[Photograph of placer gold mining on the American River, Middle Fork, California].

A salted paper photographic print that documents placer gold mining operations on river bars on the American River, Middle Fork, between Placer County and Eldorado County, California in February 1858. From an elevated position, the view shows mining operations on a wide riverbed running through hills of chaparral. The photograph depicts a viaduct, wooden structures, and water diversion structures, such as sluices, sluice gates, and waterwheels. The image includes mining camps and operations on the Kennebec, Wildcat, Willow, and Hoosier bars