Synopses & Reviews
Mining in Yuba County illustrates the story of how this geologically unique part of California drew multitudes of people from around the world during the early days of the Gold Rush. It depicts the region's evolution from anarchy to civilization. It gives faces to the individuals who were instrumental in creating society in Yuba. It elaborates on incidents in which Yuba influenced the nation, on matters as historically significant as California entering the Union as a free state and affecting the outcome of the Civil War. Mining in Yuba fostered technological advancement precipitated by the depletion of surface gold and the necessity to get to the obscured gold. Conflicts between miners and agriculturists over hydraulic mining were litigated, and landmark legal decisions regarding the regulation of hydraulic mining all but ended the practice and were the beginnings of environmental protectionism and water rights issues in California. Finally, it reveals that despite heavy regulations that exist today, there is still mining in Yuba County.
About the Author
YubaRoots is a nonprofit historical and genealogical society whose purpose is to identify and preserve Yuba County's history. To this end, it has compiled and maintained YubaRoots.com, an online archive devoted to Yuba County history. Kathleen Smith is an active member of YubaRoots and author of Arcadia's Images of America: Smartsville and Timbuctoo.