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northern, middle, and southern portions of the State. It separates also three 

 evidently distinct periods of the geological history of this part of the continent, 

 in which marked changes are apparent upon the surfaces that had emerged above 

 the ocean during that epoch. 



EASTERN RANGE. 



This district extends from near the summit ridge of the mountains to within 

 about twenty-five miles of the edge of the plains. It maintains a very uniform 

 breadth of about twenty miles, and a length of one hundred and thirty, as far 

 as known. It covers an area equal to about three thousand square miles, a 

 large proportion of which is available as mining grounds. 



In this district is situated the major part of what is known as the " dry dig 

 gings " which includes the towns of Forest City on the north and Placerville on 

 the south. At the present time there is but a comparatively small portion of 

 this district occupied and improved. Admitting, that of the area included with 

 in the lines of this district, but one-third of the same may be considered as con 

 taining placer deposits, we shall have for the immediately available purposes of 

 mining an area equal to one thousand square miles. 



A glance at the entire area which is now in actual occupancy on this range, 

 and employed as mines in active operation, will convince those acquainted with 

 the district that but a very small fraction of the available territory is as yet 

 opened or in any manner improved. It is estimated that twenty square miles 

 will cover that au.ea and even this may be considered a large figure for the grounds 

 so improved ; amounting to two per cent, only, of the lowest aggregate that 

 can be placed upon the unoccupied district of the range. It is doubtful whether 

 there are men enough in this State (aside from those req'uired for the transac 

 tion of other departments of business,) to occupy and improve even one half of 

 the available mining lands that lie in the four middle mining counties of the 

 State which at the present time is untouched, for it is pretty well ascertained 

 that the absolute amount of ground in fourteen of the mining counties, now un 

 der improvement for those purposes, does not exceed five hundred square miles. 

 The amount of territory in each county which is unoccupied forms a heavy ag 

 gregate against the other. 



Of the eastern range of placers there are wide districts intervening between 

 the settlements on the range, and an approximate idea may be obtained, of the 

 extent of these placers, by citing districts that are well known, which will con 

 vey at the same time a better conception of the proportions occupied and the 

 reverse. 



The counties of Placer and El Dorado are fair examples of this district; they 

 lie adjoining each other and are situated nearly in the middle of the State, and 

 of the range. The deep workings of the above counties extend north and south 

 for a distance (air line,) of thirty-three miles, the north fork of the American 

 being one boundary, and the mountains and its tributaries being the other on 

 the south ; the breadth included in the above line and extending east and west 

 is about fourteen miles. The mining towns within this district are Iowa Hill, 

 Michigan Bluffs, Georgetown, Spanish Flat, Placerville, and other smaller set 

 tlements situated between the above and to the east of the line as given. 



The area of the eastern range in these comities alone, amounts to four hun 

 dred and sixty-two miles, nearly one half of the aggregate amount for the State 

 as belonging to this particular range of deposits ; and when we recollect that 



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