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2000 Map of Downieville

Name: 2000 Topographic Map of Downieville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2003
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2003

About this map

Downieville serves as the focal point of this terrain, situated at the confluence of the North Fork Yuba River and the Downie River. The landscape is dominated by the steep ridges of the Tahoe National Forest, including Saddleback Ridge and Crown Ridge, which hem in a dense network of gold-mining history. The map's high concentration of mine sites, such as the Monte Cristo Mine and Gold Bluff Mine, reflects the intense subterranean exploration that defined the region’s economy long after the initial gold rush.

Tracing the historical infrastructure reveals old transit corridors like the Henness Pass Road and the Truckee Ditch. Numerous mining sites are noted only as remnants, such as the White Bear Mine (Site) and the Pliocene Mine (Site), while ranching footprints appear at Empire Ranch and Lavezzola Ranch. The inclusion of the Cornish House (Site) near Cornish Flat provides a specific point of interest for genealogists and local historians researching the Cornish mining families who settled in this part of Sierra County.