the humbug herald - Malakoff Diggins

Volume II
the
Spring 2016
Issue I
Humbug herald
Friends of north bloomfield & Malakoff diggins
po box 1658 penn valley, ca 95946
[email protected]
malakoffdigginsstatepark.org
Springtime at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
is announced by bursts of Daffodils. Grab a stagecoach after snow-melt and head for the hills as blooms don’t endure very long into the season. A fine site for photos
is across from the West entrance to the park, at the junction of N. Bloomfield Rd & Lake City Rd, where that town once advertised Waterfront Property for sale.
From North Bloomfield Road, look up
the bank to your right to view a 12 foot
high metal sculpture by John Mynatt ,
which he and Robert Bryant installed in 1992, at the request of Marianne Bryant, in honor of Wm. Wordsworth’s Poem, Daffodils.
This location, on the Bryant property,
is the site of Bridget Waldron’s Livery Stable, shown at left-front of the print.
The “Lake” is visible center-right.
First called Plainsville, Lake City
boasted 340 residents in 1857. The
end of the Hydraulic Mining era also brought the end of Lake City and many others towns whose historic traces
abound in California’s Gold Country.
Ed.
Friends of North Bloomfield
& Malakoff Diggins
Post Office Box, 1658,
Penn Valley, CA 95946
[email protected]
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
David Anderson
James Berardi
Syd Brown
Marianne Bryant
Ron Ernst
Paul Keasberry
Mitten
Holly
Bill Stamatis
California State Parks
[email protected]
Matt Green Sector Superintendent [email protected] 530-432-3024 w Dan Youngren Supervising Ranger [email protected] 530-273-3024
Ryan Randar Unit Ranger
[email protected] 530-273-3024
Debora Pfanner
Park Interpretive Specialist
[email protected] 530-265-2740
Logo for FNB&MD designed by Laura Jane Coats
Ably Assisted by Syd Brown and the Exec. Comm.
Compatible with various Texts including this Model Ed.
KID’S FISHING DERBY
SATURDAY MAY 14, 2016
CALL TO SIGN UP
MALAKOFF DIGGINS SHP
530-265-2740
DEBBIE DEJAS 530-432-1962
FREE ADMISSION,
HOT DOG ROAST
& KID’S-ONLY RAFFLE
THE
BLAIR
POnd
MYSTERY
Blair Pond was originally a hydraulic mine but the gold yield from the gravel was low so it was dammed-up to form a reservoir.
The Pond is named after Francis C. Blain,
which changed in translation to “Blair.” Blain was a French Canadian born 1818 He married Elizabeth, (born 1826), in the
mid 1840s in Canada and after the birth
of their first of nine children they made their way to California.
Upon arriving in Humbug (N. Bloomfield) around 1854, Blain filed a pre-emption on 100 acres, fifty acres on each side of N. Bloomfield Rd., for mining and agricul-
ture purposes. They built their house on
the east side of the road and mined that part. On the west side they farmed the land.
In 1873, a legal battle started between Blain and the North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Co. over the ownership of the land. NBGMC claimed that they owned the land. Blain lost the battle and the NBGMC was awarded all of the land on the east side of the road. Blain returned from the hearing and packed up his family and moved across the street where he and his two boys began building a new home.
On March 25, 1873, just two days after the decision, the NBGMC had A.B. Lind move into the old Blain house, above the Pond, to “protect their interest” in the newly acquired land. That evening, Blain and Lind were both at a town saloon and had a confrontation. When Lind later left the saloon, Blain followed. There were 4 shots heard and a scream.
cont.
Lind was found a short distance from the old
Blain house with mortal gunshot wounds and a
hatchet wound to his head. He died about a half
hour later. Blain was arrested for murder and posted $6,000.00 bail. On April 25, 1874 he was
acquitted because no murder weapon was found.
Blain repaired to his new home on the west side
of the road where he continued to farm and raise
his large family. Elizabeth died in 1892. Blain was
declared incompetent in 1900 and died soon after.
You can access Blair Pond from the campground,
an easy 20 minute walk, or drive to the parking lot,
1/4 mile north of the visitor center on North Bloomfield Road.
Bring your picnic lunch and enjoy a pleasant,
relaxing day, while you fish, swim or take in the
idyllic reflections off the water.
Edited from the Malakoff Diggins Unit History. Ed.
