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Moores Flat, California AI simulator
(@Moores Flat, California_simulator)
Hub AI
Moores Flat, California AI simulator
(@Moores Flat, California_simulator)
Moores Flat, California
Moore's Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge about 19 miles northeast of Nevada City, California and about 5 miles northeast of North Bloomfield, California. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba at an elevation of about 4200 ft. On either side of it, lay the mining towns of Orleans Flat and Woolsey's Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled around 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats." All three were part of Eureka Township.
An early pioneer describes the physical relation of The Flats as follows: "Moore's Flat, Orleans Flat and Woolsey's Flat are all similarly situated on different points of the mountain, on the north side of the ridge between the South and Middle Yuba River, and all at about the same altitude. A very deep canyon lies between each of them, but a good mountain road was built around the head of each canyon, connecting the towns."
The town was named after H. M. Moore, who settled here in 1851 and built a house and store. Moore was either the first settler, or the first married settler. Not long afterward, an effort was made to change the name to Clinton. That name never took and by 1857, the name Clinton was dropped in favor of Moore's Flat. By 1852, the town reportedly had about 500 residents, several stores, three hotels and "a large number of saloons." Initially, it was overshadowed by the other Flats, but as they declined in the late 1850s, and their residents moved to Moore's Flat, it became the leading town in that area.
Its heyday was in the 1860s and 70s. By the 1870s, it was considered the most important mining town in Eureka Township. The town was served by Langton's Express and by Gregory and English's stages, which connected to many of the towns on the Ridge, as well as to Marysville, Downieville and Nevada City. There was also a line which ran stages between the Flats every 15 minutes. Toll roads provided improved access to Nevada City and the Ridge communities. An enterprising stable owner established a branch in Nevada City and offered customers the option of renting a horse, dropping it off at the Nevada City branch while visiting there for a few days and then bringing the horse back to Moore's Flat, all for three dollars.
As with the other Flats, mining was initially surface mining. As that became exhausted, mining using the hydraulic process commenced. At first, that was somewhat seasonal due to the lack of water during the summer. That changed with the arrival of water from the Poorman's Creek Ditch in 1854. Other ditches soon followed.
By all accounts, gold mining in the area was very successful. In 1867, Bean noted that “immense quantities of gold have been taken from the flats. In 1872, U.S. Commissioner of Mining Statistics Rossiter Raymond described Moore's Flat as a “thriving“ town, one of whose mines had produced $65,000 in gold during one year. In the early 1870s, the Marks & Co. bank alone bought an average of over $500,000 in gold dust annually. In 1900, it was estimated that 26,000,000 yards of gravel has been washed away in the area and 15,000,000 yards remained.
Despite the overall prosperity of the mines in the area, there was periodic mining strife over two issues: the price of water and the price of labor. The price of water was of immense importance to the smaller mines that were not owned by a water company. Hence, in 1874, mining was interrupted by a price dispute. Miners wanted to pay 8 cents an inch, not 12.5. Mining resumed when the Milton Mining and Water Company brought a new ditch to the area, lowering the price of water.
Labor-management strife centered around miners' wages, and, to some extent, the related issue of use of Chinese miners, who often were paid less than other miners. In early 1865, reacting to an attempt by mine owners to reduce the wages of $3.50 or $4 a day by 50 cents, the miners organized the Moore's Flat Working-men's Protective Society. A Constitution and By-laws were adopted, and about fifty men joined. In late March, the miners struck the Illinois Company which had reduced wages. A miner who tried to return to work at the lower wage was assaulted.
Moores Flat, California
Moore's Flat was a historic mining town located on the San Juan Ridge about 19 miles northeast of Nevada City, California and about 5 miles northeast of North Bloomfield, California. The town was about 1 mile south of the Middle Yuba at an elevation of about 4200 ft. On either side of it, lay the mining towns of Orleans Flat and Woolsey's Flat, each about I mile apart. All three were settled around 1851 and their histories frequently intertwine. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as "The Flats." All three were part of Eureka Township.
An early pioneer describes the physical relation of The Flats as follows: "Moore's Flat, Orleans Flat and Woolsey's Flat are all similarly situated on different points of the mountain, on the north side of the ridge between the South and Middle Yuba River, and all at about the same altitude. A very deep canyon lies between each of them, but a good mountain road was built around the head of each canyon, connecting the towns."
The town was named after H. M. Moore, who settled here in 1851 and built a house and store. Moore was either the first settler, or the first married settler. Not long afterward, an effort was made to change the name to Clinton. That name never took and by 1857, the name Clinton was dropped in favor of Moore's Flat. By 1852, the town reportedly had about 500 residents, several stores, three hotels and "a large number of saloons." Initially, it was overshadowed by the other Flats, but as they declined in the late 1850s, and their residents moved to Moore's Flat, it became the leading town in that area.
Its heyday was in the 1860s and 70s. By the 1870s, it was considered the most important mining town in Eureka Township. The town was served by Langton's Express and by Gregory and English's stages, which connected to many of the towns on the Ridge, as well as to Marysville, Downieville and Nevada City. There was also a line which ran stages between the Flats every 15 minutes. Toll roads provided improved access to Nevada City and the Ridge communities. An enterprising stable owner established a branch in Nevada City and offered customers the option of renting a horse, dropping it off at the Nevada City branch while visiting there for a few days and then bringing the horse back to Moore's Flat, all for three dollars.
As with the other Flats, mining was initially surface mining. As that became exhausted, mining using the hydraulic process commenced. At first, that was somewhat seasonal due to the lack of water during the summer. That changed with the arrival of water from the Poorman's Creek Ditch in 1854. Other ditches soon followed.
By all accounts, gold mining in the area was very successful. In 1867, Bean noted that “immense quantities of gold have been taken from the flats. In 1872, U.S. Commissioner of Mining Statistics Rossiter Raymond described Moore's Flat as a “thriving“ town, one of whose mines had produced $65,000 in gold during one year. In the early 1870s, the Marks & Co. bank alone bought an average of over $500,000 in gold dust annually. In 1900, it was estimated that 26,000,000 yards of gravel has been washed away in the area and 15,000,000 yards remained.
Despite the overall prosperity of the mines in the area, there was periodic mining strife over two issues: the price of water and the price of labor. The price of water was of immense importance to the smaller mines that were not owned by a water company. Hence, in 1874, mining was interrupted by a price dispute. Miners wanted to pay 8 cents an inch, not 12.5. Mining resumed when the Milton Mining and Water Company brought a new ditch to the area, lowering the price of water.
Labor-management strife centered around miners' wages, and, to some extent, the related issue of use of Chinese miners, who often were paid less than other miners. In early 1865, reacting to an attempt by mine owners to reduce the wages of $3.50 or $4 a day by 50 cents, the miners organized the Moore's Flat Working-men's Protective Society. A Constitution and By-laws were adopted, and about fifty men joined. In late March, the miners struck the Illinois Company which had reduced wages. A miner who tried to return to work at the lower wage was assaulted.