Water for Gold - Spanish Creek Bridge Overlook, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

One of six history signs at the Spanish Creek Bridge Overlook on CA. Hwy. 89/70
Text of Sign:

WATER for GOLD
The Maxwell Ditch and Mining Company

“Lake of Gold Found in Plumas County”
In Plumas County, the rush for dold began in 1850 when news of a “gold lake” spread throughout the area. Although thousands of hopeful prospectors came into the region, no one ever found the lake. Still, discoveries of rich deposits were common between 1850 to 1852. By 1855, most of the easy to reach placer deposits were gone so different methods to extract the gold were required.
Durning the late nineteeth and early twentieth centuries, the nearby camps of Rush Creek, 12-Mile Bar, and Kingsbury Ferry all had large hydraulic mining operations. The larger and more substantial hydraulic operations were actual businesses that hired men to do the work. The young girl above is shown at Bean Hill, west of Spanish Ranch.

Using “Giants” to Get Gold
Hydraulic mining used water under pressure created by a difference in the elevation of the water source and the outlet of the nozzle of a “giant” or “monitor.” The miners used the pressurized water to wash the gold bearing earth through a series of “sluices” or long wooden boxes. Gold, a heavier metal, would then settle to the bottom of the sluice boxes while the water washed away the lighter material.
The Maxell Ditch and Mining Company was a substantial hydraulic mining operation on Hardsock Hill. The company began taking water from Spanish Creek in 1872, two miles below American Valley, and transported the water through the Maxwell Ditch to the monitors downstream. The company’s hydraulic mine was at Iron Bar, opposite Soda Bar, where the town of Paxton is located.

Maxwell Water Ditch
As you travel through the Feather River Canyon you can still see evidence of these early prospecting attempts especially along Spanish Creek.
Although it no longer carries water, portions of the Maxwell Ditch still exist today opposite of the Spanish Creek Campground, west of the highway.

Group that erected the marker: U.S. Forest Service & Caltrans Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: On Hwy 89/70 at Spanish Creek Bridge Overlook URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   10/11/2016 Volcanoguy visited it