The old schoolhouse at the abandoned mining town of North Bloomfield (once named Humbug). I can just picture the kids tearing out the door and across the field, books flopping at the end of a old leather belt. That was long ago. Today, the only sounds are the insects murmuring in the afternoon heat and a gentle wind whispering through the tree tops.
Happy Fence Friday everyone and have a great weekend.
Malakoff Diggins, Nevada County CA
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The life of the miner was a tough one with--long hours, infrequent baths, little or no changes of clothing, exposure to temp extremes, high carb/high fat diets, rubbing alcohol-grade liquor consumed in large quantities, and few too many women. I imagine that most of these guys suffered through several broken bones and lost appendages during their working stiff lives. I'm just guessing, but I bet the average life expectancy was somewhere close to that of a house fly. So why do something this crazy? Easy--they were chasing the age old American "get rich quick" dream. Hey, I wouldn't mind finding a 10 pound nugget during one of my escapades along the local creeks and rivers.
Some of you asked about the image I posted yesterday--reasons for the narrow structural design, the steep roof etc. I hate to be repetitiously redundant but I decided to post another perhaps more interesting view of this old place. The reason for the steep roof is because of the snow. I imagine the narrow frontage is also related to this as well--easier to build a narrow A-frame than a wide one. Any way, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Enjoy the perspective.
North Bloomfield, CA
Tags: MalakoffDiggins HumbugCA NorthBloomfieldCA NevdaCityCA SierraNevadaRange MiningTown GoldrushTown HydraulicMiningSite TopazSW Lightroom4 ChernobylEffect Canon7D OldHouse
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I love this old miner's shack. It cracks me up how they leveled these old hovels. Check out those 4X4's under the front porch. Each of them is cut to different height. It doesn't take much to surmise that the entire structure is leveled using the same scheme. Now days they use much less cunning and creativity. Yep, powerful excavators create a nice little crevice, to be filled with cement and finished with wood. It seems that our modern day builders are much more sensitive about those pesky little "quarter inches." It's all got to be uniform and level with no hairs out of place. I understand the quality intent but it often seems like us modern-day folks let the pursuit of perfection become the enemy of the good. Or am I just and old fuddy duddy?
North Bloomfield (formally Humbug) Nevada County, CA
Tags: MalakoffDiggins HumbugCA NorthBloomfieldCA NevdaCityCA SierraNevadaRange MiningTown GoldrushTown HydraulicMiningSite TopazSW Lightroom4 ChernobylEffect Canon7D OldHouse
The old mining town of Humbug is an interesting place to visit but this is really the money shot. Back in California's Gold Rush era this is where the action was. This valley, and it probably wasn't a valley originally, was the scene of the last hydraulic mining operation in CA. The miners washed so much toxic material down the streams that the State finally had enough and passed laws to outlaw this mining practice. I imagine that back in the day this valley was just an eroded, washed out wasteland. But Mother Nature is not to be denied and things have bounced back rather nicely over the years. The eroded hills even lend a complimentary look to the area now, almost as if they were landscaped by a master gardner with a grand vision.
Malakoff Diggins, Nevada County CA
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That's Blair Lake on the other side of the fence. Actually, if I were naming it, I'd probably call it a pond but either way it's still a little gem especially in the morning sunlight. Located on the Malakoff Diggins site this little mountain pearl must have provided the miners with a refreshing respite from the drudgery of the mines.
Happy Fence Friday everyone and enjoy your weekend.
Malakoff Diggins, CA
Tags: BlairLake MalakoffDiggens NorthBloomfieldCA HumbugCA NevadaCounty NorthernCalifornia SierraNevadaRange Lake MountainLake Pond Fence TopazSW Lightroom4 Canon7D
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