1950 Map of Tunnel Hill

About this map

The Rubicon River carves a deep canyon through this portion of the Sierra Nevada foothills, marking the boundary between Placer and El Dorado counties. This mid-century landscape is defined by the legacy of hydraulic mining and early forestry, visible in the intricate system of ditches that traverse the ridges to provide water for operations. Evidence of early resource extraction is scattered across the terrain, from the Bluebird Mine near Gaddis Creek to the high-elevation Pennsylvania Point.