The weekly ledger., 1857-06-06
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TRACKS OF A TRAVELLER

After trying the stability of my walkers
in various tra,nps in the environs of Cooks
Bar. Live Oak City and KatesviIle, and find
ing myself able to make tracks / started in
the directian of Amador county for the pur-
pose of visiting the section of the country
where coal is said to have been discovered
My first point to make was Drummondsvile,
and in endeavoring to get there by near cut,
which had been informed was plain trai!
and not to be missed, ] found myself at late
hour in the midst of q field of chapparel
which extended, like Byron's tide in the af-
fairs of some folks, goodness knows where.
Had / not been as hungry as belle who has
dined away from home. | should not have
cared; as it was, / determined to take the
back track. and instead Of keeping the
plainest path" as had been advised to do,
struck for tall timber, and fortunately came
upon man who was nursing some very
sickly corn plants in piece of plowed ground
which had not been fenced After passing
the compliments of the season with him
broke out, "Ahl my friend l fear you will
never be gaddened by seeing your corn toss
ing proudly its snowy tassels to the breeze,
waving its shining blades in the sun and
bending its ears to catch the voice of the
harvesters." He looked at me in wonder,
family saving, "which?' 81 mean" said l.,
" that your crop will not come to much."-
Aflectionatey eyeing the yellow stalks he
said, "Wall, stranger, | reckon the comet
will fotch it out" and with a long sigh he
struck in with his hoe right and left. " You
are an a-maiae-ing worker" said l. YES"
/ ha inht arf
sprinkle of work in my day" Getting fion
him proper directions, in the course of half
an hour | discovered the white sheen of the
houses of
DRUMMoNDsvILLE.
This place is not very extensive and has not
made any very great noise in the world, al
though there are some very good diggings
here The water used here is supplied by the
" Prairie Ditch Co.. and lasts nearly the en-
tire year, as the ditch taps the main Cosum-
nes river | could not learn whether the
camp had all the water that was needed, or
the reverse The houses, with one excep-
ton, are of canvas, and very large for miners
cabins. The exception was very pretty
cottage painted white and, by the appearance
Of the window curtains, | have no doubt is
tenanted by lady. The location of the
camp is very pretty, being on knoll, in the
midst of outrageous oaks. Don't take um-
bragg at that last dictionary word 1t means
both shade and an ofiense; therefore as a
shade is an oflense we see the trees so care
fully removed from around houses in Cali
fornia
Getting further directions as to the coal
region, | left the "ville" aud travelled all
over it, have no doubt, yet could find no
one who knew anything of it. Some of whom
| enquired eyed me with suspicion, while ono
young fellow with q consumptive moustache
on his lip, asked me when l left Stockholm
The old saying is true, that 'if you wish to
hear news of your neghbors go away from
home" But | had started out to find the
coal, and by persevering enquiry | was at
last successful Enclosed l send sample
found like truth, (as represented in the adage)
at the bottom of a well, on Barnes ranch
The valley in which it is located is surround
ed by low, rolling hills, out of some of which
protrudes slate rock But am not sufficient
y versed in geology to give you a correct de
scription, so | shall not make the endeavor
Is poison oak of any useY If so, the land
in this section of the country could be turn
ed to a profit aside from mining There is
the most beautiful crop of it here, fine and
thrifty.
In striking across the country for the Cos
sumnes river, | again found myself at the
pleasant village of
FOREST HOME,
which has not altered much since | was here
before. In company with willie" an oc
cason correspondent of yours, | visited al
the large claims in the vicinity and woulC
give you the items if any of them, (the mi
ners, not the items had washed up recently
The last taking out was by the Star claim,
being three weeks washing by three men, ,ant
the amount was seventy-two ounces and eigh
dollars The gold here is very fine, requir
ing quicksilver to save it Some OF til,
claims are forty feet deep and pay from th,
top down.
also paid visit to
WIND HILL,
which is an older mining locality and has bee
noted for its rich deep diggings, which still
continue to pay we'll Work has been gen
orally suspended here till the next rainy sea
son. This place gets water from the Mich
gan Bar Canal, which supplies all this par
of the county The Canal Company ow
one of the richest claims on this hill; it
worked with a hydraulic.
The mineral resources Of this section hav
not been yet developed. In time it will
} found to be as rich as any other portion G
: Amador county.
Two men have recently left here for thei