Nevada County
History
BEAN'S HISTORY & DIRECTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 1867.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
EUREKA TOWNSHIP.
The township of Eureka is situated on the upper part of the "Ridge," between the South and Middle Yuba, and is bounded on the east by Meadow Lake township, on the south by Washington, on the west by Bridgeport, and on the north by the Middle Yuba river, which is the boundary line between Nevada and Sierra county. It was one of the first townships erected by the Court of Sessions in 1851, on the organization of the county, and at one time ranked as the third township in the county in population. Its history would form a pleasing chapter in this work, but we have been unable to obtain the necessary information from any of the old residents, and must confine ourselves to a brief sketch of the several towns and mining camps.
EUREKA.
The town of Eureka, from which the township derived its name, is situated on the summit of the divide between the South and Middle Yuba, and the first settlements were made in 1850. The surrounding mines being mostly shallow, surface diggings, requiring no capital and but little preliminary labor to open, had peculiar attractions for the restless, roving prospectors who swarmed over the mining regions at that early day, and the result was that Eureka suddenly rose to a town of considerable importance. The quartz excitement of 1851, in other parts of the county, affected the miners of Eureka, many of whom neglected their placer claims during the season when water could be procured, and went to work endeavoring to prospect and open the numerous quartz ledges in the vicinity. The result, as may be supposed, proved highly disastrous, and the miners again turned their attention to the surface diggings. These continued to yield abundantly for five or six years, numerous adventurers making fortunes, some of whom returned to their old homes at the East to enjoy the result of their toil, but the majority spending their money with a recklessness and abandon characteristic of early California life. For six or seven years Eureka was a prosperous town, full of life and bustle; but the surface diggings gradually becoming exhausted, the town declined in population, the miners leaving to prospect for new diggings, and the traders and business men closing out their stocks and seeking new localities. For six or eight years the town wore a decaying appearance, the principal resource being the yield of the claims of five or six companies, that still worked surface diggings when water could be procured, which has been about five months of the year. Within the past year or two, the old residents, with some new comers, have again turned their attention to the quartz mines, with very favorable prospects of developing an important quartz mining district. This has encouraged the inhabitants to hope for a renewal of former prosperous times. The present population of Eureka, including the miners in the vicinity who make it their headquarters, is about 300. The town has one general variety store, two hotels, a livery stable, blacksmith shop, etc. Eureka is one of the few towns in the county that has not suffered from disastrous fires.
SOUTH FORK.
The South Fork of Poorman creek, some three miles south of Eureka, was formerly a rich mining locality, and quite a camp sprung up along the stream. The gold was coarse, worth from $18 to $19 an ounce, and many rich strikes were made in the crevices and on the bars of the creek. It was formerly a voting precinct, containing at one time nearly one hundred voters; but the placer mines being exhausted, the most of the inhabitants left, the few that remain being engaged in opening the quartz ledges in the vicinity.
THE FLATS.
Moore's, Wolsey's and Orleans Flats are situated on the slope of the hill south of the Middle Yuba, and were settled in 1851. Moore's Flat took its name from H. M. Moore, one of the first to bring his family to the place; and Wolsey's Flat likewise derived its name from one of the early settlers. Moore's Flat is situated two miles from Orleans, and one mile from Wolsey's, lying between the two, and at one time a lively town was flourishing at each of the places, and being near together, of course a brisk rivalry was kept up. Up to about 1858 Orleans Flat kept the lead, since which time it has declined, and is now nearly deserted. A few Mexicans and Chinamen make a precarious living in working around the abandoned claims, but with this exception mining is suspended, and now there are not more than half a dozen American residents at the place. Since about 1858, Moore's Flat has been the leading town of Eureka township, and is still holding its own, though not improving. Wolsey's Flat always held a secondary rank to Moore's, and is now an unimportant place, the most of the inhabitants having removed to the more prosperous neighboring town, or left for other sections.
Immense quantities of gold have been taken from the hydraulic diggings of the Flats. The claims at Orleans were the most shallow, and consequently the first opened and the first to be worked out. At Moore's, the diggings were extensive, the drift, which has been worked down by the hydraulic, being a hundred feet in depth, and there is still a large amount of unworked ground. Of late the claims have been bought up by a few large companies, who are carrying on operations upon an extensive scale, and generally with success. At Wolsey's are some of the deepest diggings in the county, the bank in one place being two hundred feet in hight. There is still mining ground enough in the vicinity of Moore's to keep up quite a town for years, but unless new diggings are discovered and opened, the place must eventually go to decay. In the rear of Moore's Flat is an extensive gravel ridge, in which the Kentucky company are now sinking a shaft, and should the enterprise prove successful, it will give a new impetus to mining in that locality, and revive the flush times of other years.
PRODUCT OF THE MINES.
A gentleman who has long resided in Eureka township, and for a time was engaged in the express and treasure-carrying business, estimates that the mines of the township have yielded twenty millions of treasure since the first settlements were made in 1850. For a period of ten years, the leading banking house in the township purchased and shipped to San Francisco a million of gold dust annually. A small portion of this came from mining camps on the opposite side of the river, in Sierra county, but during the most of the time there was another banking house in the township, and a large amount of dust was carried down by the miners themselves, and sold in Nevada or San Francisco, of which no account could be obtained. The mines are still yielding largely, though not so much as in former years.
