Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is a state park unit preserving the town of North Bloomfield and Malakoff Diggins, the largest hydraulic mining site in the state. North Bloomfield, initially named Humbug, was home to many colorful characters including the Blain family, who moved there in 1854 and experienced hardship when hydraulic miners moved in.
Francis Blain his wife Elizabeth and their (9) children, (7) of which were girls, were one of the first families to move to North Bloomfield in about 1854 just (3) years after gold was discovered there. Francis immediately filed a “Pre-Exemption right” on (100) acres. (50) acres on each side of the road entering town. This was called a “first option to buy.” On the East side of the road was a year round spring that fed a pond. Francis damned up the pond and it became a lake that was used for hydraulic mining. He and his sons built a home on this side of the road. Francis worked out an agreement for another man to operate the mining while he and his two sons tilled the property on the west side of the road and grew vegetables for the family and for sale to the town residents. Work was hard but all was well until 1866 when the North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company was formed. NBMG began scooping up all unused claims and filing on others. This would become the biggest hydraulic mining company in California History. For almost (20) years over half of all the gold recovered in the state. was recovered here.
In 1873 a legal battle began between Francis and NBMG. NBMG argued that the pre-exemption that Francis had filed was no longer valid and they filed a claim on the (50) acres that included the mining claim, the lake, and the Blain’s house. The court ruled in the company’s favor. Francis had to immediately pack up all their belongings and move from their house to across the street where he and his boys would begin building another home. To say that Francis was incensed would be a grave understatement. He was apoplectic! To think that this company could get for free on a technicality all that Francis had his family had worked and sweated for, for almost twenty years was unbelievable! In Francis’s mind it was a grave injustice. Two days later, in order to protect their interest NBMG had their mining superintendant Adolfus Lind move into the Blain’s home.
North Bloomfield had (8) saloons and two breweries where workers could quaff down mugs of beer for only a nickel each. Was it happenstance or was it stalking, no one will ever know but Francis and A.J. Lind ended up in the same saloon and a loud heated, argument filled with profanity and death threats were exchanged between the two men. An angry A.J. stomped outside followed soon after by Francis. Everyone inside the saloon heard (4) gunshots and a scream! They found A.J. dying. He was lying in the road close to the Blain house with (4) bullet holes in his chest and a hatchet wound cleaved deep into his skull. This was a crime of passion.Francis was arrested for murder but freed on $6,000 bail. The prosecution had two problems, #1; not one person stepped forward and said they witnessed the murder; #2, the hatchet was never found. It was a hung jury, (7) for acquittal and (5) for guilty.
Francis went on to farm and raise his family and died “incompetent” at 82 years of age. His wife Elizabeth was (8) years younger than Francis and died (8) years earlier. Life was hard on pioneer families but harder on women who had to bear and raise all the children and work from the first crow of a rooster till the first blinking of twilight. Francis and Elizabeth reside in the pioneer cemetery side by side with some of their children and there is a beautiful tall monument marking their family plot.
The lake that Francis had formed and a trail leading to it are found on all maps and are marked by signs in the park but the family name is misspelled. The original map maker for the area listed the lake as Blair Lake and the trail as Blair Trail. Instead of closing the “R” and making it an “N” it has become ever after as Blair. Maybe someday the family or the park will have it changed; maybe not. It is unknown if Francis and Elizabeth ever got back their original home. I am researching that at this time. Some things are never fair but you already know that!
Dennis McKenzie is a retired police officer of over 30 years and a college instructor at two of our local junior colleges for 22 years and is currently a docent at Empire Mines and Malakoff Diggin’s State Park, and leads tours at both parks. He can be reached at denpatti@sbcglobal.net
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