The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-12-26
Correspondence.
COfTOSpOnOFnCee
MOUNTAIN Cry, Jefferson Ter,
November 10. 1860.

| the miners clothes washing and letter writ
ing day, place myself fornenst a
rough pine table for the purpose of again
speaking through your columns Of matters
and things auriterous, and perhaps touch
ing on sonie few things not so highly col
ored.
News from the gold fields, were in the
States, would be interesting matter for my
reading, and the more interesting were it
reliable and full. But correspondent 10
write reliable reports must either be around
| the country great deal more than [ have
time to be, or contine himself to reporting
| the progress of events in his own locality.
And for this reason | have troubled you
but little with windy and unreliable ctfu-
sions. But to-day | thought it too bad to
see the country Of my adoption slandered
and belied as | see it is by letter writers,
and those weak hearted creatures who,
| afraid true reports will not get to the States,
| go there and take the news with them.
A very common expression you hear is,
| "Well. Pixies Peak is no such country as
California" Granted, and for this reason ::
In the latter country the money was made
by ''sluicing out of gulches, while here pay
is made onl" by crushing quartz; in the for
mer you could tell by few hours digging
whether there was anything to be made in
that spot, while here; If u man 'slicks his
| stake on what he supposes to be a quartz
lode, he has to dig; days, and maybe weeks
| before he strikes "pay streak" and some
| times if he were to dig until he could Smell
birthstone he wouldn't find anything, for
the simple reason that it wasn't there in the
| first place. Anu this is the whole reason
why so many have returned to their homes
| dissatisfied. Thousands of men came out
here last spring with no idea of gold min
ing, never having been in any kind ofa min
ing country. Well, as matter of course
they could not expect to drop down on a
! fortune as soon as they came into the
mountains. But disheartened by their bad
| luck,' added to an ardent, youthful and
very filial affection for the strings Of their
mothers dress protector, they were soon
on the home-stretch, shouting "humbug"
We passed the head of the stampcding
crowd before we came in sight of the noun
tains-the tail has not passed through
Denver yet. One day recollcct Of meet.
ing two men afoot, about l40 miles out of
Denver, and on inquiry found one to be
an Iowa editor! Bound for America 2"
was our salutation. "Yes, going after a
cruShcr!' was the response. Shade of
franklin, what a soul-stirring dun his non
paying subscribers would get when that
dirt -begrimmed, foot-sore editor would get
safe into his sanctum! Don't you reckon
he would set up p p a few? You never
can get Il "stampede' to acknowledge that
he's running from the elephant: Going
after 4 crusher,' or "atter provisions" is
always their answer. One South Bender
told me there wasn't enough "squshers'
out here and he was after one. Now, I am
not going to say this is as good country
for money making rs California was, but |
believe it to be as good as California is
There were more fortunes made in Califor
mia IN ten years than there will be here il
twenty, perhaps; but truly believe that in
time there will be as much money made
on this side of the mountains as there has
been, and will b., on the Western Slope.--
California miners tell US here that on,
quartz is equally as rich as theirs, and as
soon as our mill men get to understand the
mode of saving gold then you will begin te
hear from us. You need not think me in,
tatuated over this country, for | never
thought should make an eternal, everlaSt
ing fortune out here, but I must say, I'm
in hopes, if stay out here long enough,
Will have as much as will buy common
printing establishment on time. The fact
about this country is, and believe the
proper development Will prove me to be
about right, the tenth part and the best
part OF the gold mines have not yet been
opened. DIR. Linton only yesterday show,
cd me quartz out Of a newly discovered lode
between this and the Snowy Range that as.
sayed $4,000 to The cord! Ycu won,
hardly believe that, and it does seem almost
incredible, still it is the fact, if the ssayel
can be believed, and he is an old acquaint-
ance OF DR.. LIS. If such things as this arc
yet to be discovered, does it look sensible
for men to come Ill the way out here, and
50 back after staying only few weeks, O,
as some from McGrcgor have done, u,thou,
eoer coming into tito mountains? Let 9th.
ers do as they please, whenever | am salts
fled that can't make anything here, or af
ter have made more than have 50 far
then am coming home McGrcgor is bu
poorly represented out here to what it was
earlier IN the season. Alasl the grit o
her sons! En-. Bond, Bob Busby, Joe vii
son, Aleck Mckinnie, and another one o,
two are all that will be left to tell the Tor
rors of Rocky Mountain winter.
! And that brings me to that never. failing
topic for all letter-writers-the weather.
The winter is upon us in full blast The
cold winds OF the last month, however, gave
us timely warning, and we are all tolerably
well prepared. Our pine cabin, which 3
few weeks ago gistcned with the rays o.
the sun that pceped through the innumera
BILE interstices, (no cracks about it) has as
sumed inside sober, old-fashioned appear
ancc, which is made more bearablc by
warm and cheerful pitch-pine fire that spar
kIes and glows on the hearth before US.
can recollect when boy at school how hor
rible thing it seemed to winter in tn.
Rocky Mountains, but to. night, as three O
Us sit by the light Of a ''pcnny.dip," one
writing to his Mary Ann, :" another to tn,
"Old Folks at home," and the third boring
you, I've come to the conclusion that it is ;
worse thing to contemplate than it is to re
alize. We have had two or three SHOWS
three or four inches in depth, but the sur
soon starts it from the south side OF tn,
mountains, but on the north side and in tn,
deep canons we viii probably see it unit
the spring thaw. Only a day or two sine,
we saw an instance Of the love of Americ,
two boys with sled sliding down hill
Young America foreverr' burst from tn,
lips OF every passer by. II the present
, winter is to be judged by 'hc two previou.
ones, quartz mining will go ahead the sam,
as in midsummer. So far we have had n,
day that deferred US from work, and tn,
booming Of the blast can be heard when i
, is showing ottencr than it could in the rain,
season Of august. Yhe steam mills are al
about through winter-rigging and business
has opened liyeier than ever. Train afte
train comes in, unloads, and it's place is tax
eli by some newly arrived one, and truI,
believe there are more goods in this plac
than would stock your town three time
over. No danger of starving, is thercg