A TALE OF GOLD & LORE: THE RAMSHACKLE MINING COMMUNITY OF FRENCH GULCH.

Filmed on location.

On this episode of Exploring Shasta County history, we examine the origins and history of a ramshackle 1849 gold mining community in northern California called French Gulch. We explore the area and townsite and get an exclusive look inside an 1800s residential building which is still standing in town, featuring Eric Hall.

RESOURCES:

1852 California State Census

French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 12, 1853

From French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 26, 1853

French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 16, 1853

From French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 23, 1853

From French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 14, 1853

A Rich Lead - Shasta Quartz - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 23, 1853

Mining On French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 30, 1853

Salmon On Clear Creek - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 30, 1853

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 3, 1853

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 30, 1853

Big Licks - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 19, 1853

Dissolution - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 26, 1853

District Court for the 9th Judicial District - Shasta County, December 3, 1853

Tricks Of A Grizzly - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 17, 1853

Mining News - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 6, 1854

Election of Board of Directors for the Washington Quartz Company - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 17, 1855

Another Horrible Murder - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 7, 1855

Bishop Alamanni - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 9, 1855

Sheriff's Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 9, 1855

Congregation of French Gulch Church - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 30, 1855

Attempted Assassination - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 30, 1855

District Court - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 30, 1855

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 28, 1858

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 4, 1858

Board Of Supervisors - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 11, 1858

Dissolution - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 27, 1861

Brill's Saloon (advertisement) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 29, 1863

Officers of the Western Star Division, No. 88, S., of T., French Gulch (notice) – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 10, 1864

French Gulch Mining District - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 15, 1865

Letter From French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 29, 1865

Honeycomb - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 4, 1865

French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 5, 1869

A Letter From French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 12, 1870

I.O.G.T. - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 27, 1870

French Gulch Mining District - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 20, 1884

Gone To His Rest - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Shasta, January 8, 1887

French Gulch - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 22, 1895

A Shasta County Bullion Producer Re-Opened - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 1, 1899

Mines Booming In French Gulch District - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 10, 1906

John Syme Dies In French Gulch written - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1907

Invitation For Bids - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1907

French Gulch Has A New Teacher - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 31, 1908

One Italian Murdered and Another Fatally Wounded - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 2, 1909

Ed King of French Gulch Dies at Bay - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 21, 1909

Rich Ore in Milkmaid - The Morning Union newspaper of Grass Valley, May 8, 1912

Odd Fellows To Dedicate New Hall - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 21, 1913

William Franck Sells Interest to Volney Fox - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 21, 1913

Second Oldest Mining Town In Shasta County Has Lure written by Hamilton L. Hintz  - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 28, 1929

French Gulch - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1937

My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach, an anthology of newspaper clippings and documents relating to those who made California history during the years 1822-1888, by Mae Hélène Bacon Boggs. Published by Howell-North Press ©1942

Dredges Bring Activities to French Gulch written by Earle B. Luby - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 6, 1947

Shasta County, California A History by Rosena Giles, published by Biobooks, ©1949.

French Gulch Road Planned - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 22, 1949

French Gulch Opens Library - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 2, 1950

Early Miners Gave French Gulch Name - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 10, 1950

$9,000 Fire Menaces French Gulch - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 13, 1955

French Gulch IOOF Lodge Marks 100th Anniversary - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 18, 1958

You’ll Find 3-Foot Walls, Old Mines, Roses and Memories in French Gulch - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 20, 1960 (Van Ness Home pic)

Flames Destroy Historic House in French Gulch - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 17, 1961

Town Has Pioneer Store written by William Asbury - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 4, 1965

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

Sleepy Church Awakens written by Jane Borgen - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 19, 1966

Notice of Sale of Old French Gulch School - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 20, 1967

French Gulch Theater Guild Organizes; Elect Officers - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 22, 1967

French Gulch May Get A Theater - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 10, 1967

Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Opens - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 25, 1968

French Gulch Day to be Urged - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 9, 1968

Five Partners Take Over Old French Gulch Hotel - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 5, 1969

French Gulch's Historic Hotel Still Going Strong written by Marc Beauchamp - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 15, 1970

Area Offers Concerts, Theater written by Mike Harris - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 21, 1970

U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971

Oil Stove Caused French Gulch Fire - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 18, 1973

Balma To Run Mail To French Gulch - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 13, 1973

