Howland Flat History
Howland Flat was settled in 1857 at the location of rich placer gold deposits. The post office here was called Table Rock, named after the prominent mountain adjacent to the town. The post office and the town had different names until 1922 when the post office closed, an unusual situation for a town of this era (usually differing town and post office names werre reconciled within a few years.)
Howland Flat began to thrive around 1860 when mentions of the town in regional newspapers significantly increased. In 1863, an article in the Sunday, May 03 edition of The Marysville Appeal featured the town, stating that it is "one of the most flourishing of our mountain towns... the population is varisouly estimated from eight hundred to one thousand, and can boast, perhaps, of more families in proportion than any town north of Marysville."
Much of the gold produced here was from deep river gravel deposits that were mined through drifts and shafts (later hydraulic mining would become common in this area). Winters here were long and harsh, with deep snows. Miners would stockpile their paydirt during the winter and wash it in the late spring when water became available. The May 01, 1859 edition of the Daily National Democrat Sun reported on the results of one of these spring cleanups:
"In many localities in this section of country miners are busily engaged during the Winter, and in many cases with flattering results; for instance: the Minnesota Company, on Howland Flat, the day before yesterday took out fifty ounces, or $875, the product of two men's washing for ten hours; the also got one piece of pure gold that weighed five ounces. They employ about thirty men in their diggings."
The Jun 24, 1860 edition of the Marysville Appeal reported on a successful one-man mining operation: "At Howland Flat, Sierra county, on Saturday last the owners of the Mountaineer claim took 126 ounces [of gold], the result of work by one man. The dirt in this claim is raised through a shaft, by means of a whim, and consequently the process of hoisting is slow."
An October 1872 fire burned much of the business district. Reports of the losses reveal what businesses the town had at the time: Hanley's Hotel, Odd Fellows Hall, Brindle's Saloon, Koska's boarding house, Gray's livery stable, Grave's photgraph gallery, Vanderwart's carpenter shop, and Brown's shoe shop. With the gold mines still producing, the business section of town was quickly rebuilt.
Although many mining towns of the era quickly declined as the gold ran out, Howland Flat continued to prosper more than two decades after it was founded. An 1880 article stated that the camp was "flush and prosperous" and is "growing in size and population." The article goes on to report that the Virginia mine had secured a $150,000 investment from San Francisco capitalists, and that gravel mines in the area were still producing handsomely.
In 1884 Chinese miners at Howland Flat and surrounding communities went on strike demanding higher wages. Their demand for pay of two dollars per day was met, and the men went back to work. That same year hydraulic mining was banned in California, which put an end to many of the prosperous mining operations in the area.
A February 1887 article in The San Francisco Examiner reveals that the town was in significant decline by the latter part of the 1880s:
"In Howland flat, Sierra county, is a magnificent mansion that cost $40,000, built by Henry Stout, when Howland Flat was a flourishing mining town. Since the mines have failed the town has "run down" badly, and the house stands now a palace in a wilderness. Its owner failed in business and was sent to the insane asylum, and now Mrs. Stout is the sole occupant."
Another 1887 article reports that a prominent hydraulic mining company at Howland Flat closing their business, "having abandoned all hope of ever again operating their mines by the hydraulic process." The article also states that "A few years ago Howland Flats was one of the most thriving and prosperous mining camps in the country, but its former glory has departed and the few people who remain there find it up-hill work to eke out a living."
Despite the dramatic decline of the town's fortunes, it managed to survive several more decades. The post office closed in 1922 and although the town was mostly abandoned by this point, mining activity supported a small population for many years. A 1931 article from the Oroville Mercury Register stated that fifteen to twenty men will be employed at Howland Flat, reporting:
"This little mountain village, ghost of its former self, can show a good part of the world what propserity means today. It is staging a come-back as the center of a region in which gold mining is going forward on the two-and-three shift basis.... Every man in Howland Flat is working, and their employers even will not allow them their Sundays off for a deer hunt."
Plans to bring back hydraulic mining at Howland Flat were reported in 1941, with one article stating that the gold-bearing channel where the operation was planned is credited with $13,000,000 in production prior to 1884 when hydraulic mining was banned in California. Another article from that year stated that the Howland Flat precinct had 13 voters.
In 1942 gold mines were ordered to close due to World War 2, so it is unclear as to whether the hydraulic mines were ever brought back to production. Mentions in newspapers of Howland Flat become more scarce after World War 2. Ultimately this historic gold town became a ghost town a full century after it was founded, making it one of California's longest-lasting mining settlements.
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.
