The town of Yankee Jims was one of the first mining towns in Placer County, and eventually grew to be the largest. Today you'll only find a few weathered structures.
Yankee Jim, who was not a Yankee but an Irishman named Jim Robinson, came to the Foresthill Divide in 1849 and set up a camp called "Yankee Jim’s Dry Diggings." Jim was either very successful, or very unsuccessful at mining, depending on what account you read. All seem to agree that eventually Yankee Jim turned to horse stealing. His success in that lowlife endeavor wasn't great, as one of his victims did a little searching, and found his horse and a few others too, in a corral hidden away in a high and remote part of the ridge. When a posse was formed to pursue him, Yankee Jim hightailed it out of the area just in time to save his neck.
Yankee Jim apparently went to southern California and moved on to other types of crime. On September 18th, 1852, he was hanged in San Diego for the intent to steal a schooner worth $6,500. His ghost reportedly now haunts The Whaley House, southern California's oldest two-story brick structure.
Shortly after Yankee Jim made his hasty retreat, a miner wandered into the old corral to do a bit of prospecting and found the ground was rich in free gold. A crowded camp mushroomed up and a fortune was taken from the diggings. A fortune that could have been Jim's, if only he knew what to look for.
Hydraulic Mining was first attempted in Placer County by Colonel McClure at Yankee Jims in 1853. It later grew to the most profitable form of mining, until 1884 when a court order shut down most operations due to silt deposits and flooding in the valley. The total output of the Foresthill Divide district is estimated to be at least $25 million, and it may be considerably more.
The coordinates above are to the gate of the Yankee Jims Cemetery. To get here, take Spring Garden Road. Near the end, turn left onto Heritage Oak Lane. If you get to Yankee Jims Road, you've gone too far and need to turn around. As you turn onto Heritage Oak, you'll see a "Private Driveway" sign. That's because this road and even the cemetery is on private property. Just go on up to the yellow house and let them know you're visiting the cemetery. They'll be happy to let you look around.
Today instead of searching for gold, you're going to be searching for headstones. But don't worry, the cemetery is small, less than a half acre in size.
You need to find the graves of Henry Eckhoff and Clarence M. Henderson.
When you find Henry Eckhoff's grave, note the year he was born. Subtract 40. The result is ABCD.
At Clarence M. Henderson's grave, note the year of his death. Subtract 100. The result is EFGH.
The cache can be found at N39° 0A.BCD' W120° 5E.FGH'
Go back out the main gate before heading to the cache.