Retrieved December 30, 2011.

Further reading