Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-11-29
California Twenty Years ago, And Now

country during the last twenty years
g 1t must be source Of great delight to
man like John A. Sutter, to look back upon
useful and well-spcnt life, and reflect that the
creation and elevation to power of a large and
prosperous State is, in u large measure, due to
his own disintcrested exertions in field where
few except the most hardy would have dared to
follow him. Less than twcntyyears ago, an old
captain Of Napolcon's Swiss Guard, dlsappoint
ed with his prospects as soldier Of fortune,
conceived the idea Of establishing himself in the
solitudcs Of the vast North American wilderness,
of which then less was. known than Of the in
terror Of Africa at the present day. Whether
any idea had as yet entered his brain with re-
gard to the prospective greatness Of the country
he was adopting Tor his home is uncertain. but
the old hero mast have received some authentic
informationrcspecting its capacities, or he would
not thus have entombed himsalf-ior at that
timo the chief visitors at Suffers Fort were
trapp2rs and Indian traders, or the s1yagoS
themselves, whose uncouth ways must have Of
ltrcd I broad contrast to the reiincmentS Of that
society from which he had voluntarily cxicd
himself That he did not seek the now country
from any misAnthropic desire to shun the world
and live the life Of rccluao, il gyi!sDt from the
assidnity with which hc cultivated his farm,
and the enterprise he >aanicetcd in all his basl-
ness transactions. lie surrounded his buildings
With wall, established 4 smthy, and was driv-
ing, all BY himself, lucrative trace between
Indians and factors, when Fremont, with his first
exploring party, partook Of his hospitality, II
seems unacc3untabe That such land could re
main FOR 50 many centuries almost unknown and
uucxplorod, especially when we consider that it
had fallen to The share Ct the Spanlard, who's
fayoritc occupation was hunting for gold
Where those millions Of acres Of fertile soil lay
glistening in the sun, oyorrnn by herds Of stock
as wild as those of the rrlirics, and Astounding
with game hundreds Of troasuro~F clding minos
and productive farms reward tn laborer 3 toll
The tract, alone, J.7S Macipoea2, now owned by
Col. Fremont, yielded, short time since, rs the
result of eight days working, over eighteen
thousand dollars-whcn his eyes first surveyed
it, nothing more than barren wildcru IS and
a million head Of cattle swarm upon our plains
and pastures. To be the pioneer in such move
mcnt, and to watch the rapid Development of
such an empire, is worth more than all the glo.
Ei9s that can fall tot ~ lot Of soldier or states
man.
The same print gives the following paragraph
respecting
COL, FREMONT S PROSPECTIVE WEALTH.
" 1t is not, we believe, generally known how
extensive are tn works on the Fremont estate
To give an idea, then, We will state that there
are seven quartz mills steadily at work there,
There is the Large Benton (water) Mill, with
48 stampers, that brushes "A tons Of rock per
day the Small Benton (watcr) Mill. Of Ii
stamps, crushing % tons per day the Mount
Ophir (steam) Mill, Of q stamps, crashing 80
tons per day; the Guadalonpe (seam) Mil,
of Is stamps, crushing 20 tons y day the
Princeton (steam) Mil, Of II stamps, crush
ing IS tons per day tho Bear Valley (stcam)
Mill, Of stamps, crushing II tons por day
and the Aqua Fria (steam) Mill of 6 stamp
crushing 10 tons per day. The average yielj
Of these mills recently WAS over $40 per day
each, over $500 per day collectively, and
nearly $40 900 for every eight days run Th,
last eight days product rcachad SIS, 996 81, in
gold bars, which arrived in this city On Monday
last, consigned to Mari; Brnmagim K Co. bank
ors, The gold, we understand is pretty evenly
distributed throughout the quartz, 50 TINT there
is no likelihood Of much Auctuatlon in the yield
At this rate the Colonel will By entirely eleal
Of all his complications in the course Of two Oh
three months, and then he will commence ia
realize near a million Of dollars per annum ! OF
r Counting it at that rate exlotly) $3.50 81
every day of the year No man better deserves
fortune.'