USA > California > Nevada County > Bean's history and directory of Nevada County, California. Containing a complete history of the county, with sketches of the various towns and mining camps also, full statistics of mining and all other industrial resources > Part 42
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N Neece & West's cement mill, Brown's Hill Neece Abraham, miner, Brown's Hill Nichols J. drifter, Hunt's Hill Nichols J. miner, Buckeye Hill Nichols R. miner, Buckeye Hill Noyes John, miner, Hunt's Hill
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O'Conner J. C. miner, Brown's Hill Ott George, miner, Buckeye Hill
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Palmtag George, brewer, Little York Parks A. S. miner, Green Mountain Patterson James, miner, Little York Perrine Emile, miner, Brown's Hill Peters J. G. miner, Little York Phelps G. miner, You Bet Pierce W. J. carpenter, Red Dog Poor J. G. miner, Red Dog Powell Frank, miner, You Bet Powell J. B. miner, Red Dog Preble L. W. miner, Hunt's Hill Price E. miner, Red Dog
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LITTLE YORK TOWNSHIP DIRECTORY.
Pritchard Morris, teacher, You Bet Q Quinlan D. miner, You Bet R
Ragan James, miner, Liberty Hill Ragan Wm. miner, Hunt's Hill Reagan John, merchant, Little York Rebold George, miner, Hunt's Hill Reinhart J. miner, Buckeye Hill Remington & Pond's cem'nt mill, LittleY Rigg T. B. miner, You Bet Riggs B. F. miner. Red Dog Robbins Henry, miner, Chalk Bluff Robinson J. saloon keeper, Hunt's Hill Romig John, teamster, Red Dog Romig Robert, teamster, Red Dog Rose David, water agent, You Bet Rose W. J miner, Little York Rowals Alexander, miner. Lowell Hill Rowland J. blacksmith, You Bet S
Scanned T. miner, Hunt's Hill Schnafiino L. miner, Brown's Hill Schnider C. drifter, Hunt's Hill Schutt A. P. butcher, Little York Scobel John, miner, Green Mountain Scovill John, drifter, Green Mountain Searls H. miner, Red Dog Shelton C. C. miner, Red Dog Shortel M. miner, Little York Simmen F. miner, Buckeye Hill Smith J. miner, Hunt's Hill Snell B. F. butcher, Red Dog Snibly Wm. miner, You Bet Squire J. E. miner, Little York Stanley James, drifter, Hunt's Hill Staniford J. H. miner, Little York Stehr H. miner, Red Dog Stephens J. miner, Red Dog Stewart J. J. miner, Green Mountain Sweeny James, butcher, You Bet Swift Barney, drifter, Green Mountain Swione A. miner, You Bet T
Taylor J. F. blacksmith, Brown's Hill Temple James, miner, Red Dog Terry Frank, miner, Red Dog Thomas Israel, miner, You Bet Thorndyke John, miner, Red Dog Tibbetts A. miner, Buckeye Hill
Tibbetts D. miner, You Bet Timons John, miner, You Bet Todkill James, miner, You Bet Tompson C. miner, Red Dog Tompson Jacob, miner, Sailor Flat Tucker A. miner, Hunt's Hill Tucker & Carney's cement mill, Hunt's H Turner A. B. miner. You Bet Turner A. G. carpenter, Hunt's Hill Turner T. miner, Hunt's Hill Turner Thos. drifter, Green Mountain Twining E. W. miner, Quaker Hill Tyler Charles, miner, Little York Tyler Joseph, miner, Little York
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Vincent D. teamster. You Bet Vincent N. drover, You Bet Voss L. lumberman, Remington Hill
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Wagoner L. V. lumberman, You Bet Walch M. drifter, Green Mountain Walker James, miner, 1 mile E Red Dog Walker John, miner, Red Dog Wear W. N. teamster, Red Dog Welch M. miner, Brown's Hill Weldon O. J. miner, You Bet White H. miner, Brown's Hill Whitton M. miner, You Bet Whitton W. G. miner, Little York WVier James, miner, Red Dog Wier John, miner, Red Dog Wilcox J. W. miner, Quaker Hill Wilkinson M. miner, Little York Williams Ed. miner, You Bet Williams J. merchant, Hunt's Hill Williams R. D. miner, Hunt's Hill Willis Owen, miner, You Bet Willis W. J. laborer, Red Dog Wilson J. miner, You Bet Wilson J. W. miner, Red Dog. Wilson L. miner, You Bet Wilson J. laborer, Hunt's Hill Wood A. miner, Brown's Hill Woodbury George, miner, You Bet Wright & Co's cement mill, & mile east of Red Dog Wright Wm. miner, Red Dog Z
Zimmerman J. miner, You Bet Zimmerman M. miner, Remington Hill-
SKETCH OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
BY JAMES D. WHITE.
