Most of the gold produced in Del Norte County has come from placer-mining operations along the Smith River and its tributaries. These operations include the placer mines of Hurdy Gurdy, Monkey, Myrtie, and Craigs Creeks and the French Hill area. Gold has been obtained by mining the present stream gravels, terrace gravels adjacent to the present streams, and patches of the so-called Klamath "oldland cycle" gravels at such places as French Hill and Haines Flat. The terrace and "oldland" gravels were mined by hydraulicking. The principal period of mining was from the 1850s through the 1870s, but there has been small-scale intermittent work ever since. The estimated total production is 40,000 ounces of gold. Chrome ore also was mined at French Hill during World Wars I and II.
Bibliography
Lowell, F.L., 1916, Del Nort3 County, placer gold: California Min. Bur. Rept. 14, pp. 386-389.
Maxon, J.H., 1933. Economic geology of portions of Del Norte and Siskiyou Counties: California Div. Mines Rept. 29, pp. 123-160.
O'Brien. J.C., 1952, Del Norte County, gold: California Jour. Mines and Geology, vol. 48, pp. 277-279.
