*^"-^hi 



i 



THE GRAVEL: AT LOWELL AND REMINGTON HILLS. 



175 



The connections of the gravel above Liberty Hill were not made out clearly ; but from Mr. 

 Bowman's investigations it appears that it forms a continuous deposit, as far as Lowell Hill, and it 

 is so represented on the map. The barometrical observations at the last-named locality were made 

 under rather unfavorable conditions ; but it is clear that the bed-rock at that point is from five to 

 six hundred feet, at least, higher than at Liberty Hill. This gives ample fall between the two 

 places, which are a little less than three miles apart. 



Higher up Bear River, a mile and a half east of Lowell Hill, is a small gravel area, known as 

 Kinder's Diggings. It was stated, by those acquainted with this region, that this gravel is on the 

 Bear River side of the divide, across which the old channel to the South Fork of Steep Hollow 

 went. It was also said that the character and mode of occurrence of tin 1 gravel and gold at Lowell 

 Hill indicated a connection with Kinder's rather than with Liberty Hill. Such evidence may 

 perhaps not be considered sufficient for basing a decided opinion as to the original course of the 

 streams ; but, as the heads of the present rivers are so near together at Bear Valley, it would not 

 be surprising to find the upper portions of the ancient representatives of the same streams in such 

 close proximity to each other, that they might be with difficulty distinguished, and connections 



supposed to exist where there really were none. 



The town of Lowell Hill, consisting of perhaps half a dozen houses, stands, as seen from the 

 opposite side of Steep Hollow, at the end of a rather Hat ridge, which runs parallel with the gen- 

 oral course of the Creek for about half a mile. From Lowell the descent into the canon is very 

 steep. South of this small ridge is a ravine nearly a mile long, emptying into Steep Hollow, just 

 below Lowell Hill. The gravel is at the westerly end of the ridge, just were it begins to pitch 

 into the canon. The extent of the diggings is not very great. Their total length in a north and 

 south direction would be, perhaps, a little less than 800 feet, and the average width may be taken 

 roughly at 300. This gives an area of a little over live acres. The only unmistakable bed-rock 

 seen in the diggings was near the eastern bank, and was pitching rapidly in a direction N. 80° W. 

 (magnetic). Whatever bed-rock has been laid bare in former years has since been covered again 

 by the large quantities of clay which have slidden down from the upper banks. The rock seen 

 was in the line of a sluice through which there had been an outlet from the diggings into Steep 

 Hollow. Everywhere along the eastern bank of the mine the indications pointed to a bed-rock 

 sloping to the west ; and nowhere were any signs of a rim with an eastern inclination. This may 

 be explained on the supposition that the western rim has been worn away during the formation 

 of Steep Hollow Canon. The height of the eastern bank of gravel will average about thirty or 

 forty fe ( >t. At the point where the altitude of the bed-rock was measured there was a covering of 

 e ight or ten feet of red dirt over the gravel proper. Then came seven feet of line gravel and sand, 

 followed by six feet of coarser gravel and ten feet of clay. At the bottom there was a coarse 

 gravel, with rather large boulders. The presence of so much clay has made the working of the 

 Lowell Hill bank unprofitable, and it is not probable that there will ever be much more money 

 taken out there than will be needed to pay expenses. 



On the opposite side of Steep Hollow is the Remington Hill gravel, bearing from the Lowell 

 Kill Mine, N. 22° W. (magnetic). A little lower down the creek, and on the same side with 

 Remington, is a small gravel deposit, known as Melbourne Hill. The observations with the hand- 

 !evel showed Remington Hill to be a little the higher of the two, while the altitudes of Melbourne 

 aud Lowell were nearly equal. To get from Lowell to Remington Mill it is necessary to cross the 

 c &non of Steep Hollow, the depth of which, as determined barometrically, is about 500 feet. The 

 wail from Lowell follows a narrow spur between two ravines, in a direction K 40° W. (magnetic), 

 to the bottom of the canon, and then up on the other side, on a spur between Snake Creek on the 

 e{ *st and a ravine which heads near the lteminjrton gravel on the west, ascending with a general 



course of N. 22° W. (magnetic). The Remington Hill gravel is hardly half-way up the side of 

 the main ridge to the northwest of Steep Hollow ; it is on the spur which lies between Snake and 

 ^ry Creeks, the general course of which is S. 10° E. (magnetic). Snake Creek is hardly anything 

 ^ore than a large ravine, heading just above the gravel deposit at Remington Hill, and having a 



