Gold and Lumber: Two Papers on Northern California History and Archaeology

This report is a compilation of two papers on the history and archaeology of the Shasta County area in Northern California. The two papers are: 1) Historical and Archaeological Investigations of the Horsetown Mining Complex, Shasta County, California 2) The Historic Blue Ridge Flume of Shasta and Tehama Counties, California Paper One: In the spring of 1991, historical and archaeological investigations were conducted on approximately 40 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southwestern Shasta County. The project area l1es in the vicinity of the historic community of Horsetown, settled in 1849. The study area, BLM Site CA-030-475, represents a microcosm of gold mining history in northern California. Physical remains from all major mining techniques in the north state are present. Features recorded include an extensive system of trenches and associated rock work, a rock dam, ditches, a granite quarry, adits, and tailings. The trench system includes 24 trenches cut by hand through a soft geologic formation known as Nomlaki tuff. While drainage systems for placer mining are common, this geologic structure within gold-bearing beds facilitated construction of this web of narrow trenches. The miners took advantage of these soft tuffaceous beds to carve narrow, sometimes very deep trenches; and it appears the miners used these beds to good advantage, economizing their use of water and perhaps accelerating local gold production. The site area has the potential for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places under criteria "a" and "C"i and it possesses good integrity of location, design, setting,materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The trench system, in the context of its temporal placement and cultural associations, appears to be an unusual feature, one unique or at least rare in the region and, perhaps, in California. Should other tuff-cut drainage trenches be located, it is felt that this system will probably remain as an outstanding example due to the local mining history and unique geologic situation, coupled with the topographic setting, the large number of trenches, and the good integrity of the trench system. Paper Two: The Blue Ridge Flume was a 42-mile V-flume initially constructed in 1872 to transport rough-cut lumber quickly and safely from the remote Manton and Viola area sawmills of Shasta and Tehama counties to a Red Bluff planing mill. From the time it was built, and throughout its short history (1872-1878) before its abandonment and eventual destruction by lumber and hardware thieves, it was looked upon with awe and wonderment. Today, the Blue Ridge Flume is largely a memory. There are no standing remains of this massive structure, although scattered remnants can be found along its route, including rock piers and scattered boards, hardware and other artifacts. The Blue Ridge Flume played a very important role in the development of the north state's lumber industry, Tehama and Shasta counties, and the city of Red Bluff. It appears to be part of a system of National Register of Historic Places quality. Management of portions of the system's route by the Bureau of Land Management will help in presenting the story of this flume's history and value to the public through eventual interpretive displays and other means.这份报告汇编了两篇关于北加利福尼亚州沙斯塔县（Shasta County）地区历史与考古学的论文。两篇论文分别为： 1) 《加利福尼亚州沙斯塔县霍斯敦矿区综合体的历史与考古调查》 2) 《加利福尼亚州沙斯塔与蒂黑马县的历史性蓝山脊渡槽》 论文一：1991年春季，研究人员对沙斯塔县西南部由美国土地管理局（Bureau of Land Management, BLM）管理的约40英亩联邦土地开展了历史与考古调查。项目区域位于1849年建立的历史性社区霍斯敦（Horsetown）周边。本次研究的对象为BLM遗址CA-030-475，该遗址是北加州淘金历史的缩影，留存有北加州所有主要采矿技术的实物遗存。已记录的遗迹包括大型沟渠与相关石构工程、石坝、引水渠、花岗岩采石场、平硐以及尾矿堆。 该沟渠系统由人工在被称为诺姆拉基凝灰岩（Nomlaki tuff）的松软地质层中开凿出24条沟渠。尽管砂矿开采的排水系统较为常见，但含金地层中的这种地质结构为这套狭窄沟渠网络的修建提供了便利。矿工们借助这些松软的凝灰岩层开凿出狭窄且有时极深的沟渠，此举显然充分利用了地层优势，既节约了水资源，又可能加快了当地的黄金开采效率。 依据"a"与"C"两项标准，该遗址具备入选《国家史迹名录》（National Register of Historic Places）的潜力，且在位置、设计、环境、材质、工艺、氛围与关联方面保存完好。从其年代与文化关联来看，这套沟渠系统属于罕见遗迹，在该区域乃至加州可能都独一无二。若后续发现其他由凝灰岩开凿的排水沟渠，结合当地采矿历史、独特的地质条件、地形环境、数量众多的沟渠以及该系统的良好保存状况，这套沟渠系统仍将是同类遗存中的杰出代表。 论文二：蓝山脊渡槽（Blue Ridge Flume）全长42英里，为V型渡槽，最初建于1872年，用于将沙斯塔与蒂黑马县偏远的曼顿（Manton）和维奥拉（Viola）地区锯木厂产出的粗加工木材快速安全地运至雷德布拉夫（Red Bluff）的刨木厂。自建成起至1878年被废弃并最终遭木材与五金窃贼破坏的短暂运营周期内，该渡槽一直备受瞩目与赞叹。 如今，蓝山脊渡槽仅存历史记忆。这座大型构筑物已无完整遗存，但沿其原路线仍可找到散落的遗迹，包括石砌桥墩、零散木板、五金件及其他人工制品。 蓝山脊渡槽对北加州木材产业、沙斯塔与蒂黑马县以及雷德布拉夫市的发展起到了至关重要的推动作用，其品质符合《国家史迹名录》的收录标准。目前美国土地管理局正对该渡槽部分路线进行管理，未来将通过解说展示等方式向公众呈现这段历史及其价值。