| Ditches of Bridgeport
This is a record of the various ditches, which are located in and around Bridgeport. These ditches were dug to allow water to flow downhill causing pressure to build up, mostly to aid with the hydraulic mining operations. Some ditches are documented while other are lost to history, the early miners being rather careless in their documentation, preferring to establish their rights with a weapon.
Kentucky Creek Ditches
There is a white board fence that runs from the Visitors center towards Pleasant Valley Road and ends at a large fig tree. Turn your back to the fence, take a few steps to the right, look across Pleasant Valley Road and observe a ditch running up the embankment that terminates at a small concrete footing. Closer examination reveals a funnel-shaped corrugated iron sheet on the right of the footing. This "funnel" is the terminus of a ditch that took water from Kentucky Creek, about 3,000 feet upstream near a curve known as "Arrastre1 Bend" to the Kneebones. At the time2 a flume carried water from this footing over the farm, probably for mining purposes. Later, sometime around the turn of the century, it was routed beneath Pleasant Valley Road and used for irrigation purposes. It terminated in a small stone trap located at the foot of a large mulberry tree in the fields adjacent to the visitors center. Looking out across the field from the visitor's center, close examination reveals the dim outline of a shallow ditch running across the field that was used for irrigation.
The dam at Arrastre Bend was originally built by Charles J. Cole together with C. Booth and Andrew Johnson on January 10, 1856. They claimed the water rights on Kentucky Creek and dug a 3,000 foot ditch down the west side of the creek to a flat on the South Yuba for mining purposes. The remnants of this ditch and the dam are clearly visible from the creek bed, but are mostly on private land and also very difficult to approach due to the wild blackberries and poison oak.
Buttermilk Bend
On June 7, 1877 Caleb Cooley claimed the water rights on the South Yuba River about 1.5 miles above Bridgeport, and dug a ditch 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep down the north side of the river to Bridgeport for irrigation and mining purposes. This is now the Buttermilk Bend trail. This ditch goes all the way to Englebright where it is lost in a large stand of blackberry bushes. Later in 1877, water taken from French Corral Creek was also carried down to Bridgeport using a portion of this ditch.
Negro Spring Ditch
On April 4, 1875, Charles Smith claimed the water rights to "Negro Spring" 1/4 mile uphill and to the west of the "Grade House" owned by Smith. While his water rights claim doesn't specify, Smith probably used the water at the Grade House3 where he maintained a stable for stock that was moving through. There is an old dam at Negro Spring and the dim remnants of a ditch headed toward Bridgeport are visible, but lost in erosion on the steep sides of the canyon. There is also about 1/4 mile of 3/4 " galvanized pipe heading from the dam toward Bridgeport obviously from a more recent era.
Cole's Ditch
On May 15 1877, Charles J. Cole claimed water rights on the South Yuba about 1.25 miles above Bridgeport, and dug a ditch down the south side of the river to Bridgeport for mining, manufacturing and irrigation purposes. Portions of this ditch are clearly visible from the Buttermilk Bend trail. It continues down past Kneebone Beach and terminates where Pleasant Valley road now cuts through it. Another ditch follows alongside the Kneebone Beach trail below Cole's ditch, but since no record of it has been found it's source and use are not know.
Pleasant Valley Road Ditch
So named for lack of a better description, this ancient ditch runs along the east side of Pleasant Valley Road, beginning at a small dam on Rapp Ravine Creek about 200 yards downstream from Bitney Springs Road. It runs for about 0.8 miles and disappears in a meadow just above "Robbers Rock"4 curve where Pleasant valley Road cuts through it. It's originator and use are lost to history.
Excelsior Ditch
The Excelsior Ditch can be seen high up on the walls of the canyon across the river from the buttermilk bend trail. This seventeen mile long ditch was dug by the Excelsior Water Company in 1859 and took water from the South Yuba River about four miles below Purdon Crossing, conveying it to a point just below where the dam at Lake Wildwood is now located. The New China ditch carried it from there to the Smartsville area for a total of 25 miles. There were many flumes along these ditches where water was sold to the miners. The wheelchair-accessable Independence Trail now occupies a large portion of the ditch between Augustine Road and Rush Creek. A rather complete history of this ditch is available.
"Deadfalls" Ditch
On May 12, 1877, Caleb Cooley claimed water rights on French Corral Ravine "...about a half mile up the road from (Charles) Smith's house" and brought water down to Bridgeport using a ditch which was also used by Captain Coffey on his claim, and by the Virginia Turnpike Company to put down dust. Smith's house (also known as the Grade House) was located where the Negro Spring drain crosses Pleasant Valley Road, 1.2 miles north of Bridgeport or about a half mile below the French Corral Creek bridge. This water had also been used since 1862 by a Captain Coffey for his gold claim, and by the Virginia Turnpike Company for "...laying the dust on their road." While greatly eroded, the ditch is visible below the site of Smith's house. Since Pleasant Valley Road is directly in the path of the ditch downhill from the site of the Smith's house, it indicates that the Virginia Turnpike utilized a different route of the South Yuba canyon at least as late as 1877.
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