142 



THE AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA 





Subdivision III. — The Region between the North Fork of the 



American Eiver and the South Yuba. 



Having, in the preceding pages, given an account of that portion of the 

 gravel region of the Sierra Nevada which lies to the south of the North 

 Fork of the American Eiver, we now pass on to the consideration of the very 

 important hydraulic mining districts which are found on the north of that 

 stream. In describing this region, as far north as the South Yuba, the work 

 of Professor Pettee will be chiefly relied on for details, as already men- 

 tioned.* The large map, also previously referred to, of the country between 

 the American and North Yuba rivers may be consulted in connection with 

 this subdivision of the detailed geology of the auriferous belt of the Sierra. 

 An inspection of this map will show at once the position of the gravel depos- 

 its, where uncovered by volcanic materials ; and it will be easily recognized 

 that there are quite extensive areas which are not thus overlain. Of course 

 where the gravels are covered their position cannot be indicated ; but that un- 

 der the volcanic there may be almost anywhere more or less detrital materia], 

 containing some gold, will be readily inferred from what has been stated in 

 the previous pages of this volume. Following the system already indicated, 

 however, we shall defer general remarks on the occurrence of the gravels to 

 another chapter, and for the present confine our observations to the details 

 of their occurrence in the region under review. It is believed that by fol- 

 lowing this order it will be possible to give a better and more connected 

 idea of the whole series of phenomena than could be had from a description 

 in which the general should precede the special. 



An examination of the map will show that directly north of the North 

 Fork of the American Kiver, and in immediate proximity to the Central 

 Pacific Railroad, there is a very large deposit of uncovered gravel, on which 

 a number of mining claims are indicated. This area lies in very close prox- 

 imity to that lying north of Shirt Tail Canon, and including the mining 

 centres of Iowa Hill, Elizabeth Town, and other camps already described from 

 Mr. Goodyear's notes. Indeed, the southern extremity of the gravel deposits 

 north of the American is hardly two miles distant from the nearest gravel 

 on the south side of that river, while there is good reason for believing, as 

 will be noticed farther on, that these deposits, now separated by a deep 

 canon, may once have been connected. 



* See ante, p. 80. 



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