As gold disappeared from Sierra streams during the California Gold Rush, miners turned to more involved technologies to extract the gold still hidden in the hills. One method – new and unique to California – was hydraulic mining, the washing away of entire hillsides to free traces of gold and the flushing of the resulting waste into the state’s streams and rivers. This episode describes the rise of “hydraulicking,” its fall – triggered by the famous Sawyer Decision – and its legacy.
Episode 2 Resources
Episode 2 Listener Comments
Postcard Photo of Knott’s Berry Farm Gold Panning Trough
Historic Hard Rock Gold Mine Museums
Picture of a Single Monitor In Action
Three Vintage Images of North Bloomfield Mine
Drawing of Components of North Bloomfield Hydraulic Mine
Lower Sacramento River Drainage
Modern Photos of North Bloomfield Mine Pit (Malakoff Diggins)
Links to Other Old Hydraulic Mines Possibly Open to the Public
Links to Information Regarding the Yuba Goldfields
Links to Information Regarding Mining Sites on American River in Sacramento County
List of Gold Rush Mines and Museums


