The Shasta courier., 1858-05-01
IHASTA COURIER.
Letter from Trinity.
LEWISTON. April ~

EDITORS COURIER Lewiston to-day-Sun-
diy-enjoys perfect state of ouiescence. in
'af' Tor mining locality, we can boast the most
gsiet and orderly Sabbaths it has ever been the
prtune OF your correspondent to witness, in this
ESst irreserent State One year ago, lacking
lays, "l stood upon the bridge" (not of
/ OF Lewiston. On either hand dilapi-
Faf1 old corral and abandoned bar-nota single
siuics, or tom, or rocker gathering the golden
sands within mile-all dreary, silent and de-
serted. Now, enterprise and industry, assisted
by little gas" have wrought
Change DER the spirit of Lewstons dream"
and, Tomorrow, were you to stand in the same
place, you would see the bar dotted over with
new cabins and busy miners, and many sluice
head dancing in the sunlight down the slope.
from the Rush Creek Ditch The old corral.
exists alone, in the memory of the oldest in
habitant," and inits stead there is a large COM
modious barn, surrounded by new and convent
ent sheds and out-houses, and neat fencing.
Some OF the claims here are paying well, others
three or four dollars per day to the hand, and
still others not so well. Like most all mining
districts, you meet miner whose claim is pav-
ing well, and he says " its a fine place-bound
to make money, if you'll only pitch in :" YOU
strike another fellow, gaunt in frame, with long,
detected phiz-and four bits worth of strvch-
nine in his purse-who tells you the place is
id humbug." Ecnerwals opinion is: that,
under the auspices of Hong Kong, Canton and
Africa, Lewiston il " bound to blaze.u
npa of tbn I- Lot, 1
passes through Lewiston; there is quite rival
ry between the interested parties to secure the
travel, each one "gasing" for his favorite road
Meanwhile, the public are quietly settling the
matter for themselves. 1t is conceded by all
parties, we believe, that the Lewiston road is
much the shorter route, while it is claimed the
Louden road has the better grade. While we
| accord to MIR. Louden all due praise for his en-
| terprlse in making wagon road from Weaver
| to the Tower House, we cannot help rendering
to the Messrs. Phillips the equal compliment
to say that they have, at their individual cost
so graded and improved the Lewiston trail, as
to make it for pedestrians and horsemen, quite
rs safe and expeditions the other route.
Yesterday returned from rambling tour tc
the foot of Salmon Mountain. There is little o.
no mining on Trinity River from Lewiston t
Bates Ranch, distance of twelve miles, oppo
|
three or four hundred feet above the river, il
one of the best paying claims in Trinity county
We leave to industrious brains the solution O
tiie problem OF how the gold got there +? Two
miles above Bates you enter upon what ar,
termed the Ridgeville diggings. The town o
Ridgeville has decidedly seedy appearance
it is a fair illustration of what mad speculation
can do under the excitement of a rush to " new
dggngs." When the Ridgevlle diggings were
first discovered, there followed Immediately an
indiscriminate rush of miners; store keepers
hotel keepers, gamblers, dlers and others that
follow in the wake of enterprise and town o.
respectable appearance, with a population o
several hundred, sprung up as if by magic
There was no mistake about the gold-but
there was no water. Two companies were form
ed to bring in bitches when the water should
come in, everybody and hts uncle were going
| just to rake it out" In the mean time how
ever, the store and hotel keepers were support
ing large population, who were only waiting
for water, and, who, to shorten the history, f.
nally eat them out of grub, cash, and credit
and no doubt the same people are at this pres
ent time g waiting for water" in some new Ridge
vile
| / believe the two bitches are now owned by
one party. and the diggirgs are well supplied
with water. | spent several days among the
| miners near hiuSe'lile, anu am satlSncu tnal
most of them are doing well. The gold is coarse
and yields, when coined. near nineteen dollars
to the ounce-so | am told. am better pleased
with the appearance of these diggings than any
| have yet seen in Trinity, and they are decided
ly less prospected than any of which have any
knowledge of the same age in fact there is a
large scope of country above Rdgevile, as yet
entirely unprospected, and it has every indica-
| ton of being gold bearing region
| Permit me, in connection with the above, to
return my thanks to Messrs. Griffin & Fogarty
Squire Musser, DR.. Lane and others for the kind
ness and hospitality extended me whilst sojour-
ming in their neighborhoods.
Respectfully Yours, &c,
| Lewiston, April 25th. EcSERwAL