The village of Washington is pleasantly situated on the south bank of the South Yuba river, and was among the earliest settled mining towns in the county. At present it is the most flourishing place in the township. Its altitude above the sea is nearly the same as that of Nevada City. It is distant about one mile from Alpha and two miles from Omega, and contains two hotels, several stores and saloons, one butcher shop and one shoe shop.
Mining operations are principally confined to sand bars, or flats along the river. A large number of Chinese have located themselves here, and find profitable mining in the river bed during the dry season. The population of the place, including Mongolians, is not far from 350. No destructive fire has ever visited the town.
The Washington Brass Band, kindly and favorably known throughout the county, has acquired even something more than a local celebrity. It was organ- ized in the month of February 1862, under the management of its present able and effective leader, Mr. Philip Goyne. To the difficulties usual to, and insepera- bly connected with, the organization and drill of associated musical talent, in cities and towns of larger growth, may be added the sparseness of the population of the town of Washington, where the necessity for a local band is neither apparent nor profitable ; offering little incentive to exertion, and less time for that study and those rehearsals which leisure gives, and which are so essential to effectively com- bine and harmonize musical ability. But these difficulties have been overcome, and this band commends itself to-day, to the citizens of this county, by the profi- ciency it has attained, and by the modest and gentlemanly deportment of its mem- bers. Its members are, for the most part, miners, who appropriate the time, after the toils of the day are performed, usually devoted to rest or frivolous amuse- ments, to that close application to their various parts, which has wrung from them that " concord of sweet sounds" to which our citizens have listened so often, and with so much pleasure. On almost every public occasion of recent date, gotten up by the munificent public spirit of the citizens of Nevada or Grass Valley, the serv- ices of this excellent band have been brought into requisition ; and besides the sub- stantial rewards given them, the citizens of Nevada have presented Mr. Goyne, their leader, a beautiful silver mounted cornet, with echo attachment, as an earn-
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nest of their kind appreciation. This Band is composed of the following members : Mr. Philip Goyne, John McBean, John Goyne, Fitz Meister, A. W. Potter, H. F. Wilkison, J. H. Adams and John W. Brown.
OMEGA.
Omega was first settled in 1850. L. Guthrie, Mr. Black, E. C. Paxon and John Dickson were the pioneer residents. From thirty gravel claims, or mines, that have been opened, the sum of $1,500,000 has been taken out. The present mines are mostly deep hill diggings, some of the surface deposits being 150 feet above the bed rock.
The principal mines now being worked, are as follows : Prescott claim, employs eight men, and uses 600 inches of water. Creamer & Teeples employ six men, and use 400 inches of water. Blankin company employ five men and 250 inches of water. The Vulcan ground, owned by M. Cannon, employs four men and 250 inches of water. The Kyle claim employs four men and 200 inches of water. The Schaffer & Foster Co. employ five men and 250 inches of water. O. P. Ellis & Co., in Iowa Ravine, employ four men, and have free water.
There are a number of large quartz veins in the vicinity of Omega, but they show but slight traces of mineral value. Several ledges have been located, but they have not given sufficient surface indications of the presence of gold to attract the attention of capitalists or miners.
There are three ditches that supply the mines with water. The Diamond Creek ditch was completed in 1854, and is owned by Messrs. Creamer & Teeples. The South Yuba Canal Co's ditch was finished in 1859, and takes its supply of water from the Yuba river, at a point above the head of Bear Valley. Immediately below where it is taken out, the water is carried along the side of a frightful, perpendic- ular cliff, in a large flume. The construction of this flume presents one of the greatest triumphs of engineering skill that can be found on the Pacific Coast. The Omega ditch was completed in 1861, and takes its water from the South Yuba, a short distance below the head of Bear Valley. It is twelve miles in length, cost $100,000, and is owned by G. W. Kidd.
The town has been twice destroyed by fire. The first occurred on the 24th of August, 1861, and the last on the 12th of November, 1863. Present population of the place, about 200.
The Sons of Temperance organized a Lodge here in 1855, and have been in a flourishing condition ever since. Number of members, 50.
A Masonic Lodge was established in 1860. Number of members, 22.