French Gulch: the Aura of the Old Days is Still With Her - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 19, 1973

Take a Walk Down French Gulch’s Main Street - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 20, 1973

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

French Gulch Bands Together During Rampaging Flood - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 17, 1974

Old Mining Town of French Gulch Undergoing Changes - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 29, 1975

Old Church Greets French Gulch Visitors written by Kathy Beasley - The Record Searchiight newspaper of Redding, August 18, 1977

Between The Lines the Catholic Church in Shasta County, California, 1853-1977, compiled by Veronica Satorius ©1978 Published by Graphic Arts Center, Portland, Oregon. Pages: 414

French Gulch: A Town That Refused to Die written by Dave Waddell - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 12, 1981

Life Takes its Sweet Time in Scenic French Gulch written by Jon Lewis - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 9, 1995

Glory Days Gone, But French Gulch Still Attracts written by Kennedy Smith - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 14, 1996

Church Blaze Saddens Town written by Anne Hart  - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 2, 1998

French Gulch Historical Marker in French Gulch

Jail Term Given In Church Arson written by Kimberly Bolander - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 28, 1999

Anniversary of Arson Brings Hope for Rebirth written by Jim Schultz, November 19, 1999

Trial Is Delayed for Arson Suspect - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 8, 2000

Arson Defendant Set to Plead Monday - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 25, 2000

Man Pleads No Contest in Fire written by Maline Hazle - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 28, 2000

Wind Fans Blaze Near Community written by Gigi Sanchez - The Record Searchlight newspaper of August 10, 2001

Branch on Power Line Caused Blaze written by Gigi Sanchez - The Record Searchlight newspaper of August 11, 2001

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: the Washington Mine by Jeremy Tuggle - The  Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 11, 2016

TWO DISCONNECTING MINES WITH FLOWSTONE FEATURES.

Filmed on location December 16, 2023.

I haven't found too many mines Shasta County with natural flowstone features in them; however, these small disconnecting mines are among the few I have found. Located in French Gulch inside the boundaries of the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County, are these two small disconnecting mines with flowstone features in them. Usually, I see flowstone in natural caves of the region rather than inside the local mines here that I have been to and researched over the years as a local historian of the area. Flowstone is a sheetlike deposit of calcite or other carbonate minerals caused by the natural flow of water seepage over the years into the back, face, left and right ribs of the main haulage tunnel of a mine.

A SMALL ABANDONED MINE WITH A SHAFT.

Located in French Gulch in the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County is this abandoned small mine with a raise or a shaft. The natural lighting from the raise inside the mine was pretty cool to see. It appears that this mine was mined for gold. This video was filmed on location December 16, 2023. Featuring Ryan Hammon from Explore with Ryan.

The Three Sisters Mine

Situated upon Dutch Gulch near the townsite of French Gulch is the Three Sisters mine, a gold mine which was located during the year 1894 in the boundaries of the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County, California. Historical records relate that this mining property contains a main haulage tunnel of an adit which measures to 1,350 feet and contains 800 feet of drifts, and an open shaft also known as a winze measuring at 120 feet, including a stope of 200 feet as well. Production notes for this mine states it was a lucrative producer of gold, yet the following minerals were also found on this mining property as well: arsenopyrite, pyrite and quartz. This mine has gone through various ownerships and bonds (or leases) through the years. 

The mine was owned and operated by Elias Ellery and his brother James Ellery. Production at this historic mining property ended in 1906. Presently, one of the adits on the property that Ryan and I found is covered in thorn-thick vines and is hard to get into, but it’s flooded with clear water. Water drains from the portal of the adit. Nearby this flooded adit are a couple of prospects with small tailings and a massive tailings pile which can be viewed from the main road looking up the ridge line of the gulch, but we couldn’t find the adit this waste rock came out of suggesting it may have been taken out or collapsed. On the property there is a squared stone structure of a small four corner building mixed with mortar as well. This is where my friend Ryan found a lonely square nail after shifting through the rock on the land near this stone structure. In one mine we found the bones of a dead animal as well. Filmed on location on November 17, 2023.

