Location
The Clear Creek or Havilah mining district is in east-central Kern County, about 26 miles east-northeast of Bakersfield and five miles south of Bodfish. It is an extensive region that includes the Red Mountain and Walker Basin areas. It is also a tungsten district.
History
Gold was discovered in Clear Creek in 1863 or 1864 by Claude de la Borde, George McKay, Benjamin Mitchell, and Hugh McKeadney. The town of Havilah was established in 1865 and soon became an important center with a population of at least 3000. It was the sear of Kern County from 1867 until 1874. The area declined in rhe 1880s, but was intermittently active for many years afterward. Some work has been done in recent years at the Joe Walker and Rand mines.
Geology
The area is underlain by quartz diorite with roof pendants of metasedimentary rocks in the north and south portions of the district. A body of gabbro lies to the northeast. The gold deposits are mostly confined to the quartz diorite west of Havilah and in rhe Walker Basin. They consist of quartz veins up to six feet thick, which contain free gold and varying amounts of sulfides.
Mines
Friday, Jackpot, Joe Walker $600,000+, Porter, Rand group $125,000, Rochfort, Southern Cross, Washington.
Bibliography
Dibblee, T. W., Jr., and Chesterman, C. W., 1953, Breckenridge Mountain quadrangle: California Div. Mines Bull. 168, 56 pp.
Troxel, B. W., and Morton, P. K., 1962, Kern County, Clear Creek district: California Div. Mines and Geology County Rept. 1, pp. 25-27.
Tucker, W. B., and Sampson, R. J., 1933, Kern County, Joe Walker mine: California Div. Mines Rept. 29, pp. 310-311.
