Hanging Flume

Occasionally, I come across something so amazing I wonder why I have never heard of it. The Hanging Flume is a good example. It was built in 1889-1891 to provide water to a mining operation. To reach the water pressure necessary to adequately mine the placer deposits, the flume had to achieve a .17% grade – that’s only a 90 foot drop over nearly 10 miles. What makes it unique is it clings to sheer rock walls, at times suspended hundreds of feet above the river...

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To see some old photos of the flume, click here.