Hammonton History
Hammonton was center of the dredging industry in the Yuba Goldfields. While this town is not well-known, it is notable as one of the top ten gold producing districts in America (data compiled in the 1960s). The dredging that occurred in this area was the most extensive in the United States.
The 1976 publication Gold Districts of California describes the history of the district:
The river and streams here were first worked during the gold rush by small-scale placer methods. However, this soon ceased because the river level was raised by a large influx of hydraulic mine tailings. Bucket-line dredging began in the district in 1903 under the direction of W. P. Hammon. In 1905 his interests were taken over by Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields, which had just been organized. This concern perfected large-scale bucket-line dredging here into one of the most efficient methods for mining placer gold. Yuba Dredge No. 20 was one of the largest gold dredges in existence.
The district was dredged almost continuously from 1903 to 1968 and was the principal source of gold in California for some time. The estimated total output from dredging was estimated in 1964 at 4.8 million ounces.
However, operations have been gradually curtailed; in 1967 only two dredges were operating. On October 1, 1968 the last dredge was shut down, thus ending a major industry that had existed for nearly 70 years. More than a billion cubic yards of gold-bearing gravels were dredged. The extensive piles of gravel have become increasingly important as sources of aggregate.
According to a 1911 report by the Engineering and Mining Journal, "The field office of Yuba Consolidated Goldfields is at Hammonton; George J. Carr, superintendent. Hammonton is a village of 600 population, and containing 55 buildings, including dwellings, boarding houses, store, post office, repair shops and offices, all built and owned by the company. Employees are charged nominal rentals, and furnished light and water."
Hammonton had a post office 1906-1957.
It All Started With The Gold Rush
The great California Gold Rush kicked off the entire saga of western mining. Read about it at The California Gold Rush.
California Gold
"Where to Find Gold in California" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.
