Page 4 - TalesoftheParadiseRidge-Fall2020_Neat

The Miocene Canal Revisited

By Chris Hoffman

When the Camp Fire roared up the side of
the Feather River Canyon on November 8,
2018, on its destructive path through the
Paradise Ridge and into the neighboring
Butte Creek Canyon, it took with it
major portions of the Miocene Canal, one
of the oldest vestiges of the area’s mining
history. Since its construction in 1875,
the Miocene has provided water used in
mining, power generation, agriculture,
and fire suppression, as well as the
incidental benefits of creating riparian
habitats and recreational opportunities
for hikers and naturalists.

Just one of the many ditches and canals that
traversed or bordered the Ridge, the Mio-
cene has been well documented in the Tales
of the Paradise Ridge throughout the years.
In the December 1992 issue, Lois McDonald
provided a comprehensive map showing the
historical courses of 11 individual and inter-
twining canals and ditches, along with a brief
description of each and a comprehensive
bibliography of related articles. Of the many
watercourses listed, the Miocene had been
the sole survivor providing water prior to the
2018 Camp Fire.

Another excellent source of information
about the Miocene is Roger and Helen
Ekins’s definitive guide to hiking in and Doug Youndahl on the catwalk. Photo courtesy Kristi Youngdahl.
around Paradise, The Flumes and Trails of McLaughlin and Thomas A. Edison) in 1880. Apparently, Edison was
Paradise, first published in 2013. Since the seeking minerals that might be used for the filament in his newly in-
2018 fire, the Miocene Canal Coalition has vented light bulb. They extended the canal to their mines, traversing
established a FaceBook page that includes the face of Table Mountain and on to Thompson’s Flat.
the history of the canal as well as current
information regarding the impact of the loss In 1882, in a suit against the North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Com-
of the water supply the canal had provided pany (Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining Co.), farmers along the
to numerous ranches, orchards, and homes. Yuba River claimed that the waste water (slickens) from the Malakoff
Diggins mine was destroying their agricultural land downstream. In
According to McDonald’s history, water January of 1884, the United States Court of Appeals ruled in favor of
rights to the West Branch were acquired by the farmers, marking the end of hydraulic mining in California (Wiki-
the Davis Company in 1865; the original E. pedia). With this court decision, the water from the Miocene Canal
J. Davis and Company ditch was completed could no longer be used for mining, and by 1887, the rights were be-
in 1875. The Miocene Canal Coalition notes ing acquired by electric power producers. With some re-engineering,
that it was later purchased by the Miocene the water was used at the Coal Canyon and Lime Saddle power-
Mining Company (owned by Major Frank houses. At the same time, some water rights were procured from the
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