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
  • May 27, 2025
    Episode 2 Listener Comments
    Categories: Episode 2
  • May 27, 2025
    Postcard Photo of Knott’s Berry Farm Gold Panning Trough
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  • May 27, 2025
    Historic Hard Rock Gold Mine Museums
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  • May 27, 2025
    Picture of a Single Monitor In Action
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  • May 27, 2025
    Three Vintage Images of North Bloomfield Mine
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  • May 27, 2025
    Drawing of Components of North Bloomfield Hydraulic Mine
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  • May 27, 2025
    Lower Sacramento River Drainage
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  • May 27, 2025
    Modern Photos of North Bloomfield Mine Pit (Malakoff Diggins)
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  • May 27, 2025
    Links to Other Old Hydraulic Mines Possibly Open to the Public
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  • May 27, 2025
    Links to Information Regarding the Yuba Goldfields
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  • May 27, 2025
    Links to Information Regarding Mining Sites on American River in Sacramento County
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  • May 27, 2025
    List of Gold Rush Mines and Museums
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