North Columbia,
California
The Columbia Hill School House was built in 1875 for a cost of $3000.00 and was used up till 1979 when it was closed because it didn't meet earthquake standards. |
The main hydraulic pit at North Columbia is nearly two miles long and a mile wide. |
| This district was first
placer mined in the 1850's and then hydraulicked up to the early 1880's. Columbia was
named after the nearby Columbia Hill and "North" was added to distinguish it
from Columbia in Tuolumme County. The main mine was the "Delhi" and was active
from the 1860's till the 1890's. The placer mines of North Columbia are estimated to have
yielded up to $3 million. The damage done here by hydraulic mining to the environment is more than enough to make the arm-chair environmentalists choke on their "Cafe Latte's" while thinking of a underhanded way to close some old back road. |