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Guide to the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park Collection
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Title: Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park collection,
Date (inclusive): 1867-1959 (bulk 1871-1920)
Collection number: Consult repository
Collector:
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (Calif.)
Extent:
33.5 cubic feet
Repository:
California. Department of Parks and Recreation.
McClellan, CA 95652
Abstract: The Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park Collection contains correspondence and financial material of the North Bloomfield
Gravel Mining Company, owner of the Malakoff Diggins Mine. The world's largest hydraulic mining operation, Malakoff Diggins
Mine was located near the town of North Bloomfield, California. This collection also includes the financial and administrative
records from North Bloomfield's Post Office and the McKillican and Mobley General Store. In addition, the collection contains
personal material belonging to North Bloomfield resident Mary Kallenberger. The records in this collection cover the years
1867 to 1959 with the bulk of the material ranging from 1871-1920.
Physical location: California State Parks Archives.
Language:
English.
Collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Literary rights
are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish,
please contact the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park Collection. California State Parks Archives.
Gifts of families residing in the North Bloomfield, California, area and their heirs including Stella Tracey and Mary Kallenberger.
The Malakoff Diggins Mine, located near North Bloomfield, California, was the world's largest hydraulic mining operation.
Small-scale hydraulic mining of gravel deposits near present day Malakoff Diggins began in 1853. By the 1860s miners discovered
that in order to profit from hydraulic mining, long-term investments were required. At this point many claims were consolidated
and stock companies were established to assemble the necessary capital. In 1866 a local miner consolidated multiple gravel
claims (including Malakoff Diggins) and with backing from San Francisco investors, established the North Bloomfield Gravel
Mining Company.
Hydraulic mining was invented in Nevada County, California, in 1852. In hydraulic mining, miners directed a powerful stream
of water at a hillside, washing away gravel into sluice boxes. The sluice boxes trapped heavy rock and gold, and the mud and
other debris washed into ditches that carried it to nearby rivers. Monitors (i.e., large water canons) were used to direct
water at hillsides. The monitors were able to discharge thousands of gallons of water per minute. Getting water to the site
was typically done through dams and ditches which were costly to build and maintain. In 1876, when Malakoff Diggins was in
full operation, 16 billion gallons of water was used each year and 100,000 tons of gravel was mined per day.
Although hydraulic mining was remarkably profitable, it was also extremely harmful to the environment. As early as 1873, farmers
residing downstream from hydraulic mining operations began complaining about the mud and silt that inundated their land. Initially,
waste gravel, mud, and excess water from Malakoff Diggins were disposed of via Humbug Creek, and later into the Yuba River.
Eventually Malakoff Diggins mining debris polluted streams, killed fish, damaged agricultural property, and caused repeated
flooding in the towns of Marysville and Yuba City. In 1875 the most damaging flood occurred when Marysville streets filled
with thick brown mud after Malakoff Diggins' debris accumulated until the Yuba River's bottom was higher than the adjacent
town, causing severe flooding, damage, and death.
Damage from Northern California's hydraulic mining industry was far reaching. Over 1 billion cubic yards of debris raised
the bottom of parts of San Francisco Bay by as much as 3 feet. The bed of the Sacramento River rose 16 feet, impeding navigation
and causing millions of dollars in damage to California's Central Valley farms. In addition, the Central Pacific Railroad
suffered damage as tracks along rivers were continually flooded.
Finally in 1882, E. Woodruff, a New York resident and Marysville property owner, filed a suit against the North Bloomfield
Gravel Mining Company. In 1884 Judge Lorenzo Sawyer presented his decision that hydraulic mining was legal, however discharging
the debris into local rivers was illegal. The judge stated that the North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company violated the rights
of individuals downstream by destroying the landscape and damaging the watershed. The company was allowed to carry out hydraulic
mining, however it was required to contain the debris within its own property and could no longer dump it into any river.
The Sawyer Decision was among the first environmental laws introduced in the United States.
After the Sawyer Decision, most hydraulic mines were unable to operate profitably under the new restrictions. When mining
operations were curtailed at Malakoff Diggins in 1884, it was the largest and richest hydraulic gold mine in the world. By
1910, hydraulic mining was entirely abandoned in the area.
