The Gold Belt Folios of California: 1894-1900

[Caribou369]

As winter settles in and most of us prep for next gold season, some detailed and fascinating old documents may guide the interest of some, and warm the fancy of others more remote. These are links to the Gold Belt Folios, the original and highly detailed geologic survey maps of the Mother Lode district and gold deposits of the Sierra Nevada range.

Some of the notation will be obvious (hello, Auriferous Tertiary gravels), but other gold-bearing rock formations and their ranges can be deduced from careful reading of the text notes for each folio along with inspection of the maps themselves.

This site has a map showing the locations of each quadrangle and also offers a DVD version, but some of the information they list is slightly inaccurate.

** NOTE: I am not involved or affiliated with either Sharing History or USGS in any way. These links are provided for purely informational purposes only. Use them with your own responsibility.

For the sleuthing gold hound, these are terrific winter reading.
Hope you all enjoy poring over them as much as I do!

Folio 3, Placerville. 1894, Waldemar Lindgren. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 5, Sacramento. 1894, Waldemar Lindgren. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 11, Jackson. 1894, Henry Ward Turner. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 17, Marysville. 1895, Waldemar Lindgren and H.W. Turner. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 18, Smartsville. 1895, Waldemar Lindgren and H.W. Turner. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 29, Nevada City Special Folio. 1896, Waldemar Lindgren. 1: 14,400 scale
Folio 31, Pyramid Peak. 1896, Waldemar Lindgren. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 37, Downieville. 1897, Henry Ward Turner. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 41, Sonora. 1897, H. W. Turner and F.L. Ransome. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 43, Bidwell Bar. 1898, Henry Ward Turner. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 51, Big Trees. 1898, H. W. Turner and F.L. Ransome. 1:125,000 scale
Folio 63, Mother Lode District Folio. 1900, Frederick Leslie Ransome. 1: 63,360 scale
Folio 66, Colfax. 1900, Waldemar Lindgren. 1:125,000 scale

 

[TrunkMonkey]

Very Nice!!! Thank you!

 

[goldenmojo]

Caribou369 Thanks for taking the time to post this. Will be good reading during the storm of the century.

 

[fowledup]

Maybe something to add to the MyLandmatters Library? Or is it already there and I haven't got to it yet?

 

[BurntBear]

Awesome! Thanks for posting!

 

[Caribou369]

Maybe something to add to the MyLandmatters Library? Or is it already there and I haven't got to it yet?

Clay is welcome to add these links to MyLandMatters if he likes. I didn't find them there despite several different searches.

Glad my first post is being liked on and found useful!

 

[Lanny in AB]

As winter settles in and most of us prep for next gold season, some detailed and fascinating old documents may guide the interest of some, and warm the fancy of others more remote. These are links to the Gold Belt Folios, the original and highly detailed geologic survey maps of the Mother Lode district and gold deposits of the Sierra Nevada range.

Some of the notation will be obvious (hello, Auriferous Tertiary gravels), but other gold-bearing rock formations and their ranges can be deduced from careful reading of the text notes for each folio along with inspection of the maps themselves.

This site has a map showing the locations of each quadrangle and also offers a DVD version, but some of the information they list is slightly inaccurate.

** NOTE: I am not involved or affiliated with either Sharing History or USGS in any way. These links are provided for purely informational purposes only. Use them with your own responsibility.

For the sleuthing gold hound, these are terrific winter reading.
Hope you all enjoy poring over them as much as I do!

Thanks so much!

A very interesting historical, geological resource that will help with my study of geological eras as they relate to gold deposition.

Nicely done, and all the best,

Lanny