Nice view titled Exploitation d'une mine par la methode hydraulique a North Bloomfield (Nevada), from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, approx. page size 26.5 x 18 cm, image size approx. 19 x 13 cm. From La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes, 19 vol. (1875-94), great work of Elisee Reclus.

North Bloomfield, California

North Bloomfield (previously, Bloomfield, Humbug, and Humbug City) is a small  unincorporated community located in Nevada County, California.

It is in the Sierra Nevada, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Nevada City.

History

Settled in 1852 as a mining town of the California Gold Rush, it was originally  named Humbug after the creek of the same name. As the settlement grew, it was  renamed Humbug City, and then the more dignified Bloomfield. The settlement  thrived during Malakoff Diggins mining days. When a post office was established  on June 1, 1857, residents selected the current name to differentiate the town  from Bloomfield, California.

In 1857, the population was approximately 500. Three years later, the North  Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company arrived and began hydraulic mining  operations. By 1876, the population swelled to 2000. But in 1884, when hydraulic  mining ended because of a lawsuit by Sacramento area farmers, North Bloomfield  became an uninhabited San Juan Ridge ghost town.

In the present day, the town of North Bloomfield is contained within the  Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. Some of the town’s original buildings  remain and a few have been reconstructed:

Skidmore House
E Clampus Vitus Building
McKillicam & Mobley General Store
St. Columncille’s Catholic Church
The post office was open from 1857 to 1942, moving once in 1875.

Hydraulic mining

Hydraulic mining, or hydraulicking, is a form of mining that uses high-pressure  jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment.[1] In the placer  mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through  sluice boxes to remove the gold. It is also used in mining kaolin and coal.

Hydraulic mining originated out of ancient Roman techniques that used water to  excavate soft underground deposits. Its modern form, using pressurized water  jets produced by a nozzle called a "monitor", came about in the 1850s during the  California Gold Rush in the United States. Though successful in extracting  gold-rich minerals, the widespread use of the process resulted in extensive  environmental damage, such as increased flooding and erosion, and sediment  blocking waterways and covering over farm fields. These problems led to its  legal regulation. Hydraulic mining has since been used in various forms around  the world.