San Andreas independent., 1858-04-24
Correspondence of the Independent.
ANGELS. April 20. 1858.

correspondence OF the Independent.
ANGELS, April 20, 1858.
Nr. Editor 1t has been the universal Gus
tom of all travellers, of every age, to seize upon
any scene or circumstance, to dwell in their
descriptions long, and to picture minutely, ev-
cry object and place which awakens past asso-
Citations and brings to the mind the impress of
other days. Such scenes border upon the
classic" and one moves among them with
feelings of interest and awe-inspired from
the workings of fancy as she brings back to
the newness of life the crumbling ruin-the
desolated prospect-the abandoned dwelling
and passes in rapid review the faces and forms
OF their departed actors.
| was particularly impressed to-day with
this thought, as leaving our village, on my
way to Carsons, passed through Campo
lie Los Nuertos," (the Camp of the Dead once
known as Indian Creek What an interesting,
yea, terrible, history would be the story OF
that place, were it but dotted down. From
this Camp was it that that bold outlaw,
Joaquin Muriatte first sailed out upon his des-
perate mission of death-writhing under the
torment of imaginary wrongs-hlled with
iendish determination to write their cancella-
ton in even innocent blood In 1851 this
Camp-then numbering some three thousand
Mexicans-was attack bv some eight hun
dred Americans anu completely destroyed and
razed to the ground, thirteen being killed and
several others wounded. The graves of the
slain are now visible upon the hillside. From
this circumstance it takes its doleful name
Passing through l came to the southern bank
of Indian Creek, where stands the smelling
works (for such | will call them) of Messrs.
Freeborn & Co. This, to one like me, so un-
acquainted with fires and furnaces is an inter-
estng place, where an hour can be passed off
to much advantage There is furnace or
oven of curious construction and workman
ship built by our townsman, Mr.. David Stros-
berger, whose conceded skill in stone work
needs no comment. Into this oven or furnace,
as understand it, it is proposed to deposit
the quartz rock, where it will be subjected to
the action of intense heat, and subsequently
to pass through the arastras. The plan looks
feasible-and may it succeed. But a short
distance, and was at Marble Springs, taking
its name, presume, from the numerous large
white quartz boulders, among which it bursts
forth. Here is the residence OF Mr.. Nantz,
who has very fine garden and farm. This
place has history of no particular interest
save that of being the camping ground" of
the redoubtabe Col Stevenson in his tour
through the mines in lS49l49 From here |
pushed on, leaving Camp Senorita (or the spot
upon which it once stood) to the right. There
was time in 1851 when very few, if any, rode
past this pretty Camp. The very name seemed
to have charm-but the present day the
beauties have all departed, and as one gazes
upon her crumbled chimneys and desolated
fire-sides and sees the grass growing and flow
ers springing, where were once her streets, he
turns moodily away. IHimm 5ua!
Next is Albany Flat-a place once of no
inconsiderable Importance = but at present
ohONhihSly lOiHONSu tHSll
habitations, leaves gaps here and there, which
gives to the Camp a very unpleasant appear
ance. Leaving the I" Flat" | soon reached
Carson's. This is a spot of a most unusual
history, flied with rapid changes and thrilling
incidents. When ] compared the present quiz
etness that pervades the town and its suburbs
with the wild excitement that once ragged
there, seemed to be transported to some other
same hills remain and the same skies bend
over their chapparel peaks. Then upon their
hill-sides are the little level plats where once
stood tents and dwellings. There are the
adobe ovens, that, in their dilapidation AVA
ken in the memory, the days of her incredible
prosperity, when her inhabitants talked as
freely of ounces and pounds of gold, as her cit
izens now do of pennies and picayunes !
Here it was that the great contest went on
wherein Morgan & Co. figured so prominently,
not only in the Courts but even upon the very
ground itself, among the chapparrel that env-
AOHo lhO oPOI w nv VI 1Oui many lCduCISj
has not heard of Carson? The great lead of
gold struck by Messrs. Rowe, Morgan, Hans,
and others, produced .furor at the time
Q85l) that seemed to pervade the whole COM
munity Money was plenty then, and men,
(among whom was your humble servant un-
der the influence of the excitement, rushed
madly into many vain and visionary search
for such vein as theirs, expending thousands
of dollars, and that, too, when labor and liv-
ing were high, and who now look over the
theatre of their past folly with chastened
thoughts and limited aspirations Still, with
all her misunderstanding at one time at
tracted all eyes by the unprecedented richness
of her mines and in the scale of prosperity
subsequently sunk into comparative insignifi-
cance-Carsons is now rising again rapidly,
and it is to be hoped more permanently, in
the scale of Importance among the towns of
our county than what she did in the days of
her first success.
l stopped at Carson Cottage, kept by Mrs.
L. =. r.. i