CAMPGROUNDS
RESERVE AMERICA
1-800-444-7275
MAY RESERVE UP TO 7 MONTHS IN ADVANCE
CAMPSITES
OPEN 5/25-9/25
GROUP CAMP
OPEN 5/25-9/25
MAX 60 PEOPLE
DAY USE VEHICLE
$8
Visitor Center / Museum / Town Tours
Week-Ends in April
Daily May 1st through the Summer
be a malakoff diggins state park volunteer
530-265-2740
OF F DI GG
I
S
A
K
LA
N
M
50th
ST
A
TE
K
ANNIVERSARY
1966 - 2016
PA
HIS
TO RIC
R
HUMBUG LIVING HISTORY DAY
JUNE 11, 2016
Commemorate Malakoff Diggins’ Golden Olden Days as park staff and volunteers in period costume interpret our historic heritage at North Bloomfield, formerly Humbug, California; with music, games, crafts, food and fun including a wild west gun-fight. Tour the furnished General Store, King’s Saloon, Drug Store, Skidmore residence or poke around amid transportation
relics of by-gone horse & buggy days in the fascinating Ostrom Stable....followed by a tour
of the town in a horse-drawn wagon. Don’t miss
the opportunity to became a kid again as a little
spray comes your way from an authentic water
cannon of Malakoff’s hydraulic mining era.
Follow Hwy. 49 north, 11 miles from Nevada City
and turn right on Tyler-Foote Rd. Then follow
the double-yellow lines for 15 miles
530-265-2740 to the Park
$8 / CAR
FRIENDS OF NORTH BLOOMFIELD & MALAKOFF DIGGINS
Shipping passengers and supplies to the mines developed rapidly
in the 1850s. The steamer Linda included the town of Eliza on
her route. Named for Captain Sutter’s daughter, the town was
founded on the Feather River near Sutter’s HockFarm, hoping
to replace Marysville and Yuba City as the head of navigation to
the Northeren Mines.
Eliza, however, quickly failed.
Feather
River
Yuba River
Marysville
M
Yuba
City Y
HOCK X
X
FARM
Feather
River
Yuba River
Yuba
City Y
HOCK
FARM X
Sacramento
River
Marysville
M
X
Eliza
Eliza
American
River
Shipping passengers and supplies
to the mines developed rapidly in the
1850s The steamer Linda included the
town of Eliza on her route. Named for
Captain Sutter ’s daughter, the town
was founded on the Feather River near
Sutter ’s Hock Farm, hoping to replace
Marysville and Yuba City as the head
of navigation to the Northeren Mines.
Eliza, however, soon failed.
Sacramento
River
American
River
Lo Hock Granja
According to reporter Rob Young writing in the Marysville Appeal-Democrat, Sutter's Hock
Farm had nothing to do with the production of ham hocks, pickled pigs feet or pork chops.
Most historians think that Hoch (also spelled Hok or Hoc) was an Indian village near the farm.
Others think that Sutter, who was born in Germany, named the farm hoch - high in German because it was north of his fort in Sacramento or because it was on high ground.
The Hock Farm is the first white settlement in Sutter County, established in 1841 by John
Augustus Sutter. This, first large-scale agricultural settlement in Northern California, composed
of grain, cattle, orchards and vineyards, was located on the Feather River, and was intended by
Sutter to be a retirement location where he would relocate his wife and children. By 1865 Sutter could no longer maintain the farm as the California Gold Rush had depleted the area of manpower to run the place. As his finances dwindled, squatters looted his beloved property of its
cattle and timber. His son, August Sutter, lost vast amounts of property holdings to swindlers.
Sutter's own failed business dealings with swindlers and thieves left him nearly penniless. The
Mansion located on Hock Farm was destroyed by an arson fire on June 21, 1865 deliberately
set by a vagrant ex-soldier, whom Sutter allowed to loaf around the farm, who retaliated against
Sutter for having him whipped for stealing. The blaze destroyed all of Sutters personal records
of his pioneer life as well as works of art and other treasures, except for a few prized medals and portraits that Sutter was able to save.
Despite the vast land holdings given him by the Mexican
government Sutter ultimately lost Hock Farm due to the
enormous cost of litigation trying to perfect his land titles
in the now United States courts. Sutter left California five
months after the fire, traveling to Washington DC to petition congress for redress. He spent the rest of his life in this
futility and died broke in 1880, never returning to California or seeing the justice he sought.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Governor Brown’s 2016-17 proposed budget for mining remediation for Malakoff Diggins
is 1.2 Million dollars. This funding will help complete the cost of the Cultural Resource
report, hire an Engineering Consultant to assist parks in evaluating alternatives and cover
costs for water and soil sampling to meet the requirements of the Waste Discharge Permit. The final legislative committee meeting is in May.
Statewide, the Department is going through a Service Based Budgeting exercise. For Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, we are estimating the operating costs for fiscal year 201718; not operating at the current level but what it really takes to run the park.
