Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
Encyclopedia
The Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is a 6,000-acre park located north of Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County, California
under the administration of the East Bay Regional Park District
. The 60 miles of trails in the Preserve cross rolling foothill terrain covered with grassland, California oak woodland
, California mixed evergreen forest
, and chaparral
. The trails offer views of Mount Diablo, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and on clear days, the Sierra Nevada.
The Preserve usually has an impressive variety of wildflowers in spring including the rare Mount Diablo fairy lantern (Calochortus pulchellus
), Mount Diablo sunflower (Helianthella castanea
), and Brewer's dwarf flax (Hesperolinon breweri
). It is home to a variety of wildlife including deer, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, golden eagles, and a variety of hawks. The endangered San Joaquin kit fox
(Vulpes macrotis mutica) and threatened California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and Alameda whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis) are present as well. The park is open year-round for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding from 8 am to dusk. A backpack camp and a group camp can be reserved for overnight stays.
From 1860 to 1906, the area was known as the Mount Diablo Coalfield, the largest in California. The area includes the remains of twelve coal
mines and the sites of five long-gone coal mining towns. The Preserve contains over 200 miles of mine workings. The largest and oldest town, Nortonville
, had a peak population of about 1,000. Somersville
, Stewartville
, West Hartley
and Judsonville
were located in valleys to the east. The mines were the Empire, Central, Star, Corcoran, Pittsburg, Manhattan, Eureka, Independent, Union, Black Diamond, Mt. Hope, and Cumberland. The four million tons of coal produced was of a low grade (sub-bituminous or lignite), but for a time in the 19th century, was the only readily accessible and economic source in California. The coal was carried to the San Joaquin River
by three railroads (the Empire, Pittsburg, and Black Diamond) and shipped by barge to markets in the San Francisco Bay Area
, Sacramento, California
, Stockton, California
and other communities.
Coal mining activity ended as better-quality imported coal became affordable and as petroleum emerged as an energy source. After the coal mines closed, the towns were abandoned and the area was used mainly for cattle grazing. Rose Hill Cemetery, the final resting place for over 200 residents of the coalfield, is located on a hillside between the Somersville and Nortonville townsites. Many of the burials were for children who died in epidemics of scarlet fever
, typhoid fever
, smallpox
, and diphtheria
. Many of the gravestones have been stolen or destroyed by vandals. The coal mines are closed due to hazards posed by the age of the mines, the gases they produce (carbon dioxide and methane), and their rock quality (the shale and coal in the mines is unstable). However, a number of mine openings have been turned into public-access openings which allow visitors to look into the mines and, for some, to walk a short distance underground. The deepest public-access opening is known as Prospect Tunnel. Visitors can enter 200 feet of this excavation made by miners searching for coal.
In the 1920s, a mine producing high-quality silica sandstone was started by Marvin Greathouse on a hillside above the Somersville townsite. He sold the material to the Hazel-Atlas Glass Company
which operated a plant in Oakland
manufacturing glass containers. Hazel-Atlas eventually purchased the mine and operated it until about 1945. Another sandstone mine in the Nortonville area produced sand used by the Columbia Steel mill in Pittsburg, California
for steel casting. The Hazel-Atlas mine is being restored and maintained by park staff and can be visited on guided tours which cover the area's mining history and geology.
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
under the administration of the East Bay Regional Park District
East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area...
. The 60 miles of trails in the Preserve cross rolling foothill terrain covered with grassland, California oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
, California mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest is an ecoregion, of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, that occurs in the Pacific Coast Ranges of southwestern Oregon and California, and in the Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges in California...
, and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
. The trails offer views of Mount Diablo, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and on clear days, the Sierra Nevada.
The Preserve usually has an impressive variety of wildflowers in spring including the rare Mount Diablo fairy lantern (Calochortus pulchellus
Calochortus pulchellus
Calochortus pulchellus is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Mt. Diablo fairy-lantern. It is endemic to California, where it is mainly restricted to Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County. There are historical occurrences in surrounding counties. It grows in...
), Mount Diablo sunflower (Helianthella castanea
Helianthella castanea
The perennial herb Helianthella castanea is a rare plant endemic to California, and is only found in the San Francisco Bay Area, mostly in and around Mount Diablo State Park. Its common names include Mount Diablo helianthella, Mount Diablo sunflower, and Diablo rockrose...
