The weekly Placer herald., 1853-08-13
Nevada County Correspondence.
ROBES RANCH, Aug. 10th, '59

Friend Mitchell. How common it is
nowadays for persons about to take
trip for pleasure: search after some
thing which may be interesting: a hunt
for the beautiful: to turn their course to-
ward Europe, where in the gaudy show
of liveried aristocracy or perchance upon
tie ice bound peaks of Switzerland or
among the long ruined splendor of Italy
they discover, or think that they discover,
that which pleases the fancy or gives
cause of admiration to the eye, something
poeticat or romantic. y, you foolish
pleasure seekers Why do you not be-
fore =, eking for something to admire upon
a foreign land, turn your course to the
westward where the "star of Empire
holds its way" First become acquainted
with your own country and learn Its
beauties and wonders; come to Callfor-
mia; and if you wish warm air-to gaze
upon "black eyed SenoritaS," and meet
with wi d adventure, HE away to the
south and there you can have plenty OF It..
IF You search after the sublime and pic
teresquc in nature, to climb the rocky
steep and snow-capped mountains, turn
your steps to the North and among the
eternal snow Of the Nevadas you may
find that to which the giens of SwltZer-
land and dales of Scotland are but a
shadow. But no, the traveller here seeks
only for gold. Go where you wi and 1t
is still the same old song-gold! gold!-
How often do think of those liues-
"Gold many hunted, many sought,
i ID III no ,,io,ht
And labored all the day, &c"
And as started upon prospecting jour
ney-perhaps my readers may wish me to
resume it bidding adieu to the ranch and
It's comforts we continue our course to the
northward two miles until we reach Low
e Hi |. would here mention, however,
that beside the road measured Sugar
Pine thai was fifty-three feet in crcum
ference at It's base, while its top should
Judge was quite two hundred feet above;
"what saw log it would nake," said my
Yankee spirit-but should wish some
person to chop it for me.
Lowe Hill is new place perhaps to
most of your readers, and the dIggns
here were fist diecovered but few
months since, and as the name Indicates,
hy a Massachusetts Yankee. The Hills
have not as yet been thoroughly pros
pected; but the few claims that have been
worked have proved of sufficient richness
to authorise the laying out of streets for a
village, and already store, blacksmith
shop and several dwellings have been
erpcted; but from the tunnels which are
being run under it it will soon stand upon
"Shaky" foundation. The gold is very
| 1 4 4 mad ly #
course quality. The Lit York Canal
running close hy furnishes a supply OF
water for S uicing purposes; the miners,
however, at the present time, are mostly
engaged in sinking shafts, and learn that
one recently dug to the depth Of eighty six
feet was quite rich upon the bottom. An
other winter will doubt ess make this a
place of considerable importance. One
half of mile down the ridge run the
waters Of Steep Hollow, and at this point
their clearness is first disturbed after leav-
ing their source which rs some miles
above. The bed of the creek is here
funed and being worked for the second
time; and | saw one company of four
members with nine ounces in their pan
the result Of the days labor. The banks
of the creek for about three miles below
are worked by Chinese, and looking into
the pan of a couple who were working
with Rocker, | should Judge there was
about an ounce in it: pretty good wages
for John to make. Upon high bar stand
about IL half dozen leg cabins and one
store, forming what is termed Negro Flat,
anG with the exception Of few whites is
mostly Inhabited by the c0lored sons OF
Africa, and who with their usual "nigger
uck" might, many Of them, soon acquire
sufficient to return to their ''lubly Dnahs''
were it not for their usual propensity to
gamble. TO the east of Lowell Hill.
about one mile, run the waters of the
| North Fork of Bear River, which has
been flunIed this year for the first time II
distance of about four hundred yards by
company of Dutch and Yankees. A
common 5 uire box readily no DIS the wa
ter here, aud am told that they average
from seven tp eight dollars per day tt
each man. The past winter was quite
severe here, and -four sold as high as one
dollar pound, but game is very abundant
so that none need slarve if he can shoot q
rife, and one gentemln informed me that
he killed forty-three deer during the win
ter.
In concluding this letter would say
that in no part of Northern Caffornia
which have visited, haye seen district
so little prospected and at the same time
whose exterior surface bears so favorable
"gold sign" as this. Being within the
Cayote Range the diggins are mostly ii
! the hills. and il of course requires cOnsid.