RESOURCES:

Mines and Miners - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 2, 1895

French Gulch Gleanings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 16, 1895

French Gulch Gleanings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 30, 1895

French Gulch Gleanings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1896

Trouble About A Mine - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 12, 1896

Mines and Miners - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 29, 1896

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 2, 1897

Mines and Miners - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 31, 1897

Successful Mining Lease - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 2, 1897

Mines and Mining - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 17, 1898

Ore From French Gulch - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 13, 1898

Proofs Of Labor - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 24, 1898

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 8, 1899

Miners Who Have Done Work - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 3, 1901

The Niagra Mine at French Gulch

Above: inside the adit of the Niagra mine at French Gulch. This mine is on private property and this photograph taken with permission. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on January 14, 2023.

This quartz mine (or hard rock mine) is currently part of the Washington mine holdings at French Gulch in the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County, just off of present-day French Gulch Road. It is located on private property. Although, this mine is not as old as the Washington mine, which was located by John Souter and John Syme in 1852, the Niagra mine was located nearby that historic mining property in 1857 while prospectors were chasing a vein of quartz which immediately excited the prospectors into digging out this adit and creating a main haulage tunnel for the mine at that time. Twenty-seven years later, in 1884, the mine was owned and operated by William T. Coleman, of San Francisco, who kept his men busy at blasting out new drifts of this mine, and his miners extracting the ore it produced. Then in 1891, this mine contained five drifts inside it which had been established over the years.

Inside, the walls of this mine contained granitic porphyry and slate in which they found an abundance of minerals which included gold, pyrite, and silver among others. These five drifts of the Niagra mine varied in length and were recorded between 300-feet to 1,380-feet. At that time, the price of blasting out these drifts cost Coleman between $3.50 to $13.50 per foot. Coleman planned future extensions of these drifts as well. The Niagra miners put in raises and winzes (winzes were also known as vertical shafts) inside this mine. The deepest shaft at the Niagra mine was recorded at 480-feet deep. An ore chute which was measured at 400-feet long existed for an easier process of loading the ore into the ore cars situated on an ore car track below it so the ore can be dumped into these ore cars and taken to the surface of the earth to be milled and processed.

The Niagra mine had an impressive stamp mill on this mining property which included 18-stamps to crush the ore of the mine to obtain the gold they sought after. While the loose gold was salvaged at the stamp mill its gold were amalgamated and alloyed into bricks while using mercury in the battery on the plates at the stamp mill. This process is more commonly known as a pan-amalgamation. Ten of these impressive stamps weighed 850 pounds each while the additional stamps weighed 600 pounds each.

Work was steady at the Niagra mine from 1891 to about 1920, and the Niagra mine continued its production of gold after that, however, work came to screeching halt once the Great Depression occurred which made a major impact in the region. Various people came in and purchased this mine after that, but production notes were not kept for this mine as a single producer due to most of the production notes merging into one account for the entire Washington mine holdings. So, it's not known exactly how much this single mine produced but it was lucrative.

The Niagra mine is located five miles north-west from the townsite of French Gulch. Niagra Road in the townsite of French Gulch was named after this mine. In 2004, the French Gulch Nevada Gold Mining Corporation purchased this celebrated mining property as part of the Washington mine holdings; a subsidiary company owned by the Bullion River Gold Corporation of Reno, Nevada. Since that time, this mining property has been bought once more and its now an active clean-up site.

RESOURCES:

The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, June 7, 1884

Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly ... of the Legislature ... - Google Books

The Mines Handbook An Enlargement of the Copper Handbook - founded by Horace J. Stevens, 1900 - A Manual of the Mining Industry of the World by Walter Harvey Weed, New York City ©1920

Albers, John P., 1961, Economic geology of the French Gulch, Shasta and Trinity counties: California Division of Mines and Geology Special Report

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: the Washington Mine by Jeremy Tuggle - The  Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 11, 2016

Touring The Historic Washington Mine 

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: The Washington Mine

Miners working the vein of the Washington mine on the Washington mine property, date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Located about 2.4 miles north west of French Gulch in the French Gulch mining district is the Washington mine. The mine was located in 1852 by prospectors John Souter and John Syme. Together the original locators began working it as a placer mine. Through exploration work they discovered a decomposed oxidized outcropping vein of gold; they dubbed it the North-South vein. This vein became one of the two principal veins on the property and they began sluicing it.

This vein's yield was so tremendous that the owners began driving adits on the mining property and formed a major quartz mining operation. The Washington mine became the first gold quartz mine in Shasta County, as well as the first patented mine. Souter and Syme were quite pleased with the progress they were making; the two prospectors established the Washington Quartz Company and shares of stocks were split up between the partners that included: Emanuel Lewin, W.B. Stoddard, S.C. Snouch, Henry Warner, William Watson and additional parties.

