California Historical Landmark 468 The Michigan Bar Mining District

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Gold was discovered on the Cosumnes River in 1848 by two men from Michigan in the vicinity of the historic Nisenan settlement of Palamul. In the 1850s the town of Michigan Bar was the largest in Cosumnes Township, with as many as 1500 people. By 1880 the town had declined but retained its post office, Wells Fargo Office, and important pottery works. Little remained by the 20th century and much of the town was destoryed by hydraulic mining and dredging. The Michigan Bar School was in use until the 1940s.


The Michigan Bar Mining District covered a vast area roughly between the towns of Michigan Bar and Sloughhouse. The district's placer gold deposits were mined extensively between 1849 and 1900, primarily by hydraulic and ground sluicing techniques. Dredging was another successful technique and extended the district's mining life in the 1950s. Total gold production is this district has been estimated at over 1,500,00 ounces.

ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21454
www.westernmininghistory.com/articles/335/page1/
www.ranchomurieta.com/node/8142