The Georgetown news., 1855-11-22
DeadWOOd.

once fourishing but now fOrsaken village of
Deadwood. During the palmy days of its
prosperity it must have numbered some five
or six hundred inhabitants; but now the
wind whistles through deserted streets and
around decaying buildings-many of them
very substantial for q mining town so far
in the mountains-once occupied by the en-
terpriSing miner and tradeSman. The name
was ominous Of its fate.
| In '53, in consequence Of strikes which
seemed to warrant dreams of sudden wealth.
asst by magic the town sprang up: but the
dreams proved Elusive, and failing to realize
the wild ideas which called it into exist
ence, the town was abandoned with q ra-
pidity which would not have been greater
had the curse Of SOdom been pronounced
against it.
The place-that was-is situated some
six miles to the eastward of Michigan
Bluffs, Placer county, the trail between
which points is over gigantic mountains,
which do not fail to stagger the understand
ing Of the tramper from the foothills and
the valleys. Leaving FL Dorado canon,
an ascent, almost uninterrupted and at times
very abrupt, Of about three miles, appeals
teelingly to the fortitude Of the traveller
Under the hot rays of a summer sun our
accomplishment of the journey was made
amid calculations not exactly in accordance
with the seventh Commandment, nor likely
to entitle us to the benefit of the Sermon on
the Mount.
The only object of interest that meets the
view during the ascent, aside from the grand
old towering hills which keep sentinel over
the dark abysses of the deep canons, down,
away down below, are two parallel walls of
rock, some three feet apart, and about the
same height, evidently the handiwork Of
man, and built for some mysterious pur-
pose, Immediately beside the trail, about
half mile this side Of the village. Their
origin is generally ascrioed to the Indians,
for the purpose of burning their dead, but
farther than mere conjecture they are in
volved in mystery; and to the oldest settlers
no Indians have ever been known to III
habit that immediate section Of country.
The village is located on the brow Of the
dividing ridge between Fl Dorado Canon
and the North Fork Of the Middle Fork of
the American River; which ridge, in com
mon with all others in that section, is one
entire deposit of gravel, overlaid with
deep coating Of cement. This gravel con-
tains gold deposits Of greater or less de-
gree of richness. Following the rimrock
on either side Of the ridge, for many miles,
the gravel lays exposed to easy access, free
from its covering of cement, in what are
termed benches, sometimes to the depth of
thirty feet. These gravel deposits are gen
orally Of the poorer order, but in many pla-
ces are very rich; and almost the entire sec
tion, we have no doubt, would pay remu-
nerative wages if worked by the sIuice and
hydraulic system of mining. The great
drawback to their development, however,
exists in the entire absence of water during
the greater part Of the year. although un-
failing supplies could be obtained at an out
lay of capital comparatively triaing to the
Investments so freely made lower down in
the gold range.
Mining to a considerable extent is car
ried on around Deadwood but principally
through the medium Of tunneling, which is
necessarily a much slower and less remuner-
atiye process than the one before alluded to-
Still farther to the eastward, at the Devils
Basin, and at Last Chance on the dividing
ridge between the North and South Forks
of the Middle Fork, mining operations are
carried on much more extensively. Webe-
lieve that this mining region, when fully
developed, will furnish remuneratiye en-
pioyment for thousands Of miners for many,
very many years to come. Already projects
are on foot to furnish the great desderatum
of water, and ere long we expect to see that
section taking an active part in our golden
commerce.
As a practical miner, we spent some
months during the last spring and summer,
in that region. and shall take occasion here
after to speak further of the localities to
which we last alluded.