Arthur De Wint Foote
Encyclopedia
Arthur De Wint Foote was a mining and civil engineer who built Foote's Crossing (California Point of Historical Interest
No. P401) across the Middle Yuba River
and Foote's Crossing Road
(a National Register of Historic Places
landmark), and designed the hydraulic wheel for the North Star Mine Powerhouse
, now a California Historical Landmark
.
. His relatives came from Yorkshire
in 1630. After attending private schools, he entered Yale University
's Sheffield's Scientific School as part of the Class of 1869, but left a year before graduation.
in Virginia City, Nevada
under Adolph Sutro
, the Eldorado Canal on the American River
which supplied Placerville, California
hydraulic mines
a source of water, followed by the Tehachapi Loop
for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1874.
In the three years while at New Almaden Quicksilver Miner
in Santa Clara County, California
, he married Mary Hallock Foote
and started a family. Foote moved his family to Deadwood, South Dakota
while he worked on the Homestake Mine
in Lead, South Dakota
, and then for two years to Leadville, Colorado
at the time of the Colorado Silver Boom
. In Leadville, Foote worked as an expert on the Iron Silver Mining Company lawsuit, and then as an engineer on the Adelaide Mine.
Because of poor health in the high altitude, Foote went next to Morelia
in Michoacan
, and then to Wood River Valley
in south-central Idaho
where he opened up the Wolftone Mine prospect. With friends, he formed the Idaho Mining and Irrigation Company and bought water rights on the Boise River
. He worked on the Boise River irrigation project for 10 years; it failed, due to a lack of capital, but ultimately was taken over by the US Bureau of Reclamation and became, Arrowrock Dam
, one of the largest arid lands irrigation projects in the United States. After Boise, he returned to Mexico with a job in Baja California
where he engineered roads for an onyx deposit, before going to the Fremont Mine in Amador City, California
, and the Calumet and Hecla Mine
in Houghton County, Michigan
.
In 1895, the family settled in Grass Valley, California
when Foote was hired to design and construct an electric-generating plant for the North Star Mine
; there he installed the largest operating Pelton water wheel
to that date. He went on to become superintendent and later general manager. Julia Morgan
designed his home at the mine, the North Star House, in 1905.
In 1911, Foote and his partners purchased the Tightner Mine in Alleghany, California
. He subsequently built the Foote's Crossing Road
in order to ease travel between the two mines. Subsequently, the road became a National Register of Historic Places landmark. He retired in 1913.
In 1876, Foote married the illustrator and writer Mary Hallock Foote (1847–1938) in her hometown of Milton, New York
. They had a son, Arthur Burling (A.B.) Foote, and daughters Agnes (died 1904) and Betty. A.B. graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1899. He was accepted as an Associate Member into the American Society of Civil Engineers
in 1905-03-01. Later, A.B. worked as an assistant at the North Star Mine, eventually becoming the manager after his father's retirement in 1913.
A very complete biography of Foote's life was written by Mary, titled A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West. She was an interesting figure in frontier history due to her own dozen novels, numerous woodcut
illustrations for books and periodicals, her correspondence from western outposts, and her noted autobiography. She exemplified the civilizing effect of the educated eastern gentlewoman on the chaotic mining and ditch camps of the American West
.
appropriated portions of Arthur and Mary's life stories from A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West for his Pulitzer Prize
winning novel Angle of repose
. A continuing controversy surrounds Stegner's use of passages taken directly from Mary's actual letters used as correspondence of his novel's fictional character.
California Point of Historical Interest
California Points of Historical Interest are sites, buildings, features, or events that are of local significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other value...
No. P401) across the Middle Yuba River
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
and Foote's Crossing Road
Foote's Crossing Road
Foote's Crossing Road originates in North Columbia, California and winds through the Tahoe National Forest to connect with the community of Alleghany, California. It is a Registered Historic Place....