The statewide goal of Service Based Budgeting is to document how much it costs to operate
the State Park System. With this information the department may request additional
funding from the Legislature. LOCALLY
FNB&MD Sub-Committee for Strategic Planning has developed a Mission Statement for
Malakoff Diggins and a Vision Statement is nearly ready. The prioritizing of specific goals
to meet the needs of the park is in the works.
VOLUNTEERS & INTERPRETATION
This years mutual recruitment and training of prospective state park volunteers found a
number of candidates desiring to serve at Malakoff Diggins. Interp. Spec. Debbie Pfanner
reports they will soon begin park orientation & training within their various niches. An exciting addition to the Sierra Gold Sector is the upcoming appointment of a
Permanent - Intermittent State Park Interpreter. Recently, the South Yuba River Park Association, the Friends of North Bloomfield & Malakoff Diggins, and the Empire
Mine Park Association have graciously agreed to help fund the position for the coming year. This newly developed assignment will act as the Sector lead person for volunteer
management, recruitment, retention of volunteers, and interpretive planning / training. MINING NEWS
March 2016
Locals Celebrate
as County Cancels
Controversial Mine Plan
from: SYRCL
After four years of contentious debate
and widespread local opposition, the
community and river lovers are celebrating news that Nevada County has Known Locally as Cherokee Digigins
closed a pending application to reopen a controversial gold mine in the heart of the
San Juan Ridge that when the mine last operated in the 1990s, discharged millions of
gallons of water—some of it untreated mine waste – into a tributary of the South Yuba
River, scouring the creek bed down to bedrock, and endangering the habitat of yellow-legged frogs, dewatered 12 domestic wells and contaminated others including the
wells for the North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center and Grizzly Hill School. At its peak, it’s estimated the mine would have pumped up to 3.5 million gallons of
water out of the ground every day – nearly one-third of the total daily groundwater
use of all of Nevada County. “By taking this action, the County is removing a substantial threat to the habitat of our
beloved Yuba River watershed,” said SYRCL Executive Director Caleb Dardick. Opposition to the mine was led by the San Juan Ridge Taxpayers Association (SJRTA)
and the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL).
Note: In the 1990s, river users would notice that discharges entered the South Yuba
River from Spring Creek just below the Edward’s Crossing Bridge, changing the river
water from its usual crystal clear, to a dirty, chalky solution, impenetrable to the eye,
as it coursed Toward Purdon Crossing and beyond. Ed.
I WILL WAKE UP TO
THE SONGS OF BIRDS,
AND THE CHATTER
OF SQUIRRELS IN
THE TREES. Westly Alexander
Experience a night, or more,
in a genuine Miner’s Cabin,
complete with un-insullated
walls, outdoor toilets, and a
Zephyr luffing through the cracks.
No place for those seeking Room
Service, blow-dryers, HBO, Sauna, hot running water, or a kitchen sink....Ooops! There is a sink.....
cold water sink!
Adventurers are encouraged to
bring everything they would need
if they were tent camping, except
the tent. Suggestions include: air
mattresses, blankets, lanterns, camp stove, camera, binoculars, bug spray, playing cards, a good
book and S’mores. A picnic table and fire ring are included, outside.
Inside are the finest furnishing
consistent with the period of an 1870s mining town: Bunk racks for four, cupboard, picnic table, wood stove, work counter and sink.
OPEN 5/1-9/30
Load the wagon and haul up to Malakoff Diggins’ Unique Gold Rush Lodging
May be Booked 7 Mo. in Advance via Reserve America 1-800-444-7275
$40 / Night. Payable in Gold Dust, Yankee Dollars or Credit Card
More Info: 530-265-2740
Fire Repeatedly Destroyed Western Towns
by Don Baumgart
As western towns like Nevada City and Grass Valley grew from the tent clusters thrown
up by gold miners, there were a lot of dangers to be avoided. Stage coach robbers took
mine payrolls, crooked gamblers took the pay out of miners denim pants pockets, and
claim jumpers took the gold itself. But likely the greatest danger faced by those living in
the new western towns was fire.
Made of canvas and wood, the towns were easy prey to an overturned lantern, pipe embers, a careless match, or candle. In March of 1851, at two o'clock in the morning as the town slumbered a fire started in a saloon on Nevada City’s
Main Street. The Nevada Co. Historical Society
Bulletin recalls that night saying, “so combustible were the closely packed shake and board
shanties and canvas structures, that all thought of
arresting the the flames seemed futile." Hard rock mining had arrived in the Gold Country and it was quite common to keep
quantities of blasting powder on hand. "These exploded sending flaming brands into the
air and spreading the flames far and wide. Standing in the city were many tall pitch pine
trees, about whose spreading branches the flames writhed and twisted." Tongues of flame
shot up the trees into the black night. The blaze caused a half million dollars in damage.
