BOULDER CREEK >> In the 1860s, California was experiencing its first great boom. Yet it had a problem. The Golden State didn’t have enough explosive powder, which was vital to its burgeoning mining industry and the construction of its infrastructure of bridges, roads and railways.
The rest of the U.S. was embroiled in a bloody, vicious Civil War. The Union refused to ship powder west in fear that it would be hijacked by the Confederate Army.
Sailing explosive powder around Cape Horn by ship was an outrageously expensive, six-month voyage that usually resulted in damp, poor-quality product.
The only option was to manufacture it in California. Manufacturing was begun in 1864 — at a location three miles up the San Lorenzo River from Santa Cruz — and for the next 50 years, the region was one of the capitals of the explosive powder world. When it finally closed in 1914, the California Powder Works was the largest powder making concern in the world.
The San Lorenzo Valley Museum’s new exhibit, “Blasts from the Past: The Explosive Story of the California Powder Works,” is a fascinating look into this important period in the history of the Santa Cruz Mountains and California.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the California Powder Works, according to museum president and exhibit curator Lisa Robinson, is the manufacturing process.
The California Powder Works — as well as the nearby paper mill and fuse factory — was operated by water power from the San Lorenzo River using huge, horizontal, turbine-like water wheels.
“They powered the machinery solely with water. It’s the aspect of the exhibit that we want to impress on the children and young folks who visit,” Robinson said.
The exhibit features a static model of the California Powder Works. Later this month, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History will be loaning the exhibit its fully functional model. Also, as the weather warms, children will have water wheels and toys to experiment with outside the museum that simulate the process.
And, of course, there’s the legendary volatility of California Powder Works. The most dangerous aspect of the manufacturing process was grinding the green powder, a combination of charcoal and sulfur dust combined with saltpeter, with seven-ton iron wheels in an iron bed to create mill-cake — one spark and kablooey.
“The workers were searched for metal before they were allowed to enter the Works,” said Robinson. “Even their boots were checked for nails.”
Over its 50-year history, 49 explosions rocked the California Powder Works, killing 36 and causing 72 serious injuries. The exhibit includes an album of photos documenting the destruction.
To test the quality of the explosive powder, employees regularly fired 6-, 100- and 250-pound projectiles from the Graham Hill horse show grounds. Many of the original projectiles are on exhibit. Sometimes their aim was a little off — in one case, about 2½ miles off.
“There were two badly frightened men from Ben Lomond near the old Felton toll house Friday afternoon when a cannonball came screaming through the air and fell close to them,” reported the Santa Cruz Sentinel in 1899.
The San Lorenzo Valley Museum is located at 12547 Highway 9, Boulder Creek. For more information, visit slvmuseum.com.