392 Adventures in Scenery 



across the ravine is a high ridge, the south end of which is known 

 as Cape Horn. At the south end of the ridge is a precipice 1,500 

 feet above the North Fork of American River from which a 

 splendid view may be had of the canyon. To avoid a danger- 

 ous curve around the Horn a tunnel has been bored through 

 the ridge through which the railroad now passes. On a clear 

 day from a high vantage point near Cape Horn placer pits may 

 be seen far to the southeast across the canyon at Iowa Hill and 

 Michigan Bluff, once busy mining centers. 



Grass Valley and Nevada City 

 Historically Interesting 



It may be of interest to turn up a highway that traverses 

 the ravine through which runs the narrow-gauge railway to 

 Grass Valley and Nevada City. These are historically interest- 

 ing places, and from a gold-producing standpoint they are still 

 important. It is said that probably nowhere else in the State 

 has there been so great a concentration of gold in a small area. 

 The North Star mine is said to be the most productive gold 

 mine in the State. At Grass Valley a monument marks the 

 spot where it is claimed gold quartz was first discovered, from 

 which sprang the great quartz-gold mining industry of Cali- 

 fornia. The Empire mine, with 200 miles of underground 

 workings, has been in continuous operation for nearly a hun- 

 dred years. The city is honeycombed with tunnels. The 

 crooked streets and weather-beaten brick buildings with stout 

 iron doors and iron-shuttered windows tell of the days of '49. 

 Nevada City originally had only placer mines. Even the 

 streets were "washed" for gold. Ancient houses, 3 or 4 stories 

 high, with steep roofs, cling to the precipitous canyon walls, 

 and point to a history that runs back to early days. The Ott 

 Assay office, established in 1853, is still in operation. The old 

 reconstructed Joss House, now a museum, contains relics that 

 tell of the old-time days. 



