Big Bend, Butte County, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Big Bend
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 Big Bend
Location in California
Big Bend
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Butte County |
| Elevation | 2,310 ft (704 m) |
Big Bend is a small place in Butte County, California, United States. It's called an "unincorporated community" because it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. It sits high up, about 2,310 feet (704 meters) above sea level. A post office was open in Big Bend for a few years, from 1883 to 1891.
The Big Bend Tunnel Project
Big Bend is famous for a big construction project called the Big Bend Tunnel. This project started in 1880. The main goal was to find gold!
Digging for Gold
Miners wanted to get to the gold hidden in the Feather River. The river made a huge bend, and they thought if they could dry out that part of the riverbed, they could find lots of gold. So, they decided to dig a tunnel to bypass the bend. This would let them redirect the river's water.
The Tunnel's Size
An engineer named Frank McLaughlin was in charge of this huge job. The tunnel they built was very big. It was 13 feet wide and 16 feet tall. That's about the size of a small house! The tunnel stretched for an amazing 12,000 feet, which is more than two miles long.
Project Outcome
Even with all that hard work, the project didn't turn out as planned. It was stopped in 1887 because it wasn't successful at finding enough gold. However, the tunnel wasn't wasted. Later, it was used by Pacific Gas and Electric to help supply water to their Big Bend Powerhouse, which generates electricity.
