Hydraulic mining was, and remains, controversial.It produced
great wealth from the soil of California, yet damaged the land in
such a way that the scars will remain for eons. Great hillsides
were denuded of soil by streams of water which boggle the
imagination, and the sediment which was washed away filled the
streambeds of the valleys below, causing flooding which decimated
agriculture and inundated towns.
This important new work, the first book-length study of the
subject, provides a complete history of hydraulic mining, its
background and eventual demise. Mining techniques prior to the
hydraulic period are described, as are the inventions which
followed.
The only true invention of a completely new method of mining to
be introduced in the California gold fields was hydraulic mining.
Today it seems almost incredible that it took so long for someone
to finally get the rather simple idea of using a hose and nozzle
under pressure to wash down a bank of gravel. The author gives
detailed treatment to the inventions and technology developed for
hydraulic mining.
The story of the particular mines, of the litigation concerning
them, labor problems in them, and individuals who played major
roles in their operation are all discussed.
The story of the richest gravel deposits in California, located
in the area drained by three major river systems-the American,
Yuba, and Feather and also a smaller, but strategically located
stream known as the Bear River, are closely chronicled. The region
in Nevada County known as the San Juan Ridge, considered by
Waldemar Lindgren as the richest Tertiary gravel deposit in all of
California, receives special attention.
A magnificent water system was constructed in the Sierra which
thrust the mining industry into the forefront of engineering and
technological advances-but the way would be plagued by trial and
error, disappointment and considerable failure.
Neither a condemnation nor an apologia of hydraulic mining in
California, this book attempts an unbiased look at this most
controversial of subjects. Although most of the research materials
available for this study, such as government mining publications,
were written by persons mostly sympathetic to the industry,
sufficient objectivity and balance have been maintained to help the
reader come to a fair judgment regarding hydraulic mining.
The author's notes and selected bibliography testify to the
scope of the research materials utilized in this study.
Illustrations and maps portray the mining areas and the tools
and techniques used in hydraulic mining.
The final court battles between the "anti-debris" forces and the
miners is detailed and analyzed, as the demise of hydraulic mining
was accomplished by its foes.
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