The California Gold Rush began with James Marshall at Sutter’s Mill near the American River in 1848, bringing 300,000 people from across the nation in hopes of striking it rich. However, an earlier gold discovery was made in 1842 by Francisco Lopez, who wandered the creek beds of modern day Placerita Canyon. Lopez pulled out an onion root with a gold nugget attached to it! He was an early Californian who struck it rich with gold mining in the area.
Needless to say, the aftermath of the Gold Rush decimated whole indigenous societies because miners claimed and settled on their land. Native American land was seized by slaughter or forced migration.
The gold-seekers were termed “forty-niners.” Along with the influx of people, came an expansion of agriculture, ranching, settlements, thrusting California into statehood by 1850.
Panning was common by a single 49er, while larger scale techniques included placer mining (cradles, rockers, long toms). Companies also diverted water from the river into a sluice to look for gold. Hydraulic mining was very powerful and destructive, as high pressure hoses washed away hillsides while destroying the landscape and plant life.
Many of the abandoned mines found in the San Gabriels today are “hard-rock” mines. Gold-seekers dug or blasted audits on the mountainsides to follow gold-bearing quartz.
Today mining is outlawed in the Angeles National Forest, but the crumbling audits and tunnels themselves serve as relics of a time of outlaws, shanty towns, and colorful characters.
Be sure to check out the essential site of Gold Mines in Los Angeles County by Hugh Blanchard
Check out my East Fork page for more mines and history!
Big Tujunga Water Tunnels
Very few people know about Big Tujunga's unique tunnels. Their construction probably dates back to the mid 20th century
Kelsey Silver Mine in San Gabriel Canyon
In the 19th century when silver was discovered in the main canyon of the San Gabriel, two prominent mining
Buell’s Mining Folly and Found Lost Tunnel
Mining in Buell's Day Henry C. Roberts and William Ferguson dominated the large scale hydraulic mining scene in the
Miner Finds Silver, Dies Drunk
Today, motorists fly by on Highway 39, unaware of a canyon with a very dark secret from the gold mining
Emma (Conover) Mine
Mining in the Soledad Canyon region took off in the 1870s with new gold discoveries in the Acton area and
Puritan Mine Stamp Mill
In plain sight from the 14 freeway, an inoperative 5-stamp mill stands as a relic of a very old operation. It's one
Saucer Canyon Mine
Saucer Canyon (Branch) is a small tributary that feeds Millard Creek in the San Gabriels and is also the location
Billy Heaton (Queenie) Mine
The Billy Heaton Mine is located right off the East Fork trail that goes to Bridge to Nowhere. The
Dutch Louie Tunnel & Titanium mine
Down in Pacoima Creek sits a crumbling tunnel from the 19th century that stands testament to the era of ambitious mining
Allison Mine
High in the south face of Iron Mountain is a mine "discovered" by the experienced prospector, John James Allison
Bell Hartman Mine
"Although the mine building and mine are less than a quarter of a mile from the Angeles Crest Highway….the
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