Another fire destroyed much of the rebuilt Nevada City five years later, in the summer of
1856, and came back for another visit in the fall of 1863.
Nearby Grass Valley was not much
luckier in avoiding the early West's
version of urban renewal. A cry of
"Fire!" roused sleeping residents
there who found flames crackling
and roaring through the tinder-dry
buildings. It was a Wednesday night
in September, 1855. Hundreds of
buckets of water were thrown,
wet blankets were swung, but the all night battle was won by the fire. More than 300
buildings that stood the day before were ashes when the sun rose again. Left standing
were two buildings, both built of stone.
continued next page:
Every hotel and boarding house in town was destroyed. The vault of the Wells Fargo building withstood the hottest of the fire, preserving its valuable contents. This fire, found
to have started in the United States Hotel on lower Main Street, cost Grass Valley an estimated loss of $400,000.
In these days we hear a lot about "preparedness for disaster" but how prepared was Grass Valley for this conflagration? Not very. A hook and ladder fire company had folded after
a year for lack of enough interest to keep
it going. A city ordinance called for
every house to have fifty gallons of water in a vessel for fire emergencies.
It wasn't enforced. Fifty of the seventy five houses in French Corral were des-
`
troyed by fire in 1853. The following
summer flames paid a return visit, burn
ing down the remaining twenty five. Though fires often ran through downtown wooden buildings, stores and homes, there were
other casualties of flames. Lumber mills and their wood resources also felt the heat.
Grass Valley’s Mill Street Foundry was burned to the ground in 1865. In February, 1873
the Boca Mill and Ice Company store, eight miles from Truckee, sustained an $8,000 fire
loss. Worse, in 1892 the Boca Brewery fell victim to a revenge arsonist.
The Nevada County Historical Society's
Bulletin reports. "With brave hearts and
energetic hands, they at once commenced
the work of rebuilding the burned city and
recuperating their wasted fortunes." Again
and again towns were destroyed by fire, but
the residents never gave up on their dreams.
Eventually the dreams became built of brick
and stone. Many are still around. Ed.
VOLUME 41, NUMBER 3
THE EMPIRE STAR
PAGE 3
Magical Mother’s Day at Empire Mine
May 8th
The gardens should be glorious, and the cos-
tumes lavish. Meet docents portraying the colorful characters who shaped our gold- mine history. Light snacks and beverages will be available for purchase - or bring your own lunch, blankets and chairs and picnic near the famous gardens. Enjoy live music and entertainment. Children will delight in photo by Richard Bannister
creating a special gift for mom at the pot- a-plant bench - or choosing a low-priced
gift in the popular Gift Shop. A memorable day for all ages - and everyone's invited! $7 ages 17 & over, $3 ages
6-16, under 6 yrs. free. For Info:
(530) 273-8522 or www.empiremine.org
Was history ever this much fun?
Humbug Herald Newsletter
Friends of North Bloomfield & Malakoff Diggins
PUBLICITY
John Field, Kathy Field Friends of North Bloomfield
& Malakoff Diggins
[email protected]
http://malakoffdigginsstatepark.org/
WEBMASTER
Michael B. Baca
c/o South Yuba River Park Association
http://www.southyubariverstatepark.org/
Bridgeport News
Editors: Doug & Shirley Moon
HUMBUG HERALD
Newsletter
Editor
Laurent Clark [email protected]
Empire Mine Park Association
www.empiremine.org
The EMPIRE STAR Newsletter
Editor : Lynne Buenz [email protected]
jOIN friends of north bloomfield & malakoff diggins
or RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
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2016 PASS PARTICULARS: parks.ca.gov
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Carlsbad State Beaches and most parks throughout the state that are
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The popular “Golden Poppy” Pass was designed for many of the premiere “destination”
parks in the redwood region, and most of the state reservoirs. Parks like Julia Pfeiffer
Burns and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on the Monterey coast are included along with
coastal units in San Luis Obispo and the Channel Coast area.
TAHOE REGIONAL VEHICLE DAY USE ANNUAL PASS - $75.00
This new pass was created specifically for one of the jewels of the state, the Lake Tahoe
region including D.L. Bliss SP, Ed Z’Berg Sugar Pine Point SP, Emerald Bay SP,
Kings Beach SRA, Donner Memorial SP.
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all State operated Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) areas.
Valid for 12 months from month of purchase. Subject to available space.
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LC