EUREKA QUARTZ DISTRICT.
The general characteristics of the Eureka quartz district resemble in many respects those of the Nevada district—the ledges being about the same size, having the same general course, corresponding with the trend of the mountains, and the country rock being a soft granite. In the slate formation, which comes in half a mile west of town, there are numerous large and well defined ledges, but the most of them contain little gold, and are considered of no value; while in the slate region west of Nevada, which includes the Grass Valley district, the ledges are noted for their productiveness, and considered the richest and most reliable in the State. In this respect there is a striking contrast in the mineral characteristics of the two regions, and so far as it goes, is a refutation of the theory held by many that the gold-bearing veins, inclosed in a granite formation, are less likely to be valuable than those in the slate.
It is only within a year or two that the quartz veins of Eureka district have attracted special attention, or that well directed efforts have been put forward to develop them. In 1857 a mill was erected on what is known as the Morris ledge, situated on the South Fork of Poorman, two miles south of Eureka. A rich body of ore was found which paid enormously, but this being worked out, the rock barely paid expenses, and in consequence of a disagreement among the owners, the mill was sold and the machinery moved away.
About the same time, or perhaps a little earlier, a mill was built on the Sweet ledge, a mile east of town. This was run several years, doing a fair business—the rock paying an average of about $12 a ton—but at the beginning of the silver excitement, in 1860, the mill was taken down and removed to Washoe.
The mill of Messrs. Black & Young is situated a mile south of Eureka, and was built in the summer of 1866. But little rock, however, was crushed that season, and the work was mostly suspended during the following winter, on account of the deep snow, the arrangements for winter work not being completed. The mill was started again about the first of May, 1867, and has since been running regularly. The rock is paying about $15 a ton, at which rate, with the conveniences for mining and delivering it to the mill, it can be made to yield a large profit. Tunnels have been run on the ledge for a distance of about 500 feet, the vein showing an average width of two feet. The mill has ten stamps, and is run by steam power—the engine and other machinery having been manufactured at the Nevada Foundry. The owners are now making arrangements to add pans and other improved amalgamating machinery to the mill, by which a considerable increase in the yield of the rock is anticipated.
The Jim ledge is situated on Little Canon Creek, some three miles from Eureka. Several hundred tons of rock from this ledge were crushed at the Star mill, in the summer of 1866, and, the yield proving satisfactory, the owners erected a mill on the ledge in the fall of the same year. They were compelled to suspend operations during the winter, but commenced work again about the middle of May last, and have since been running successfully. The ledge is of good size, and the rock worked last season averaged about $20 a ton.
A couple of arastras, owned by Booth & Co., about one-fourth of a mile east of Eureka, have been running steadily since the first of December last. They are worked by water power, reduce three tons of rock in twenty-four hours, doing the work about as economically as it could be done by a stamp mill. The most of the rock worked has been from the Liberty ledge, yielding about $20 a ton.
A five-stamp mill was built last year, near Eureka, by Jackson and others. It was intended for custom work, but for some reason was run but a short time. The frame was broken down by the snow last winter, and the mill is now a wreck.
There are numerous other ledges in the Eureka district proper, which exhibit favorable indications, so far as they have been prospected, and some of which are being thoroughly and systematically opened. Among the latter, we may mention the Birchville, situated on the South Fork, and owned by Henry Everett and others, of Birchville, Bridgeport township; the Veatch and Powell, situated near the Birchville, and on which a mill will be built this season; also, the Dillon and Russel ledges, near the Black & Young, owned by San Francisco capitalists, which are now being opened by an extensive drain tunnel. The Mohawk, Booth, Eclipse, and others, have yielded ore that has paid well for working.
In 1855 a four-stamp mill was built by Judge Walsh and Colonel Raymond on the National ledge, two miles west of town. The mill was run for a year or two, a portion of the time being leased, and the rock is understood to have yielded fair returns, though we have not been able to obtain any information of the amount. The work was suspended in 1856 or '57, and the mill was destroyed by fire in 1859. The Grizzly ledge is situated in Devil's Canon, four miles west of Eureka, and was purchased by the Eagle Company, of Hartford, about the beginning of 1866. The company erected a five-stamp mill at the ledge, in the fall of the same year, but being unprepared for winter work, the mill was run but little until May last, since which time it has been running steadily, and with favorable results. The ledge has been opened by two tunnels, the upper tunnel having been run 150 feet on the vein, and the other 250 feet. The vein has an average width of four feet, and is so situated, that with proper arrangements, and a larger mill, five and six dollar rock can be worked with profit. The present mill is run by a hurdy-gurdy wheel, and was intended for the purpose of prospecting and thoroughly testing the ledge. Another battery of five stamps will be added to the mill this summer, and should the prospects of the mine warrant it, the company will erect a larger mill. The National and Grizzly ledges are not in the Eureka district proper—the country rock being slate, and the only quartz veins yet discovered in the slate formation of that region, so far as we have information, that have exhibited sufficiently favorable indications to justify an outlay of capital to develop.
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler