2e5 RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA 
North Fork of the American River runs through the middle of 
the county, and the Middle Fork forms its southern boundary. 
The principal mining towns are Auburn, Yankee Jim’s, Gold 
Hill, Dutch Flat, Todd’s valley, Michigan City, Iowa Hill, 
Bath and Wisconsin Hill. Two-thirds of the present gold yield 
of the county is derived from hydraulic claims. 
Some of the placer diggings near Bath are found in a peculiar 
formation. The principal deposit is in a deep hill, at the bot- 
tom of which is a stratum of pay-dirt, consisting of a fine sandy 
sediment, with pebbles and pieces of quartz. The gold is 
round and coarse. Above that is a stratum of blue gravel, 
which varies from twenty to one hundred and fifty feet in 
thickness. This blue gravel is “spoted ;” that is, in places it 
pays well; in other places it does not pay at all. Above this 
stratum is another layer of pay-dirt composed of a reddish 
gravel, which is about three feet thick on an average, and con- 
tains little scales of gold. The top of the ridge is composed 
of a whitish cement or tough clay, which, where exposed to 
the air, is reddish in color, and resembles the red gravelly clay 
found in most of the hills in the rich mining districts. 
§ 223. HI Dorado and Amador—E] Dorado county ad- 
joins Placer on the south, and is drained by the South Fork 
of the American River, which runs through its centre, the 
Middle Fork, which is its northern boundary, and the Cosum- 
ues its southern boundary. It is the oldest placer-mining 
county of the Sacramento basin, Marshall having made his 
discovery within its limits; and ten years ago it was called 
the “Empire County,” because it cast the largest vote in the 
state, but it has now lost much of its population and fallen be- 
hind several others. The principal mining towns are Placer- 
ville, Coloma, Georgetown, Diamond Springs, El Dorado, 
Spanish Bar, and Indian Diggings. In 1859 there were forty 
quartz-mills in the county, of which six are at El Dorado, 
three at Steeley’s Fork, at Placerville, Nashville, Grizzly 
Flat, Loafer Hollow, and Logtown two each, and the others 
are scattered about. The county has fifty-one ditches, twelve 