), and Brewer's dwarf flax (Hesperolinon breweri
Hesperolinon breweri
Hesperolinon breweri is a rare species of flowering plant in the flax family known by the common names Brewer's dwarf flax and Brewer's western flax. It is endemic to California, where it is known from three counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is found in chaparral ecosystems, often on...
). It is home to a variety of wildlife including deer, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, golden eagles, and a variety of hawks. The endangered San Joaquin kit fox
Kit Fox
The kit fox is a fox species of North America. Its range is primarily in the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. Some mammalogists classify it as conspecific with the swift fox, V. velox, but molecular systematics imply that the two species are distinct.-Range:The...
(Vulpes macrotis mutica) and threatened California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and Alameda whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis) are present as well. The park is open year-round for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding from 8 am to dusk. A backpack camp and a group camp can be reserved for overnight stays.
From 1860 to 1906, the area was known as the Mount Diablo Coalfield, the largest in California. The area includes the remains of twelve coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mines and the sites of five long-gone coal mining towns. The Preserve contains over 200 miles of mine workings. The largest and oldest town, Nortonville
Nortonville, California
Nortonville is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Kirker Creek north-northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 801 feet ....
, had a peak population of about 1,000. Somersville
Somersville, California
Somersville is an unincorporated ghost town in eastern Contra Costa County, California. It is located north-northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 741 feet ....
, Stewartville
Stewartville, California
Stewartville was an unincorporated place in eastern Contra Costa County, California that is now a ghost town. It was located northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 558 feet . It was a mining town for the nearby coal mines....
, West Hartley
West Hartley, California
West Hartley was an unincorporated community in eastern Contra Costa County, California. It was located northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 440 feet . It is now a ghost town. It was a mining town for the nearby coal mines....
and Judsonville
Judsonville, California
Judsonville was a city in eastern Contra Costa County, California, it was located northeast of Stewartville, which is now a ghost town. It was a mining town for the nearby coal mines....
were located in valleys to the east. The mines were the Empire, Central, Star, Corcoran, Pittsburg, Manhattan, Eureka, Independent, Union, Black Diamond, Mt. Hope, and Cumberland. The four million tons of coal produced was of a low grade (sub-bituminous or lignite), but for a time in the 19th century, was the only readily accessible and economic source in California. The coal was carried to the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
by three railroads (the Empire, Pittsburg, and Black Diamond) and shipped by barge to markets in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
and other communities.
Coal mining activity ended as better-quality imported coal became affordable and as petroleum emerged as an energy source. After the coal mines closed, the towns were abandoned and the area was used mainly for cattle grazing. Rose Hill Cemetery, the final resting place for over 200 residents of the coalfield, is located on a hillside between the Somersville and Nortonville townsites. Many of the burials were for children who died in epidemics of scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
, typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
, smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, and diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
. Many of the gravestones have been stolen or destroyed by vandals. The coal mines are closed due to hazards posed by the age of the mines, the gases they produce (carbon dioxide and methane), and their rock quality (the shale and coal in the mines is unstable). However, a number of mine openings have been turned into public-access openings which allow visitors to look into the mines and, for some, to walk a short distance underground. The deepest public-access opening is known as Prospect Tunnel. Visitors can enter 200 feet of this excavation made by miners searching for coal.
In the 1920s, a mine producing high-quality silica sandstone was started by Marvin Greathouse on a hillside above the Somersville townsite. He sold the material to the Hazel-Atlas Glass Company
Hazel-Atlas Glass Company
The Hazel-Atlas Glass Company was a large producer of machine-molded glass containers headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was founded in 1902 in Washington, Pennsylvania, as the merger of four companies:...
which operated a plant in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
manufacturing glass containers. Hazel-Atlas eventually purchased the mine and operated it until about 1945. Another sandstone mine in the Nortonville area produced sand used by the Columbia Steel mill in Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
for steel casting. The Hazel-Atlas mine is being restored and maintained by park staff and can be visited on guided tours which cover the area's mining history and geology.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Contra Costa County, California
- List of California Historical Landmarks
Resources
- Parent, T. 2009. Images of America: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. Arcadia Publishing Company, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- http://www.ebparks.org/stewardship/wildlife
- http://www.ebparks.org/stewardship/plants
External links
- ebparks.org - Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
- Nortonville