North Bloomfield Hydraulic Mining Environmental Case
Opinions of Lorenzo Sawyer, Circuit Judge, and Matthew P. Deady, District Judge in the matter of Case 2900, Edwards Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining Company
Civil Case No. 2900, Edwards Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining Company marks an important milestone in U.S. environmental history.
In 1882, wheat farmer Edward Woodruff filed suit against the North Bloomfield Mining Company on behalf of local farmers over the agricultural impact of hydraulic mining in California’s Central Valley. In his landmark decision outlined in this document, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer ruled in favor of the farmers, recognizing the damage caused to agriculture and state infrastructure. The ruling placed regulations on the mining industry and prohibited the dumping of debris in waterways. Today, this case is considered the nation’s first environmental law.
Read the full text, view, and download the Opinions of Lorenzo Sawyer, Circuit Judge, and Matthew P. Deady, District Judge, in the matter of Case 2900, Edwards Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining Company on the National Archives Catalog, along with several other documents from this case and the related Equity Case 7865, United States vs. North Bloomfield Mining Company. The National Archives at San Francisco holds over 700 cubic feet of Civil and Appellate Case Files from the U.S. Circuit Court for the Northern District of California dated from 1863–1911. Additional notable cases are available online on our Catalog.
Opinions of Lorenzo Sawyer, Circuit Judge, and Matthew P. Deady, District Judge, in the matter of Case 2900, Edwards Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining Company. National Archives Identifier: 295945
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