White's Gulch Arrastra
Why it's listed
Along a Forest Service road east of Sawyers Bar, a circular stone-flagged pit about 12 feet across marks where gold-bearing quartz was once ground by hand-built machinery. This arrastra has rock walls, four granite drag blocks and the remains of a center post, and the flagstones still show striations cut by the dragged stones. Its wooden water wheel and gearing have rotted away, and a Douglas fir roughly 80 years old now grows from the floor, which suggests the last use came at least that long ago. The site sits beside White's Gulch on a Lanky Bob claim, and two water-powered arrastras were listed on the gulch in 1898. At that time arrastras outnumbered stamp mills in Siskiyou County, twenty-eight to twenty-five. This one is reported as the only known arrastra left in the county, unaltered apart from its wooden parts and in its original setting. It is valued for archaeological research and as an easily reached teaching site.
Significance in brief: It is reported as the only known arrastra remaining in Siskiyou County and is complete apart from its wooden parts, unaltered and in its original setting. Arrastras were the main ore-dressing method in the county in the late 1890s, so it illustrates early local mining history. It also has research potential for historical archaeology and value as an educational site.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000793, listed December 22, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Swayers Bar, Sawyers Bar |
|---|---|
| County | Siskiyou County |
| Listed | December 22, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000793 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as unaltered; wooden parts such as the water wheel, cross-beams and cog wheels are missing or rotted, apart from a small part of the center post. A Douglas fir about 80 years old grows from the floor. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.28138, -123.07638 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000793.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.