(a National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
landmark), and designed the hydraulic wheel for the North Star Mine Powerhouse
North Star Mine Powerhouse
The North Star Mine Powerhouse is located at the North Star Mine in Grass Valley, California, USA. When the mining operations expanded subsequent to the California Gold Rush, the powerhouse was added. In 1895, it became the site of the largest tangential water wheel in the world...
, now a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
.
Early years
Foote was born in 1849 in Guilford, ConnecticutGuilford, Connecticut
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census...
. His relatives came from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1630. After attending private schools, he entered Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's Sheffield's Scientific School as part of the Class of 1869, but left a year before graduation.
Career
In 1873, Foote came to San Francisco seeking work. He worked on the Sutro TunnelSutro Tunnel
The Sutro Tunnel is a drainage tunnel connected to the Comstock Lode in Northern Nevada. It begins at Virginia City, Nevada and empties approximately 6 miles southeast the town of Dayton, Nevada....
in Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...
under Adolph Sutro
Adolph Sutro
Adolph Heinrich Joseph Sutro was the 24th mayor of San Francisco, and second Jewish mayor, serving in that office from 1894 until 1896...
, the Eldorado Canal on the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
which supplied Placerville, California
Placerville, California
Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
hydraulic mines
Hydraulic mining
Hydraulic mining, or hydraulicking, is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold.-Precursor - ground...
a source of water, followed by the Tehachapi Loop
Tehachapi Loop
The Tehachapi Loop is a long 'spiral', or helix, on The Union Pacific Railroad through Tehachapi Pass, in south central California. The railroad line connects Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Antelope Valley. The loop takes its name from the circuitous route it takes, in...
for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1874.
In the three years while at New Almaden Quicksilver Miner
New Almaden
The New Almaden quicksilver mine in the Santa Teresa Hills in Santa Clara County, California, United States, is the oldest and most productive quicksilver mine in the U.S. The site was known to the Ohlone Indians for its cinnabar long before a Mexican settler discovered the ores in 1820...
in Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, he married Mary Hallock Foote
Mary Hallock Foote
Mary Hallock Foote was an American author and illustrator. She is best known for her illustrated short stories and novels portraying life in the mining communities of the turn-of-the-century American West.-Overview:...
and started a family. Foote moved his family to Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
while he worked on the Homestake Mine
Homestake Mine (South Dakota)
The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine located in Lead, South Dakota. Until it closed in 2002 it was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America, producing more than 40 million ounces of gold. The Homestake Mine is famous in scientific circles for being the site at which the...
in Lead, South Dakota
Lead, South Dakota
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...
, and then for two years to Leadville, Colorado
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
at the time of the Colorado Silver Boom
Colorado Silver Boom
The Colorado Silver Boom was a dramatic expansionist period of silver mining activity in the U.S. state of Colorado in the late 19th century. The boom started in 1879 with the discovery of silver at Leadville...
. In Leadville, Foote worked as an expert on the Iron Silver Mining Company lawsuit, and then as an engineer on the Adelaide Mine.
Because of poor health in the high altitude, Foote went next to Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
in Michoacan
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, and then to Wood River Valley
Wood River Valley
The Wood River Valley is a region in south-central Idaho located in Blaine County. The valley has four incorporated cities. Bellevue, Hailey , Ketchum and Sun Valley...
in south-central Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
where he opened up the Wolftone Mine prospect. With friends, he formed the Idaho Mining and Irrigation Company and bought water rights on the Boise River
Boise River
The Boise River is a tributary of the Snake River in the northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in southwestern Idaho northeast of Boise, as well as part of the western Snake River Plain...
. He worked on the Boise River irrigation project for 10 years; it failed, due to a lack of capital, but ultimately was taken over by the US Bureau of Reclamation and became, Arrowrock Dam
Arrowrock Dam
Arrowrock Dam is a concrete arch type dam on the Boise River, in Idaho, U.S.A. It opened in 1915 and is located on the border between Boise County and Elmore County, upstream of the Lucky Peak Dam and reservoir...
