Tahoe National Forest Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park encompasses the historic
town site of North Bloomfield and a large portion of the
Malakoff Diggins hydraulic mining area. Many of the town's
buildings are still standing and some have been restored to
reflect the era of the hydraulic digging. The park also includes
a museum, interpretive talks and displays throughout the town.
Malakoff Diggins is the remains of one of the largest and
richest hydraulic mining areas in California. The Diggins was
named by French miners in celebration the capture of Fort
Malakoff during the Crimean War in Europe in 1855. The Diggins
is 600 feet deep, 7,000 feet in length, and 3,000 feet wide.
Hydraulic mining reached its peak in the 1870s. Mountainsides
were washed away by the pressure of water bursting from huge
monitors (a giant nozzle similar to those used on fire hoses).
Malakoff Diggins was mined by the North Bloomfield Mining and
Gravel Company from 1855 until 1884 when Federal