A public school is maintained in the place, with about twenty scholars, under the charge, at present, of Miss Sara Fraser.
On Diamond Creek, three miles above Omega, considerable mining has been and is still being carried on. Colbert & Co. employ four men and use 250 inches of water. The Lawrence Co. employ four men and work in the bed of the creek.
Two quartz ledges have been opened immediately above Diamond Creek, called respectively the Enterprise and the Marietta. A quantity of rock from the former claim, worked in Grass Valley, yielded $45 per ton.
ALPHA.
Alpha was settled in the fall of 1852, a Mr. McVay being the pioneer locator. During the years 1854 and '55, it was at the hight of its prosperity, and was one of
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the liveliest mining towns in the county, but now the diggings are nearly worked out. Only one set of hydraulie elaims are now in operation, and these belong to Captain Merriman. It is estimated that $1,250,000 have been taken from the Alpha mines.
ROCKY BAR.
Rocky Bar is pleasantly situated on the north bank of the Sort' Yuba river, about one-half mile above the town of Washington, and contains a population, at present, of thirty persons, among whom are four families. As a class, there are no more steady, intelligent and enterprising citizens to be found in the county. Their homes and comforts are contained in the dozen houses they occupy ; their hopes are centered in the substrata of the Rocky Bar, that recedes gently from their dwellings toward the river's front. This bar was not thoroughly prospected until about four years ago, although locations were made of mining elaims on the upper and lower ends of the bar as early as 1852 ; the first location, where any considerable amount of labor was performed, was made by Roe Harmon, on what are now the elaims of Harroun & Co., and also on what was known as the "Harmon Crevice." This was a erevice or fissure in the bed roek, near the head of the bar, at a point where the sides of the deep channel were narrow and the wash or boil of waters was strongest; and where, also, seemingly the gold from the bed of the channel was thrown, from the bed roek thirty feet below, through the lowest and softest opening that pre- sented itself. At all events, the erevice was very rich, paying from where it left the channel, running with the grain of the bed rock for three hundred feet, until it emptied itself into the present bed of the river. The amount of gold taken out was about eight thousand dollars; but all attempts to follow this erevice, the rich- ness of which led to the subsequent prospecting and development of rich mining claims on the bar, were futile. The bed roek pitched off perpendicularly, and heavy streams of water, the seapage of the river, and the high bar or plateau above, which it would require expensive machinery to drain, supervened between the out- let of the erevice and the bed-rock below.
About this time, Robert Thompson and others connected with him took up a portion of the extreme lower end of the bar, where they worked on a bench of high bed rock, on which a secondary deposit seemed to have been made. This ground was accessable for sluieing and drifting from euts run through the lower bed rock, and was mined with some profit ; although the gold was spotted, and the pay, of course, irregular. The claims were subsequently sold to Henry Kohler, temporarily abandoned, but finally sold to their present proprietors, Messrs. Hazen & Company.
In April, 1862, J. D. Harroun, Henry Randolph, A. F. Mason, H. F. Wilkinson, and William Acers, commenced mining at the bar, having previously located the claims known as Harroun & Co's elaims, commeneing at the upper end of the high bar and extending down the bar six hundred feet. They confined themselves, during the heavy winter of 1861-2, to prospecting the various euts run in and on the bed roek, laid bare by the action of the water at former periods. Having dem- onstrated, to their satisfaction, the existence of a rich deposit of gold on the bar, they proceeded, in April, to commence the construction of machinery for working and drainage. The company were poor, but had unbounded credit. The task of prospecting a rocky and deep channel-how deep they did not know-and of con-
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structing the necessarily expensive machinery to do so, had the dreary promise of being a long and laborious one ; but the hopeful industry and enterprise of the company was equal to its consummation. Enough of the bar was first worked by sluicing, of the secondary deposit, to insure remuneration for continued outlays. An incline was then sunk, but the stream of water was too powerful to be raised to the surface with the appliances in use, and that method of reaching the bed rock was abandoned ; not, however, until rich prospects were struck on the high rock of the channel of the subsiding deposit. A raising wheel and derrick were then con- structed. To propel their machinery, a considerable stream of water was necessary, and a ditch and fiume, from the Yuba, was built at an outlay of two thousand dol- lars, when work in earnest began, by " settling " a large pit at the lower end of the claims. In sinking thirty feet, the upper stratum of pay was reached, which yielded about $1,000. This was found to be contained in a thin streak of yellow and bluish clay, from four inches to one foot in width, lying on a kind of hard-pan or cement, impervious to water ; the gold was coarse, ranging in pieces of from $20 to $50. The sinking continued through a stratum of blue and grayish gravel for about thirty feet below the upper pay streak, yielding nothing until the bed rock was reached. The bowlders were large, slate and granite alternating, presenting the appearance of a powerful wash. The gravel was deep blue; the bed rock of blue slate, for the most part hard and smoothly washed, with an occasional crevice of rough quartz, affording a fine lodgment for gold. The gold was found, usually, in the crevices, but where a considerable space of hard, smooth rock intervened the gravel contained the gold from the depth of from one to four feet. The ground was rich, and from the pit sunk-sixty by eighty feet-the company realized some $8,000. But they had worked two years, had labored hard and steadily, had lived very economically even stingily, from stern necessity, and were still $4,000 in debt ; but they had struck a fortune, and had developed for themselves and others the existence of a paying deposit, hitherto unknown, of almost immeasurable extent and of unsurpassed richness. Virtually, as soon as the bed rock was touched the company were emancipated from the shackles of poverty.