The Shasta Courier newspaper, reported the following about the Washington Qaurtz Company on Saturday, April 16, 1853: “WASHINGTON QUARTZ COMPANY – The vein owned by this company has been yielding the most satisfactory results ever since it has been opened. Indeed we have sufficient evidence to justify the belief that this vein is not surpassed by richness in the State, and we are informed by Mr. Fehley that the vein cannot be worked out for years. We believe there is none of this company’s stock for sale. The company is composed of practical miners-men who do their own work, and consequently they have no more stampers employed than just a sufficient to keep a dozen or two of men profitably employed. They intend during the summer, however, to increase the extent of their operations, and take out the ore in still greater amounts. At present, all of the stockholders, if we are not much mistaken, are very quietly getting rich fast. Well, they are a good set of fellows, and deserve just such luck.”

By May of 1853, the mine produced a grand total of $2,181, and on September 17, 1853, the Shasta Courier reported, “A BIG LUMP – Mr. Swartz of the Washington Quartz Company, brought into our office the other day, a lump of amalgam weighing 20 lbs., and worth $3,864, the product of less than a week’s worth of work. He also exhibited to us several of the richest specimens of gold bearing quartz, taken from their vein, that it has ever been our privilege to behold. A short time since this company lost the track of their lead, but are now upon it again, and at present find it more productive than here to fore.”

Another principal vein on the mining property was the East-West vein, both veins were assayed at $600 per ton in gold, and up until 1854, the mine yielded an astonishing production total of $53,232. Further enhancements were made on the property during 1855 consisting of three shallow shafts and additional tunnel work. Their stamp mill continued crushing the ore of the mine on a regular basis. On March 18, 1868 a storm blew through the area and flooded the creeks above the mine causing severe damage to the mill located below. The stamp mill had to be rebuilt and the following year additional stamps were added making it a twenty-two stamp mill. That year the output reached $45,722 in gold. At the same time Syme became Superintendent and held that title until 1875.

The Washington Quartz Mining Company had a large pay roll of employees including Reverend William S. Kidder, a pioneer Baptist minister. A terrible incident on March 25, 1871 lead to the death of one of those employees. William J. Christopher was mining in a tunnel with his partner James Sinclair and fell down a 110 foot shaft. The company sent for Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff of Shasta and Dr. Thompson Plumb of French Gulch to examine him. Unfortunately Christopher died as a result of the fall. Accidental deaths and additional severe injuries would occur at the mine. Despite the dangers of the job, by the end of the year in 1871, the mine’s output reached a remarkable $31,153 in gold.

After 1872 the mine produced such staggering results that additional tunneling work was neccessay. Mining at the site continued well into the 1880’s. Souter and Syme retained ownership of the mine and the shareholders of the Washington Quartz Mining Company created a Board of Directors. In 1890, Shasta County mining reports estimated the mines production total between $500,000 to $600,000. Mining operations eventually became dormant at the mine. In 1891 further exploration work was being conducted. According to an excerpt from a state mineralogist report on the Washington mine, printed by the Shasta Courier newspaper on February 21, 1891: “The mine was opened by driving tunnels, five in number and are known as follows:No. 1 - 500 feetNo. 2 - 700 feetNo. 3 1/2 - 300 feetNo. 4 - 1,100 feetOriginal Crosscut - 1,380 feetThe cost of running the tunnels has varied from $3.50 to $13.50 per foot. The greatest vertical depth reached in the mine is four hundred and eighty feet. The length of ore shoot as far as known is four hundred feet."

By the date of the newpaper article the company cut and graded a fifteen mile road to and from the mine. During March of 1898, a miner named William Blagrave made a lucrative strike inside the Washington mine. He located a pocket which was reported to be assayed at $20,000, and the news of this strike was heralded across California.

According to the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper the mine was sold on March 9, 1907 to Farley & Mitchell for a total of $150,000. Work continued under the new ownership and in 1912 the production at the mine totaled between one and two million dollars of gold. The ore was treated by a pan-amalgamation and the results of this operation were favorable.

