These reports contain a wealth of information for the California prospector. Open the PDF in Adobe Reader to use the MinerDiggins custom Bookmarks.

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1882 - Report of the State Mineralogist - Volume 2 (10Mb)

This report has a summary of the large placer operations. A detail of the geology and methods used to extract the gold from the California gravels. Also, a List of Giant Nuggets, Diamonds in California, Old Channels of the Forest Hill Divide, Genesis of Auriferous Gravels, Assay of Gold Bullion, Milling of Gold Quartz, Rare California Minerals.

1883 - Report of the State Mineralogist - Volume 3 (12mb)

This Volume deals mainly with the mining of Borax. However, there is a nice piece in the beginning about the loss of gold using current "wasteful & extravagant" mining processes. Be sure to check those tailings!

1884 - Report of the State Mineralogist - Volume 4  (33mb)

Read about the first real California gold discoveries at Carga Muchaco, San Isidro, Santa Clara and San Fernando, about a two-ounce Platinum nugget from the Trinity, and the California Silver Mines. California meteroites, Fineness of CA gold by location, Minerals of California

1885 - Report of the State Mineralogist - Volume 5  (22mb)

This report centers almost extirely on the Worlds Fair held in New Orleans in 1885. The State Mineralogist of CA reports on all of the State mineral exhibits with a focus on gold deposits. He also toured the mines of the Southeastern US, and provides discussion of the geology and gold areas of the South.

California Gold by County, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Sierra, Nevada, Tuolumne - Gold Concentrators, US Mining Laws and Finding the Value of a Specimen.

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Asphaltum in California - Building Stone - Catalogue of Fossils in California.