The channel was found to be fifteen feet, vertically, below the present bed of the river, of surprisingly small ascending grade, taking into consideration the immense wash of the bowlders and the bed rock, and varying in width from seventy-five to two hundred feet. The depth of gravel below sluicing grade, the hight of the bank entire, and the nature and locality of the desposit, preclude the possibility of sluicing with profit, and drifting was resorted to. These claims have been contin- uously worked in this manner since the summer of 1864, a portion of the time day and night, with such interruptions as severe winters and high stages of water, since intervening, only have caused. The ground drifts slowly, and but a small portion of this set of claims is worked out. The pay has been irregular, but always good, changing from $150 to $1,200 per week. From four to ten hands are employed. Some very rich pans of gravel are occasionally found, ranging from $100 to $400. About $30,000 have been taken out altogether.
This set of claims deserve, and have received at our hands more than a passing notice, as its geology daguerreotypes the prominent features of claims adjoining and covering the lead, as its discovery was the result of unusual and very com- mendable perseverence on the part of its proprietors, and as its development has marked a new era in mining in Washington township, has led to subsequent remu-
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nerative locations of mining claims by others, and has endowed the town itself with an air and character for business, once so liberally enjoyed but which seemed to have been passing away. The present proprietors are Messrs. Harroun, Randolph, Wilkison and Goodrich.
Commencing at the lower end of Harroun & Co's claims, are the claims of Mc- Knight & Co. This location was made in the names of Henderson McKnight, Henry M. Place and Charles G. Fisk ; Mcknight owning one-half and the other two one-fourth interest each. The ground was first "noticed" in the winter of 1863. They front the river with about two hundred and fifty feet. McKnight com- menced opperations in the spring of 1863 by sinking a pit in the same manner as was done in the claims above. The same tedious and discouraging obstacles pre- sented themselves, although additional impetus to exertion was afforded from the brilliant prospects of the adjoining claim. In process of time, the bed-rock was reached, but no pay was found ; some freak of the rock or of the wash had depos- ited the gold elsewhere in the channel. A drift was run for some distance, and when the patience of the company was well nigh exhausted, their money expended and their credit strained to the utmost, paying gravel was reached, which, yielding constantly ever since, has been a source of wealth to the shareholders. The pay has been even better than that of the claims above. The channel is wider and the bed rock better adapted to holding gold. The drifting, in the main, has been easier, the bowlders smaller and the gravel firmer. The number of men usually employed was from five to ten ; average weekly receipts about $450, while some weeks $1,500 have been taken out, and as high as $1,100 have been extracted in one day, while two pans, the same day, yielded, respectively, twenty-one and twenty-seven ounces. About $25,000 in all have been obtained. After the claims had been worked about two years, McKnight sold to John W. Brown and Samuel Morrison, since which time they have yielded more largely than ever before. McKnight departed imme- diately for the Atlantic States, and was hardly there ere the purchase money for his claims had been obtained from them. A considerable quantity of ground yet remains to be worked. The present owners are Messrs. Place, Fisk, Morrison, and Judge Root.
