The History of the Natoma Company in Folsom, CA

 Hey there, welcome to my blog where I share some interesting facts and stories about California's history. Today I want to tell you about the history of the Natoma company in Folsom, CA, which played a major role in the development of the region.


The Natoma company was founded in 1853 by a group of miners who wanted to build a water ditch that would supply water for their gold mining operations. The ditch, which was named the Natoma Ditch, started near the Salmon Falls Bridge and reached Folsom, which was then called Granite City. The ditch cost around $175,000 to build and was one of the first large-scale water projects in California .


The Natoma company also engaged in other activities, such as granite quarrying, agriculture, vineyards, hydro-electric power and helping to build Folsom Prison and the historic Folsom Powerhouse. The company acquired 9,000 acres of land from the estate of Joseph L. Folsom, who was a captain in Stevenson's Regiment and a pioneer of the Sacramento Valley Railroad .


In 1900, the Natoma company started gold dredging operations, using bucket-line dredges that could dig up and process large amounts of gravel from the riverbed. The company designed and built its own dredges at its shops in the town of Natoma, which was located near Folsom. The town had its own water tower, machine shop, retort house, train station, post office and company homes. All the buildings were painted yellow and the employees were known as "Yellow Town Kids". The town also had some colorful street names, such as "Whiskey Row", "Rowdy Ridge" and "Poverty Gulch".


The Natoma company became the largest and most successful gold dredging operator in the Folsom district, which was also known as the American River district. The district extended from Folsom southwest along the south side of the American River to Fair Oaks, south through Natoma to Nimbus and then west to the east border of what is now Mather Air Force Base. The dredged area was about 10 miles long and up to seven miles wide.


In 1908, most of the dredging companies in the district were merged into Natomas Consolidated of California, which later became known as the Natomas Company. This company was the principal operator in the district until 1962. It is estimated that the company extracted more than $100 million worth of gold from the Folsom field. The company also produced parts for the Department of the Navy during World War II, earning it the Army/Navy "E" Award.


The gold dredging industry in Folsom declined after World War II due to increasing costs, depletion of dredging ground and changing land values. The last of seven working dredges was dismantled in 1962 and sent to South America. The dredged-over areas were later occupied by defense industries, such as Aerojet-General Corporation and Douglas Aircraft Company plants, and by housing tracts. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area now covers part of the former dredging field.


The history of the Natoma company in Folsom, CA is a fascinating story of how a group of miners transformed a region with their water ditch and their gold dredges. The company left behind a legacy of engineering, innovation and wealth that shaped Folsom's identity and culture.


I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something new. If you did, please share it with your friends and leave a comment below. And don't forget to subscribe to my blog for more awesome content like this. Thanks for reading!

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