Natoma Ground Sluice Diggings - Folsom, CA
N 38° 38.500 W 121° 11.590
10S E 657248 N 4278562
The Natoma Ground Sluice Diggings, also known as Chinese Diggings, are a complex of trenches in the Folsom, California area that were used as sluices in the process of extracting gold from the nearby creeks.
Waymark Code: WMDYBV
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/08/2012
Views: 9
The Natoma Ground Sluice Diggings, also known as Chinese Diggings, are a complex of trenches in the Folsom, California area that were used as sluices in the process of extracting gold from the nearby creeks.
Some of the trenches are well over 30 feet deep with straight sheer walls. The site is fenced off as a safety measure, but the gate remains unlocked. Children should have adult supervision if they visit. The area includes a mixture of dredge rock tailings and the deep trenches. This remarkable feat of engineering was active from 1900 to 1924, with mostly Chinese laborers, and hence the alternate name.
There is no current "address" for this location. The nearest structure is at 121 Iron Point Road in Folsom. To navigate to the diggings, park in the south-west corner of the nearby shopping center, and walk onto the undeveloped land west of the power substation. The grounds are surrounded by a tall black metal fence with a simple latched gate. Continue through the gate traveling south-west and you will come upon the trenches. Be aware of safety hazards in the area: the rock tailings are difficult to walk over and the trenches are quite deep and dangerous in many areas.
Bring a camera: these man-made pits are quite unusual!
Post a picture of yourself in or next to one of the trenches.
This 103 acre site is was listed in 1990 as site # 90000682.
Street address:
(Nearest) 121 Iron Point Road
Navigate ~300 feet south-west from there
Folsom, CA USA
95630
County / Borough / Parish: Sacramento county, California
Year listed: 1990
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Information Potential, Architecture/Engineering, Event
Periods of significance: 1900 to 1924
Historic function: Industry/Processing/Extraction
Current function: Vacant; not in use.
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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