Hazen & Co. have claims just below and adjoining those of MeKnight & Co., embracing the remaining portion of the channel of the bar to its ingress with the river below. Their frontage of the old river's bed is not large-say 200 feet-but there may be properly included some two hundred feet more, of high bed rock, on which the upper strata of pay rest. As before remarked, these claims were located in an early day, and purchased by the present company, but had been previously worked, with fair success, before the deep channel was struck. The lower deposit was first mined in the year 1865, and has paid, altogether, reasonably well. The channel had narrowed considerably, and turned gradually southward until it ran into the present river's bed. It was followed with drifts until the vein was reached ; when, the gravel becoming shallow, it was thought to be more profitable to await the subsidence of the winter's flood, and resume operations from the surface of the stream. Rich pans of gravel were frequently found ; the weekly receipts were about $150, but have reached, at times, $400 ; usually employ four hands. Mining is now being done on the high rock, with fair prospects of continued remuneration. In the aggregate, about $8,000 have been realized. The present owners are John and Munroe Hazen, George Faulke, and Marion Baker.
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On the extreme upper end of the bar, comprising also a small portion of the bed of the river, and next above the claims of Harroun & Co., are situated Roach & Co's claims. They were located in 1863, by John Roach, an old pioneer of the town of Washington, who subsequently sold one-half-one-quarter to D. J. Moore and the other quarter to John and Philip Goyne. An incline was commenced in the spring of 1864, and an overshot wheel constructed-to which a six-inch Cornish pump was attached. After running the incline through the bed rock about fifty feet, the gravel of the channel was struck, and drifting commenced ; but so great was the sweep of the waters of the channel, emerging through the canon also, that very little pay was found to reward the time and money expended, and the diggings have been temporarily "laid over." What they may yet produce, by continued and more thorough prospecting, is a matter for conjecture ; but it would be most singular if some favorable places on the rock, yet to be discovered 'tis true, did not conceal enough of the precious metal to remunerate for the expensive outlay hith- erto made, and afford a promising margin for substantial profits.
The sets of claims above described comprises all the locations on Rocky Bar proper ; but the teeming evidences of its wealth have led to many locations of the river's bed above the bar.
C. D. Eastin & Co's claims are the first in the river, now held, joining Roach & Co's ground, and above it. They were located by C. D. Eastin, Thomas Marker, Frank Williams and John Shaver. Excepting mining done in an early day, by Thompson & Co., who worked the " top streaks," with indifferent success, no labor of consequence has been performed. These claims are four hundred feet in length.
James D. White & Co's claims were located in 1852, and worked by George P. Clough ; afterward by R. W. Latta & Co .; and still later by straggling bands of Chinamen, and were finally claimed by Harroun & Co. in 1863, and released, by purchase, to James D. White, Charles G. Fisk and Henry M. Place, the present own- ers. They are comprised in that portion of the river lying between Eastin & Co's claims and the dam of Harroun & Co's above-marking 700 feet linear measure- ment. Operations were commenced in July, 1865, by sinking from the surface, about midway of the claims, carrying the sides of the river's bed dam. Contrary to common conjecture, which had rated the depth of the channel at fifteen feet, it was found to be thirty feet below the surface. The necessity of having expensive machinery to work the ground successfully, was apparent when too late to make it available for the season, and hence progress was slow and tedious. The entire season of low water had passed when the bed rock was finally touched. The upper stratum of pay, corresponding with the same stratum in the bar below, was found about five feet below the surface, from which beautiful coarse gold was obtained. Twenty feet of fine looking, but worthless blue gravel were sunk through, when, at the depth of thirty feet from the surface, the bed rock was found, hard and smooth, and the channel narrowed down to the width of an ordinary ground sluice. For ease and rapidity in sinking, the narrowest place had been selected, with the expectancy of pay above. Some gold, resembling that found in the deep channel of the bar, was obtained. As high as six dollars to the pan was found, but a heavy storm coming on the day after the bed rock was reached, the diggings were filled, and operations for the year necessarily suspended. These were the first claims above Rocky Bar in which the bottom of the channel was found-its great depth had hitherto precluded the possibility of finding it with the imperfect machinery
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before used. But it is now demonstrable that the deep paying channel of Rocky Bar extends up the river's bed ; for the character of the gold and gravel is the same. There is but little fall to it, and that, in places, favorable for a deposit. It is immensely rich.
Above the dam of Harroun & Co., joining the claims last mentioned, and extend- ing up the river 1,400 feet, are situated the claims of Brown & Co. They were "no- ticed" in the summer of 1865, by J. W. Brown, C. G. Fisk, J. H. Adams, Samuel Mor rison, H. M. Place and others. A selection at the lower end of the claims was made for an incline, and some work was done during the summer of 1866. It is intended to resume prospecting in the spring, with renewed energy, by sinking the incline to the bottom of the channel, and drifting for the lead.
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