Sac History Happenings: Malakoff Diggins Park reopens today

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

July 20, 2012

Malakoff Diggins Park reopens today

California State Parks has announced that Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park will reopen today.

Daily operation of the facility ceased in November 2011 due to budget cutbacks. But new state money will allow the park to be open to the public Friday through Sunday this summer. A pending agreement with the Malakoff Diggins Park Association, the Olmsted Park Fund, South Yuba River Citizens League and other groups should insure ongoing operation.

Located 34 miles northeast of Grass Valley, Malakoff Diggins is historically important for being the site of the world's largest hydraulic mine that dates back to 1852. A mining camp, Humbug City grew up nearby and developed into the bustling little town of North Bloomfield. Despite legal challenges by those concerned with debris washing into rivers, hydraulic mining continued at Malakoff until 1910.

Today visitors can see the historic buildings and mining equipment in North Bloomfield. There's also a museum and gift shop where you can catch talks and tours on the weekends.

PHOTO CREDIT: A water cannon once used to blast away hillsides in search of gold is on display alongside the historic buildings of North Bloomfield in Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. 1998 Sacramento Bee photograph by Dick Schmidt

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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