By the outset of the 1850’s, with the California gold rush in full swing, prospectors, miners, and speculators were scouring every unexplored hill, river, and valley they could find. One hub of this activity was the newly formed mining town of Nevada City. From there, men with dreams of riches ventured out into the surrounding areas.
Three hopefuls found gold in a stream northeast of Nevada City. One of them went to Nevada City for supplies and, after some boasting in a saloon, was secretly followed back by curious miners.
Soon the stream was full of men searching for gold. The effort was fruitless though, and the creek was named “Humbug.” Some of the miners held out though, and a small town of the same name was born.
Though the gold seemed scarce, the men had no idea of the riches laden in the surrounding mountains. Soon a new method of mining would be used, impacting the industry of mining and having lasting consequences on the landscape.
In 1852, Anthony Chabot and Edward Mattison devised a way of channeling and pressurizing water into tubes fitted with nozzles on the end, thus creating the ability to shoot jets of water to dismantle the hillsides. This was the birth of hydraulic mining. The discarded dirt, gravel and debris was channeled into the river. The area of mountainsides in which this effort was applied became known as The Malakoff Diggins. The town of Humbug began to flourish. There was a problem though; the name was downright unattractive. So, in 1858 the townspeople decided overwhelmingly to change the name of the settlement to North Bloomfield.
The only saloon left in town. In flush times North Bloomfield sported eight saloons.
Only a few years later, claim owners were able to get San Francisco financiers to invest in larger scale hydraulic mining and The North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company was born. Prosperity came to North Bloomfield. At full capacity. 100,000 tons of gravel was worked each day. In the 1860’s and 70’s the town swelled to 1200 citizens with five hotels, eight saloons, livery stables, dry goods stores, breweries, a barbershop, blacksmith shop, dairy, butcher, bakery, boot and shoemakers, three fraternal organizations, churches, a school and a post office. All fed by stage and freight wagon services.
North Bloomfield had certainly bloomed. But as the busy town enjoyed these flush times, it was quite the contrary downstream. Uncontrolled release of silt and other debris from the hydraulic mining was causing flooding in the valley and many farmers lost their farms, and in some cases their lives. At one point the valley town of Marysville flooded and silt reached all the way to San Francisco Bay. The devastation downstream soon became a legal issue. Legal skirmishes lasted for a number of years, but in 1884 Judge Lorenzo Sawyer issued a permanent injunction against dumping tailings into the Yuba River.
Because the survival of such towns was dependent on this form of mining, various attempts were made to get around the injunction, including impounding the debris. But such attempts only made hydraulic mining unprofitable. Over the following years, hydraulic mining was used less and less until it slipped into the annals of history.
By 1900 only half of the population was left in the once vibrant town. The residents were further insulted when prohibition closed the remaining saloons. Nearly a ghost when the great depression began, its empty houses were once again inhabited as people came in need of free places to live. This was short lived, however, and after World War Two the permanent residents numbered less than twenty.
In the early 1960’s a campaign began to preserve the remains of North Bloomfield and the history of hydraulic mining. Nevada County became involved, and the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park was created. The 3000-acre park includes both the Malakoff Diggins and the town of North Bloomfield.
mountains were washed away
It takes about forty minutes to travel the 15 miles to the park from Nevada city. The road in is partially paved and other than a few ruts and rocks is fairly well maintained. There are a couple of vantage points where the destruction to the landscape is apparent from the hydraulic mining. Entire mountains were washed away, and the new growth can only hide a portion of the damage. Indeed, the surrounding forests harbor the scars of the largest hydraulic mining operation in California.
The church is just before entering North Bloomfield.
In the town itself about twenty buildings have survived in various forms of arrested decay. Remaining structures along the main street through town include the McKillian & Mobley General Store, Smith & Knotwell Drugstore, King’s Saloon, the Skidmore House, Kallenberger Barbershop, Cummings Hall, Ostrom Livery Stables and the Lafayette Hotel. About a half mile before getting to the town you’ll find the church and schoolhouse. In clearings off the beaten path sit some old cabins that have been fixed up and are rented out. Cummings hall has been converted into a museum and is well worth the visit for questions and a further glimpse into the local history. For more information visit https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=494
It’s not all about history though, as there is a variety of forms of recreation available. Camping, Fishing, hiking and swimming dominate the activities present, as well as enjoying and studying the wildlife. Everything from bears to Jays to wildflowers can be seen on a regular basis. I can personally vouch for the camping, which is very peaceful and relaxing.
Come to Malakoff State Historic Park, where you can blend the fascination of a ghost town and mining history with camping and recreation, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a fat Rainbow Trout.
If you would like to read another post about California gold rush mining towns visit https://outerrealmz.com/gold-rush-express
North Bloomfield still had some residents in the 1900’s.
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