IV.

Mining the Gold

In the earliest days of the rush, claims yielding as much as $300 to $400 in a day were not uncommon. In 1849 about $10 million worth of gold was mined. As competition increased, fewer and fewer claims were to yield such profits; the people who found practically nothing far outnumbered those who struck it rich.

The source of the gold, the Mother Lode, a belt of gold-bearing quartz, ran in a wide swath stretching 160 km (100 mi) through the mountains of the Sierra Nevada range. Its northern boundary was La Porte on the Feather River. In the south the lode extended to Mariposa. Placer gold, consisting of nuggets and gold particles, was found in streams and rivers in the foothills of the Sierras.

In 1848 placer gold was plentiful. The miners could pick it up or scratch it out of ravines, dry streambeds, and gulches. By the end of the year, however, dry digging gave way to wet digging, or panning. Miners put gold-bearing dirt or gravel, which they called pay dirt, into a shallow washing pan. They then held it underwater for a few minutes. The current would wash away the dirt and gravel, leaving the heavier gold on the bottom of the pan.

By the end of 1849 there were so many miners that individual operations were replaced by larger ventures. Miners formed groups to dry up riverbeds by diverting the waters with dams. Even more rewarding was coyoteing. This method called for digging a shaft 6 to 13 m (20 to 40 ft) deep into the bedrock along the shore of a stream. Then tunnels were dug in all directions to get at the richest veins of pay dirt.