Yuba Consolidated Industries Records, 1912-1956

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Summary

Creators:
Hammon, Wendell P., 1854-1939 and Yuba Consolidated Industries. Yuba Mining Division.
Abstract:
This collection includes photographs, photo albums, negatives, and blueprints pertaining to the operations of Wendall P. Hammon, Yuba Construction Company and Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields. Photographs, albums, negatives and blueprints relate to the dredging, manufacturing, and mining activities of the Hammon enterprises.
Extent:
16.0 Linear feet 43 Boxes and 1 Oversize Folder
Language:
and English
Preferred citation:

Yuba Consolidated Industries Records, MSS 322, Special Collections, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection includes photographs, photo albums, negatives, and blueprints pertaining to the operations of Wendall P. Hammon, and his various companies, including Yuba Construction Company and Yuba Consolidated Industries. Photographs, albums, negatives, and blueprints relate to the dredging, manufacturing, and mining activities of the Hammon enterprises. The blueprints contain specifications for various dredger sizes and types of dredgers, including 3, 3 ½, 4 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12 cu. ft., as well as gold, tin, and close connection dredgers. The photographs and albums feature various dredger operations, manufacture, parts, and equipment. Some photographs depict foreign dredger and mining operations. Dredgers were operated in many locations both domestic and abroad. Domestic locations include Northern California, Alaska, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Florida. The locations of foreign operations included the Philippines, Bolivia, China, Russia, Germany, Dutch Guiana, Guatemala, Malaysia, Brazil, and South Korea.

The various blueprints relate to the following companies: Boston & Oroville Mining Company, Boston and California Dredging Company, Yuba Construction Company, Yuba Consolidated Industries, Asnazu Gold Dredging Company, Lancha Plana Gold Dredging Company, Natomas Consolidated, Oroville Gold Dredging Company, Panob Gold Dredging Company, Yreka Gold Dredging Company, Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields, Supia Gold Dredging Company, Thurman Gold Dredging Company, Boston Machine Shop, Tuolumne Gold Dredge Company, Bucyrus-Erie Company, South Patte Dredging Company, Snelling Gold Dredging Company, American Manganese Steel Company Comanche Gold Dredging Company, Bulolo Gold Dredging Company, Gold Hill Dredging Company, Colorado-Pacific Dredging Company, Pato Consolidated Gold Dredging, Ltd., Mitsui Company, La Grange Gold Dredging Company, Yukon Pacific Gold Mining Company, Yuba Associated Engineers, Ltd., and the Yukon Gold Company.

Blueprint manufactures include, Walter W. Johnson Company, H. G. Peake Engineering Company, Lancaster Iron Works, Placer Management Limited, Placer Development Limited, Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Columbia Steel Casting Company, Union Iron Works Company, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporations, Ltd., and Taylor-Wharton Iron Steel Company

Biographical / historical:

Gold dredging in California began in 1850 when a small river boat was fitted out as a dredge and gravel mining was attempted above Marysville, California on the Yuba River. The first successful gold dredge in California was built in 1898 by Biggs, Butte County resident Wendell P. Hammon, the "Dredger King," and his partner, Thomas Couch, a Montana mining businessman. This first model and those that followed consisted of a floating hull, a digging ladder, an endless chain of buckets, screening apparatus, gold-saving devices, pumps, and a stacker. The California dredge was developed from models used earlier in New Zealand and in Montana, proving to be much more efficient than earlier one-bucket attempts.

Hammon was instrumental in founding the Yuba Construction Company in 1906, by purchasing the Western Engineering Company and merging it with his own steel from a casting foundry in Marysville. Four large machine shops were built near Oroville to maintain and build the dredgers. Hammon founded the Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields on the Yuba River in 1904. This company became a large, profitable placer operation, a proving ground for new dredge designs and a training ground for dredge operators and others in this global industry. As many as 50 dredgers worked in the Feather River/Yuba River drainage at one time.

The Yuba Construction Company changed its name to the Yuba Manufacturing Company and later became a subsidiary of the Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields. In 1957 these companies merged into Yuba Consolidated Industries. The Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields was later incorporated into the Western Water Company. Yuba dredges have been built and shipped from California to worldwide markets during the first half of the 20th century. These "gold boats" were shipped in pieces and assembled where the mining would take place.

Acquisition information:
Source unknown.
Processing information:

Processing of the Yuba Consolidated Industries Records was generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The [ABC repository] was awarded a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from 2010-2012, "Uncovering California's Environmental Collections," in collaboration with eight additional special collections and archival repositories throughout the state and the California Digital Library (CDL). Grant objectives included processing of over 33 hidden collections related to the state's environment and environmental history. The collections document an array of important sub-topics such as irrigation, mining, forestry, agriculture, industry, land use, activism, and research. Together they form a multifaceted picture of the natural world and the way it was probed, altered, exploited and protected in California over the twentieth century. Finding aids are made available through the Online Archive of California (OAC).

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series

Series 1: Photographs Series 2: Blueprints

Photographs and negatives are arranged according to dredger number, location, and operations. All negatives are nitrate based and for staff use only. Scanned copies are available.

In order to better serve the researcher, blueprints have been arranged by dredger number, blueprint manufacturers, dredger company name, or a type of dredger part. Yuba Consolidated Industries originally organized the blueprints by dredger part, such as ladders, tumblers, or buckets.

*Please note: Many of the dredgers have been rebuilt and/or relocated, so they may have more than one number or name associated with them.

Material specific details:
No other forms of material.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research without restriction.

Terms of access:

No restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Yuba Consolidated Industries Records, MSS 322, Special Collections, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico.

Location of this collection:
California State University, Chico, Special Collections Meriam Library
400 West First Street
Chico, CA 95929-0295, US
Contact:
(530) 898-6603
SpecialCollections@csuchico.edu
Website