The Washington mine, date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Work at the mine was steady up until 1920. The Great Depression had a major impact on the mine and it experienced another period of dormancy. However, on March 15, 1922, interest in the mine developed and eventually a five stamp mill began crushing the ore of the mine, sporadically. Sporadic mining activity continued from 1942 through 1969. Between the 1970’s and 1990 the Washington mine was controlled by several different owners including Harry Feutrier and Tom Neal.

During 1990 a large strike occurred in the Washington mine in a vein which was dubbed as the Lucky 7. In 2004 the French Gulch Nevada Gold Mining Corporation purchased this celebrated mining property; a subsidiary company owned by the Bullion River Gold Corporation of Reno, Nevada. The mine is currently an active mining site under new ownership and mining operations on the property continue to yield rich deposits.

RESOURCES:

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

Shasta Gold Corporation Website

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: the Washington Mine by Jeremy Tuggle - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 11, 2016

THE HISTORIC FRANKLIN MINE

Located approximately two miles north-west of French Gulch in the French Gulch mining district and in Franklin Gulch was the Franklin mine. A lucrative producer of gold, originally located by pioneers John Syme and his mining partner John Souter in 1852. It became the second quartz mine in Shasta County. It was later owned by the Franklin Mining Company who named themselves after the mine they had purchased. About 1910, owners erected a small stamp mill on the property and began to crush the rock for the ore they were after. Between 1907 and 1912, the Franklin mine produced $350,000 from three of it's four levels of operations and the production continued through various owners. From 1907 through the 1940's this gold mine was worked by the Western Exploration Company- and, or their leases after the J.H. Scott Company leased it during the 1930s. The J.H. Scott Company owned it from the second World War on. It was then abandoned, and then in the 1960s the Franklin mine passed into the hands of the Mountain Copper Company of Martinez, California. Later on, different people bought it until the mine laid idled and abandoned again. Now it remains an interesting place to visit, but use caution, be alert and take the necessary equipment you need with you. Mines can be dangerous at times. Enjoy the video.

RESOURCES: 

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

The El Dorado mine on Mill Creek

   

The entrance to the El Dorado mine along Mill Creek. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

The El Dorado mine is located along Mill Creek in the Tower House Historic District, which is included in the boundaries of the French Gulch Mining District. A prospector by the name of William Paul, a native of England, located this mine in 1885. That year, Paul dug a 500 foot shaft on his property and he began toiling away in it in hopes of striking valuable ore. Since it was located the mine yielded lucrative results during its production of ore.

   

According to W.B. Tucker, a mining engineer, the El Dorado mine was actively producing between the years 1912 and 1919, the ore was free milling. During the interim, in November of 1915, this mine was yielding $40 per day, while a man by the surname of Connor owned and operated it. He was busy improving the mining property with new developments. 

  

At that time, the El Dorado mine included several tunnels on the property and a two-stamp mill which was in operation 24 hours a day. When the rock was crushed at the stamp mill, the ore was collected and it was alloyed together using mercury. A brick valued at $400 was the final result of Connor’s clean up that month. 

   

It wasn’t a major producer of gold but it was a relevant mine. Production notes state that during these years the mine produced a total of $25,000. This mining property consisted of 40 acres of land which was patented. Then in, 1967 the National Park Service purchased this mining property from a man named Frank Bickford.  

   

Many relics were preserved at the mining site by the National Park Service which are original to the property and were used in the mine. Old long tom's, ore cars, sluice boxes, gold pans and other equipment are locked inside the tool shed and scattered around the bunk house at this mining site. The stamp mill remains there today as well as a quartz crusher that was used. It's an easy .03 miles to the El Dorado mine on the Mill Creek Trail near the historic Camden House for those with children.  

Aditional pics:

The Stamp mill. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

Ore cars, long tom's and sluice boxes mixed with other equipment is visible at the El Dorado mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

Mining equipment with pipe and bricks are located at the El Dorado mining site. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

A rocky staircase leading up a slope at the El Dorado mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

A quartz crusher beside the tool shed at the El Dorado mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

RESOURCES:

Mining In California, January 1922, published by California State Bureau. District Reports of Mining Engineers by W.B. Tucker. Page 405

Trail Guide: Clear Creek Vista Trail by National Park Service, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Sketches of Levi and Charles, Tower House Historic District: A Field Trip Journal Teacher’s Edition.” National Park Service

Small Quartz Mill Averages $40 Daily - The Sacramento Union newspaper, November 22, 1915 

https://www.mindat.org/loc-92585.html