TABLE OF CONTENTS: Gold Discovery Chronology Historic Coloma Old Hangtown Mother Lode Famous/Infamous Hangtown Fry The Pony Express All About Gold Modern Mining Fast Facts Q & A's Glossary Gold Rush Gallery El Dorado County Credits Cover

Glossary K - N

Karat (Karet) - See Carat

Lode - An underground vein bearing gold or other precious metal.

Long Tom - A long rocker with riffles in the bottom to separate gold from sand and gravel. It took at least two men to keep the placers and water flowing through the box.

Mercury - See Quicksilver
.
Metallurgy - The science of separating metals from their ores and preparing them for use by refining, etc., developed from alchemy of the Middle Ages.

Monitor - A huge cannon-like metal nozzle about 9" in diameter attached to a length of hose used to direct a powerful jet of water in hydraulic mining. Also called a giant.
.
Mother Lode - (Sp. La Veta Madre) An incredibly rich vein of gold stretching 120 miles from Bear Valley to Auburn. The name gradually came to encompass the entire gold-rich Sierra Nevada foothill region from Mariposa to Downieville. Also spelled Motherlode.

Nugget - Lump of gold of any size, usually larger than the head of a match. The largest nugget found in the Mother Lode weighed 195 pounds.