Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-06-30
MORNING LEADER.
Greeley NJ the Cola nI,n.,

back. The road was new and terribly rugged,
Mr. G. lame and pretty much used up After
camping out one night, tho digginaa were
reached the next forenoon. We add lis ac.
count Of Gregory's Dggiugs and its general as.
poets:
The little brook which here Joins Clear Greek
from the west starts at the foot Of mountains
three OF four miles distant, and runs in usu.
ally narrow ravine between generally steep
hills from 800 to 800 feet high. Il is bardly
worth a name, but that Of "Rolstons Fork has
been bestowed ON it. GregOFys lead il very
near it's mouth, half a mile above seems the
heart ofthe present mining region though there
are already sluces in operation at interval, for
at least two miles up The fork, and others arc
/ TO be started at intervals abuve them. Three
or four miles south west from the mouth. are
kusselPs diggings, where coarse gold is pro
cured, but | was unable 10 visit them. Pros
Pecting is actively gong forward in every dirce.
ton, and vague reports of lucky hits or brilliant
prospects are stated on this side OF on that.
but l have not been able to verify them. II js
no disparagement to the others to say that
though mining is carried on at various points
within radius OF thirty miles from this spot.
"Gregory's diggings" are to day the chief hope
of gold-mining in the Rocky Mountains
Six weeks ago, this rayne was a solitude. the
lavorite haunt Of the Elk, the Deer and other
shy denizens Of the profoundest wildernesses
seldom invaded by the footsteps of man be.
lieve this strip Of country has long been debate
able land between the Utes and the Araoaboes.
which circumstance combined with its rarely
accessible situation to sechre its wild tenants
against human intrusion aud persecution. l
hear that the ATapahoes say that good ''lodqe.
pole trail that is, one which a pony may trav.
q guafh ntan ssr,A g 4 4. 4
the other trailing behind him-exists from this
point to the open prairie near Clear Creek-a
trail which doubtless winds along the steen
sides OF the ravinesa and avoids the rugaed nights
necessarily trayersed by the miners wagon
road Should these diggings Justify their pres
ent promise, doubt not road win in time be
made, reducing by half--say 5000 feet--tbe
aggregate OF ascent and descent between this
aud Denver. But an uuworked WAGON. .roa,l
must avoid the sides of these steopbanked ra.
vines, running square up the faces and along
the crests of the mountains so that this spot Is
destined to remain barely accessible for at least
another year
This narrow valley Is densely wooded, mainly
with the inevitable Yellow Pine, which, shei
tered from tho fierce winds which sweep the
mountain tops, here grows to the hight of sixty
or eighty feet, though usually but IA foot OF
log cabins are constructed with extreme facility,
and probably one hundred are now being built
while three OF four hundred moro are in imme
diate contemplation. They are covered with
the green boughs Of the pines, then with earth
aud bid fair TO be commodious and conf rtable
AS yet, the entire population of the valley
which cannot number less than four thousand
including five white women and seven squaws
living with white men-~aleep in tents, or under
booths of pine boughs, cooking and eating in
the open air. l doubt that there is as vet q
table or chair in these diggings, eating being
done around a cloth spread on the ground
while each one sits or reelinea ON mother earth
TO enjoy The food, like that Of the Piaine, is
restricted 10 few stapes-Pork, Hot Bread,
Beans and Coffee forming the almost exclusive
diet OF the mountains but meat shop has
tJust been established, on whose altar are offered
up the i'll fed and wel-whipped oxen who are
lust in from fifty days journey across the
Plains, and one or two cows have been driven
in as more would be if they could here be
subsstcd. But these mountains are mainly
wooded, while the open hil-sides are SO dry
during Summer that their grass is very scanty
u ts melancholy TO see so many over. worked
and hall-starved cattle as one meets or passes
IN this ravne and on the way hither Corn is
50 per bushel in Denver and scarce at that
Oats are not to be had there is not a ton OF
Hay within two hundred miles, and none can
eyer lac brought hither over the present road at
a cost below $40 per ton. The present shift OF
humane owners is to herd their oxen or mules
on the rich grass of the nearest prairies for a
week OF So letting them subsist on browse and
a very little grass, and then send them down
the mountain again. This, had as il is, seems
the best that can be done. Living Of all kirds
will always be dear at these mines, where
American Flour ia now selling at the rate Of
Sd4 per barrel, and Bacon is worth SOC peI
pound Sugar ditto,
presume less than halftho four or five thou.
sand people now in this ravlne have been here
a week. he who has been three weeks ia repa
ded as quite an old settler. The influx cannot
fall short of five hundred per day, balanced by
an etiiux of about one hundred Many of the
latter so away convinced that Rocky Mountain
, gold'mining is one grand humbug Somo o
them have prospected two or three weeks, eat
ing up their provisions, 3, wearing out their booti
and finding nothing. Others have worket
for the more fortunate for 81 per day and theil
D board and lodging-certainly not high wage.
when the quality Of the living is considered -
And feel certain that while some--perhap,
many--wil realize their dreams OF wealth here
far greater number will expend their scanty
means, tax their powers Of endurance, and theI
! leave, soured, heart. sick spirit broken. Twen
Z ty thousand people will have rushed into thi
: ravine before The lst Of September while d,
/ not see how half of thom are to find pro6tabl,
! employment here. Unless, therefore, the area o
! the diggings shall meantime be greatly enlarge,
a --ot which there is no assurance-I cannot i'm
2 agine how hall the number are 10 subsist here
d even up to that early setting in Of Winter whel
Z must cause general paralysis Of mining an,
n rnueNumaufIv pfo oil nfhnw D.
6 dustry. With the gold Just wTested from An
earth still glittering in my eyes-and one com
Il pany has taken out to-day, at a cost of not NOR
4 than S25, lump CONDENSED by the use O
d qulcksllyer) which looks like gtee. yard-p
i aud 10 estimated as worth S5l0--I adhere [,
o my long settled conviction that next to outrigb
and indisputnble gambling, the hardest (thoup
4 sometimes the quiokesD way to obtain gold /
y 20 mine for it-that good farmer or mechani
}. will usually make money faster sticking 10 hi
i own business than by deserting il for gold dig
n ging-and that the man who, having failed Il
J. some other pursuit, calculates on retrieving hi,
3 fortunes by gold-mining, make a mistake WIN,
he will be likely 10 rue 20 the end of ,,s AZ %,
7 We had famous gathering a G1w rods fro,
!, this tent this evening. The estimate of saI
I, men puts the number prasent at 500 10 . OOC
j. Though my name vas made the excuse for \
i brief and torclhle addresses were made bv se,
o eral Others, wherein Mining, Postal and EIpres
facilities, the Pacific Railroad the propose
! new Rocky Mountain State, Temperance, Gan
y bling, DC, DC, were discussed with force an
' freedom Such gathering, Of men suddenl
q drawn hither from every section and nearly ey
/. cry State, IN glen where the first axe wa
raised, the first tent pitched by white men, lea
,. than six weeks ago, should bave inspired In
dullest speaker with earnestness if not with s
Z oquence.
i / Mimi, H..