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HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF PLACER MINING IN CALIFORNIA 73

the same year mines were opened at far distant points. Miners were
working in every large stream on the western slope of the Sierra
Nevada, from Feather River to the Tuolomne, a distance of one
hundred and fifty miles.
First Publication of Gold Discoveries: The first printed notice of
the discovery of gold appeared in the "California," a newspaper
published in San Francisco, on March 15, 1848.
On May 2d, the same paper announced that its publication would
be suspended, the whole population having betaken itself to the
mines. In 1849, the placers of Trinity and Mariposa were opened.
At this period hired men were the exception, every man workeJ
for himself and rocker claims were very abundant. In 1850, the
deposits of Klamath and Scott's Valley were discovered.
First Attempt to Build Ditches: The chief want of the placer
mining being water, the first noteworthy attempt at ditch-building
was made in March, 1850, at Coyote Hill, Nevada County.
In the spring of the same year gold was reported as lying on the
banks of Gold Lake, near Downieville. This caused a tremendous
excitement and a rush of miners to that locality. In a few weeks
thousands returned from the lake poorer than when they started.
On September 9, 1850, California was admitted into the Union as
a State. The number of persons then engaged in mining was esti-
mated at fifty thousand. River mining at this period occupied a
prominent place in the industries of the State.
First Use of the "Long Tom": The winter of 1849-50 was very
stormy and comparatively little work was done in the rivers and
creeks, but in the spring of 1850 mining was resumed on those bars
which were subject to overflow only at extreme high water. The
pick, shovel, rocker, and wheelbarrow were the only implements
then in use. Towards the end of 1850 the "Long Tom" was intro-
duced. .
Discovery of Gold Quartz Veins: Extensive prospecting at this
period for the source of these gravel deposits led to the discovery of
gold quartz mines, the most noted of which was the Allison Ranch
mine in Nevada County. In 1851 came the rush to Gold Bluff, lati-
tude 41 degrees north.
The work on dry bars gradually led to mining the river, bottoms,
which was first undertaken by means of wing dams. Later the
most venturous miners turned entire streams from their courses by
means of flumes or ditches.
First Working of Deep Deposits: Simultaneously the miners
"pushed back" from shallow placers to deep deposits, which were
worked by means of the "Long Tom," and with the advent of
sluices in 1851 the low hill gravels were _attacked and successfully
mined.
Coincident with the introduction of the sluice and washing of hill
gravels came the employment of hired men in placer diggings.