, one of the largest arid lands irrigation projects in the United States. After Boise, he returned to Mexico with a job in Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
where he engineered roads for an onyx deposit, before going to the Fremont Mine in Amador City, California
Amador City, California
Amador City is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 185 at the 2010 census, down from 196 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Amador City is located at ....
, and the Calumet and Hecla Mine
Calumet and Hecla Mining Company
The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was a major copper-mining company based in the Michigan Copper Country. In the 19th century, the company paid out more than $72 million in shareholder dividends, more than any other mining company in the United States during that period.-History:In 1864, Edwin J...
in Houghton County, Michigan
Houghton County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...
.
In 1895, the family settled in Grass Valley, California
Grass Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Grass Valley had a population of 12,860. The population density was 2,711.3 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Grass Valley was 11,493 White, 46 African American, 208 Native American, 188 Asian, 9 Pacific Islander, 419 from other...
when Foote was hired to design and construct an electric-generating plant for the North Star Mine
North Star Mine
The North Star Mine was located on Lafayette Hill a short distance south of Grass Valley, California, USA. It was the second largest producer of gold during California’s Gold Rush. In 1898, the largest ever Pelton wheel for its time was built for the mine. The North Star Mine Company also owned...
; there he installed the largest operating Pelton water wheel
Pelton wheel
The Pelton wheel is an impulse turbine which is among the most efficient types of water turbines. It was invented by Lester Allan Pelton in the 1870s. The Pelton wheel extracts energy from the impulse of moving water, as opposed to its weight like traditional overshot water wheel...
to that date. He went on to become superintendent and later general manager. Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan was an American architect. The architect of over 700 buildings in California, she is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California...
designed his home at the mine, the North Star House, in 1905.
In 1911, Foote and his partners purchased the Tightner Mine in Alleghany, California
Alleghany, California
Alleghany is a small census-designated place in Sierra County, California, United States in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is situated in the Gold Country and continues to be a significant locale for gold mining. The famous Sixteen-to-One Mine has been in operation since the days of the...
. He subsequently built the Foote's Crossing Road
Foote's Crossing Road
Foote's Crossing Road originates in North Columbia, California and winds through the Tahoe National Forest to connect with the community of Alleghany, California. It is a Registered Historic Place....
in order to ease travel between the two mines. Subsequently, the road became a National Register of Historic Places landmark. He retired in 1913.
Personal life
Milton, New York
Milton, New York can refer to the following places in New York:*Milton , New York - a town in Saratoga County**Milton , Saratoga County, New York - a census-designated place in the town of Milton...
. They had a son, Arthur Burling (A.B.) Foote, and daughters Agnes (died 1904) and Betty. A.B. graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1899. He was accepted as an Associate Member into the American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
in 1905-03-01. Later, A.B. worked as an assistant at the North Star Mine, eventually becoming the manager after his father's retirement in 1913.
A very complete biography of Foote's life was written by Mary, titled A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West. She was an interesting figure in frontier history due to her own dozen novels, numerous woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
illustrations for books and periodicals, her correspondence from western outposts, and her noted autobiography. She exemplified the civilizing effect of the educated eastern gentlewoman on the chaotic mining and ditch camps of the American West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
.
Controversy
Wallace StegnerWallace Stegner
Wallace Earle Stegner was an American historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist, often called "The Dean of Western Writers"...
appropriated portions of Arthur and Mary's life stories from A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West for his Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning novel Angle of repose
Angle of Repose (novel)
Angle of Repose is a 1972 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Wallace Stegner about a wheelchair-using historian, Lyman Ward, who has lost connection with his son and living family and decides to write about his frontier-era grandparents. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1972...
. A continuing controversy surrounds Stegner's use of passages taken directly from Mary's actual letters used as correspondence of his novel's fictional character.