Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-14
SACRAMENTO COUNTY.
What the State Mineralogist, VIM. Irelar,
Says About 1t.

What the State Alineralogist, VIM. Irelar
Says About it.
Speaking of Sacramento county, the
State Mineralogist, VIM. Irelan, says:
This county is named after the Sacra.
| mento river, which. flowing along its west.
erD border, separates it from Solano and
Yolo counties. Sacramento is Spanish
word, the orthography of which differs so
little from the English that to one convers-
ant with the latter the meaning of the word
is obvious. 1t would have been graceful
compliment to General Suffer had the
name New Helvetia, given by him 10 the
town laid out by him on the site occupied
by the present city of Sacramento, been
conferred on the latter as well as on the
county itself. Helvetia was the ancient, as
it's now, the classic name of Switzerland.
Suffers native country, and. having him
self thus honored it, we might have re-
tanned somewhere in our geographical vo-
cabulary name SO preferred by the old
pioneer.
The surface of this county is generally
level, section along the eastern side rising
into low hills and rolling prairies. Along
the east side of the Sacramento river ex-
tends belt of tule land, which, toward the
southern boundary of the county, expands
to a width of fifteen miles Scattered
sparsely over the country is a growth of
oaks-the trees on the low hills small and
scrubby, on the plains mostly of large size.
Sycamore and cottonwood are found along
the rivers and watercourses, there being no
timber suitable for making lumber. Across
the county in southwesterly course flow
the American river III the center and the
Costumes river towards its southern bor-
der. Dry creek, running parallel with the
arofo e. c..
Joaquin county.
MINES AND MINERALS.
In the early days of mining great deal
OF gold dust was taken from the placers in
this connty-Mormon Island, Michigan Bar
and several other localities having afforded
good diggings of this kind In the low
hills on the east considerable extent of
shallow placers have also been worked,
some of these until quite recently.
The most of the gold now produced in
Sacramento is taken out in the vicinity of
Fol- ON, chiefly along Alder Gulch, by the
Portuguese and Cinnamon. The deep de-
posts are worked by shafts and drifting.
the shallow by hand sluicing in the dry
season and ground sluicing in the wet,
when there is free water. There are gold
bearing quartz veins in the east living hills.
but they are mostly small, and have been
but little worked. In these hills occurs a
belt OF serpentine containing chronic iron
in small punches and pockets.
GRANITE.
In the neighborhood of Folsom occurs an
extensive bed of excellent granite. which
for many years has been largely worked.
At the quarry of David Blower, two
miles east of Folsom, opened ten years ago,
there is exposed thirty-foot face, twenty
feet above and ten below the surface.
About fifteen tons of roughly dressed stone
are shipped from this quarry weekly, the
most of it being used for cemetery work
and street curbs. Thirteen men are en-
ployed here at wages ranging from 81 so
to 81 per day.
In the quarry on the State Prison
grounds at Folsom, large force of con-
victs are employed getting out stone for the
dam being built by the State on the Amer
lean river
Most of the cobblestones used for paving
the streets of San Francisco were taken
from the banks of the American river, in
the vicinity of Folsom.
At Michigan Bar, on the Costumes river,
occurs an extensive bed of potter's CLAY.
Being good article, and easily obtained,
large quantities of this clay are taken out
and shipped to the potteries at Sacra-
mento, San Francisco, and elsewhere in
the State. Great quantities of bricks are
made from the more common clays found
abundantly in this county.