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1902 Map of Colfax

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Colfax
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1902
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1902

About this map

Gold mining operations and timber mills dominate this turn-of-the-century landscape within the Sierra Nevada mountains. The map reveals a dense network of early California hydraulic and hard-rock mining sites, most notably at the Malakoff Ravine near North Bloomfield. Several large-scale mines are identified, including the Alaska Mine, Delhi Mine, and the Derbec Mine, highlighting the industrial scale of extraction during this era.

Transportation through the steep canyons is facilitated by the Southern Pacific railroad and numerous toll structures like Edwards Bridge. Scattered settlements such as Alleghany, Minnesota, and Iowa Hill appear alongside high-altitude reservoirs and lakes, including Bowman Lake and Faucherie Lake. The topographical detail captures the complex watershed of the Middle Fork Yuba River and the South Fork Yuba River at a time when the region was still a primary center for mineral wealth and frontier settlement.