Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

by Traci Parent, Karen Terhune

Overview

From the 1860s to the turn of the 20th century, the Mount Diablo Coal Field was the largest coal-producing region in California and once boasted five thriving communities. With the decline of coal mining some residents turned to ranching. Later rich deposits of sand were mined for glass and foundry use. In 1973, the East Bay Regional Park District acquired the land. Today visitors to Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, located 45 miles east of San Francisco, can explore miles of trails, tour the Hazel-Atlas silica sand mine, and visit historic Rose Hill Cemetery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738569956
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/25/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,049,797
Product dimensions:	6.56(w) x 9.24(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Drawing mainly from the vast collection of the preserve's photographs, Traci Parent and Karen Terhune have assembled this compelling pictorial history. For over 30 years, Traci Parent, Black Diamond Mines supervising naturalist, board member, and past president of the Contra Costa County Historical Society, has researched and documented the history of the coal field. She received an award from the Conference of California Historical Societies for her book on Rose Hill Cemetery. Black Diamond volunteer Karen Terhune has edited, formatted, and conducted research on various coalfield oral history transcriptions. She is a member of the California Writers' Club, Mount Diablo Branch, and the CCH S.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Coal Mines and Miners 9

2 Communities 23

3 Schools 37

4 Railroads 45

5 Rose Hill Cemetery 59

6 Daily Life 67

7 People 79

8 The End of the Coal Era 89

9 From Coal to Sand 103

10 Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve 115

Index 127

Editorial Reviews

Title: Park It: All tied up in knots
Author: Ned MacKay
Publisher: Contra Costa Times
Date: 2/26/09

The weekend of March 6 and 7 will bring cause for double celebration at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch — the Hazel-Atlas Mine will open for its 2009 season, and a great new pictorial history book about the park will debut.

The area including what is now the regional preserve was the scene of a coal-mining boom during the latter half of the 19th century. Then from the 1920s through 1940s, silica was mined there for use in foundries and glass manufacture.

A portion of the old Hazel-Atlas Sand Mine has been restored as an underground mining museum, with displays of vintage equipment and views of the old mine workings, all on a newly expanded 900-foot underground walk.

From noon to 4 p.m. March 6 and 7, visitors ages 7 and older will be able to take self-guided tours, with park staff stationed along the way to explain the features. Parents must accompany their children. It's a free, drop-in program; no registration is required. For information on the open house, call 925-757-2620 and select option 0.

After the open house, mine tours are scheduled on weekends through fall. The fee is $3 per person; for reservations and information, call 888-EBPARKS (327-2757).

The new book, appropriately titled "Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve," was authored by Traci Parent and Karen Terhune. Drawing on the preserve's extensive collection of historic photographs, the book tells the colorful and sometimes tragic tale of California's coal mining heyday. It will be on sale during the mine open house; both Traci and Karen will be available to sign copies.

Traci is the supervising naturalist at Black Diamond Mines. Her job includes maintaining Black Diamond's historic archives of artifacts, photos, oral histories, and demographic files of former coalfield residents and sand mine employees. Traci is a past president and current director of the Contra Costa Historical Society.

Karen Terhune is a member of the California Writers Club and the Contra Costa County Historical Society.

The book will be sold at the Black Diamond Mines Visitor Center, local bookstores, and Amazon.com. All author proceeds from its sale will be donated to the park in support of the ongoing preservation work at Rose Hill Cemetery.

From the Publisher