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1892 Map of Colfax

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Colfax
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1892
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1892

About this map

The Central Pacific Railroad and the Nevada County Railroad anchor this late nineteenth-century portrait of the Sierra Nevada foothills and high country. Mining operations dominate the landscape, with significant sites like the Alaska Mine, Delhi Mine, and the noted Malakoff diggings marking the terrain. The map traces the industrial footprint of the Gold Rush era through numerous settlements such as North Bloomfield, Alleghany, and Washington, alongside isolated outposts like Nigger Tent and Snow Point.

Water management for hydraulic mining and regional industry is evident in the complex drainage of the Middle Fork Yuba River and North Fork American River. The presence of the County Hospital and various depots indicates a maturing social infrastructure amid the heavy extraction. Family names and local history are preserved in labels for landmarks like Kennebec House, Nelson Mill, and Edwards Bridge, while the high peaks of Grouse Ridge and Signal Peak define the eastern skyline before the advent of modern reservoir systems.