2 Famed Contra Costa Ghost
Towns Stirring to Life Again,
PITTSBURG, Calif., Jan. 13.—The
ghosts of two old Contra Costa
County towns—both dead for many-
years--are rattling their bones and
rumbling.
The towns, Nortonville and Som-
ersville, famous in the Bay Area's
early history as coal mining boom
towns, soon may be recalled from
the grave.
It is hoped that test drillings will
reveal the location of two coal veins
whose deposits will be suitable for
commercial mining.
The drilling is scheduled to begin
this week at Nortonville and will
be completed within 30 days. The
test hole will be drilled under the
supervision of the U. S. Bureau of
Mines-
E. S. McCurdy, president of the
Southport Land and Commercial
Company, San Francisco,' expects
the lower vein, the famed "Black
Diamond," to be found at a depth
of about 1400 feet The other, the
"Clark." is believed to be about 900
feet below the surface.
NEAR TUNNEL
Both veins are near the Clayton
Tunnel, from which the test holes
will be drilled. The tunnel, located
about three and a half miles south
of here, was a major coal producer
between 1872 and 1888. Entrance to
the tunnel is 785 feet above sea level
with the lowest working depth
some 350.feet lower. •
Since 1930, the Roberts Sand
Company has been working the
tunnel, mining and shipping sand to
steel and glass manufacturers in.
the Bay Area. *
The last of the coal mines which
once flourished in the area closed in
1916 when competition^from hydroelectric power proved to be too
great. Most of the mines, however,
had died at the turn of the century,
ending 40 years of booming conditions for the region, which was
once known as Carbondale.
Somersville and Nortonville were
the largest and busiest of the many
towns which sprang up in the Carbondale area during the boom years.
FEW RELICS REMAIN
Only a few of Somersville's buildings, are still standing and all that
is left of Nortonville is a brick
building .which served many, purposes during the life of the town—
as a bank, post office, general
store, drug store and jaiL
The Somersville structures are
scarcely more than precariously
leaning piles of rotting and weath-
erbeaten lumber.
And. the 10.000 inhabitants who
once populated the Carbondale area
are gone. In their places are a few
scattered herds of cattle and a few
farmers. A cemetery, recently reclaimed from the ravages of time
by civic-minded Contra Costans,
marks the last resting place of many
of the one-time miners-and their;
families. V?
That cemetery gives a key to thej
make-up of the towns of Nortonville and Somersville during the
boom years. Names on, the headstones show a distinct Welsh flavor
and more than a few epitaphs are_
written in the Welsh dialect., •*
BUILT FIRST HOUSES
Coal was first discovered in the
area by Francis Somers— after
whom the town was named—and
James T. Cruikshank in December,
1859. Nortonville was named after
Noah Norton who • built the first
house there in 1861. • •
Soon many mines were operating
in the area of the two towns, which
are located about five miles back
iD the foothills from here and on
the north side of Mount Diablo. *
There were two large veins and
one of them, the Black Diamond,
fed four large mines, the Eureka,
the Manhattan, the Black Diamond
and the Cumberland. Other mines
in the area were the Empire, the
Pittsburg, the Union, the Central,,
the Clark and the Independent
Most of the coal mined was sent j
to Pittsburg, then known as New!
York Landing, where it was used|
to refuel river steamers which j
paused in their journeys up the San1
Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers.
Some of the coal was sent by barge
to San Francisco, Stockton and Sacramento for use in manufacturing
plants. ".'•••• • . ,
RAIL CONNECTION
A standard gauge railroad with
two locomotives, one passenger car,
three- flat cars and 32 *coal dump
cars, connected the Carbondale
area with New York Landing.
While the communities of Nor-
tonville and Somersville were not
blessed—or cursed—with the rough
and colorful characters who- followed thee Call of gold to the Mother
Lode, they had their share of
troubles. ■ ' * ■
In 1874 the town of Nortonville
was all but destroyed by a fire and
two years later an explosion in a
mine shaft claimed the lives of six
men. And a diptheria epidemic
swept the entire area to take the
lives of many young people.- • •
In the heyday of Nortonville's
existence, its population swelled to
900. Then came the hydro-electric
companies and the town died a
slow and easy death.
GRANNY'S TREES
One of the favorite tales of the
area is that of old "Granny" Norton,
wife of Noah. Granny was an experienced midwife and participated
at most of the births in Carbondale.
It is said that every- .time she
brought a new baby intarthe world
she planted a cotton wood tree outside her home. -'.*■•
Most of those cottonwoods are
still standing, adding " a nostalgic
touch to the almost desolate basin
in which the two towns- are located.j