The town of North Bloomfield, California, was established in 1853 to support the nearby hydraulic mining operations. As many
as 1,500 people reportedly lived there during the prosperous years at Malakoff Diggins from the 1850s to 1884. The town served
as a residence for the miners and its merchants supplied all the goods required by the nearby mines.
| 1851 | Gravel deposits were discovered in the hills northeast of Nevada City, California. |
| 1853 | Hydraulic mining of gravel deposits began in the region near present day Malakoff Diggins. The town of Humbug was established near Humbug Creek, California. |
| 1857 | Town of Humbug's name was changed to North Bloomfield. Post Office was established in North Bloomfield. Population of North Bloomfield was ca. 500. |
| 1860s | Drought diminished water supplies and hydraulic mining was curtailed until the late 1860s. |
| 1860 | The building currently housing St. Columncille's Catholic Church was built in North Bloomfield. The building was originally used for training civil war solders. |
| 1862 | Home of Rush Skidmore (saloon owner and relation of Mary Kallenberger) was built in North Bloomfield. |
| 1866 | North Bloomfield miner consolidated multiple gravel mining claims along the Yuba River, secured outside investors, and established the North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company. |
| 1869 | St. Columncille's Catholic Church building was finally used as a church for local Catholics. |
| 1870 | McKillican and Mobley General Store was built in North Bloomfield. Post Office moved into the McKillican and Mobley General Store. |
| 1870 | Water from the Big Canyon Creek Dam first reached Malakoff. |
| 1873 | Farmers began protesting the mud and silt that inundated their land due to upstream hydraulic mining operations. |
| 1874 | Malakoff Diggins' 8,000 foot long drainage tunnel was completed under the direction of engineer Hamilton Smith. |
| 1876 | Hydraulic mining was in full operation at Malakoff Diggins' with 7 monitors in use. Population of North Bloomfield was ca. 1500. |
| 1875 | Town of Marysville flooded sweeping away levees, seriously damaging property, and causing loss of life. Subsequently, a petition was submitted to the State Legislature requesting that laws regulating hydraulic mining be passed. |
| 1880 | First long distance telephone line in the United States was developed for use at Malakoff Diggins. |
| 1882 | E. Woodruff, New York resident and Marysville property owner, filed suit against the North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company in order to halt the dumping of debris into the Yuba River. |
| 1884 | Judge Lorenzo Sawyer decided that hydraulic mining was legal, however discharging the debris into the river was illegal. |
| 1900 | Population of North Bloomfield was ca. 730. |
| 1910 | Hydraulic mining was entirely abandoned. |
| 1940s | McKillican and Mobley General Store closed. |
| 1965 | The Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park was established. |
Scope and Content of Collection
The Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park Collection contains correspondence and financial material of the North Bloomfield
Gravel Mining Company, owner of the Malakoff Diggins Mine. The world's largest hydraulic mining operation, Malakoff Diggins
Mine was located near the town of North Bloomfield, California. This collection also includes the financial and administrative
records from North Bloomfield's Post Office and the McKillican and Mobley General Store. In addition, the collection contains
personal material belonging to North Bloomfield resident Mary Kallenberger. The records in this collection cover the years
1867 to 1959 with the bulk of the material ranging from 1871-1920.
The records in this collection are largely textual and consist of correspondence, ledgers, invoices, newspaper clippings,
pamphlets, receipts, and shipping statements. Other types of records, such as sheet music and artwork, are primarily included
in the Mary Kallenberger materials.
Much of this collection documents life in the town of North Bloomfield rather than the nearby mining activity. The largest
series is made up of Post Office records documenting North Bloomfield's postal activity for a period of 30 years beginning
in 1870. The second largest series consists of Mary Kallenberger's material. Much of this series consists of sheet music and
also includes other records documenting Kallenberger's interest in art, music, and writing.
This collection does not contain the records of Malakoff Diggins Mine or legal records pertaining to the Sawyer Decision or
any other major court actions regarding hydraulic mining activity in the region.
Documents within folders are arranged in chronological order by date and undated material resides at the end of each folder.
The overall arrangement of the collection was imposed during processing in the absence of a usable original order.
The collection is organized into six series:
- Series 1. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company, 1870-1901 and undated. 1.5 cubic ft.
- Series 2. McKillican and Mobley General Store, 1870-1942 and undated. 3.5 cubic ft.
- Series 3. Post Office, 1867-1939 and undated. 21.5 cubic ft.
- Series 4. Topical Files, 1871-1955 and undated. 1 cubic ft.
- Series 5. Mary Kallenberger Material, 1860-1959 and undated. 6 cubic ft.
- Series 6. Oversize Material
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection.
Gold mines and mining--California--Nevada County--Archival resources.
Historic sites--California--Nevada County--Archival resources.
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (Calif.)--Archival resources.
Post office stations and branches--California--Nevada County--Archival resources.