La Grange Mine facts for kids

The Trinity River near the La Grange Mine

The La Grange Mine was a very large gold mine in Trinity County, California. It was once the biggest hydraulic mine in all of California. This mine started working in 1862. Over $3,500,000 worth of gold was found there.

The mine closed in 1918. This happened because the cost of workers and steel went up after World War I. The gold found at La Grange was not very pure. Because of this, a special method called hydraulic mining was used to get it out of the ground. Today, the mine site is a special place known as a California Historical Landmark.

Discovering the La Grange Mine

The La Grange Mine was first known as the Oregon Mountain Group of Claims. It began operating around 1862. This mine became famous for using a powerful method called hydraulic mining.

How Gold Was Found

Hydraulic mining uses strong jets of water to wash away hillsides. This water pressure breaks up the ground and washes the gravel into long channels. Gold, which is heavy, would then settle at the bottom of these channels.

At La Grange, water came from Stuart's Fork. It traveled 29 miles through ditches, tunnels, and wooden flumes. This water then dropped 650 feet, creating a very strong force. This powerful water jet helped miners dig up over 100,000,000 cubic yards of gravel. This process helped them find $3,500,000 in gold.

A French Baron's Story

In 1892, the La Grange Hydraulic Gold Mining Company bought the mine. A year later, in 1893, a French nobleman named Ernest de la Grange bought it. The mine was then named after him.

Baron Ernest de la Grange came from northern France. He moved to California with his wife, Clémentine de Chaumont Quitry, and their two children, Emilie and Amaury. He played a big part in the mine's history. Large-scale mining at La Grange stopped in 1918.