St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-08-23
GotreapomdfmEe.
From Pixies Peak.

MRS. SwIssHELM IL have located my
self on a, Gulch named as above, by the
Miners, and will give you such information
as I have been able to gather in the midst
Of my labors. These diggings are on the
Western slope Of high range of noun
tains leading to the Arkansas River. -
There are quite number of claims in this
gulch that are paying well-some as high
as 500 to 500 per day. But there are
great many that yield very poorly. A
few side or patch claims, as they are call
ed, are quite profitable. They generally
pay from eighteen inches to four feet from
the surface down. The gulch claims re-
quire stripping from four to fourteen feet.
The best paying claims are held as high
as $4,000. We were here too late to take
claims, and therefore have to purchase or
go farther. Some Of our company have
bought, and I hope may do well. I have
purchased side claim for 5000, but have
not commenced working it yet. 1t pros
poets about three cents to the pan at pres
ent, but how it will pay in the end I can
not tell. .:..
I am now running whip-saw, and sell
the lumber at Is to l6 cents per foot. "A
portable saw-nill would make fortune in
one season.
Wages for mining are from 81 to $3.50
per day, with board; and work is scarce at
that. We have great many idlers amongst
US, good many of whom are starting for
the States, broken down and disappointed.
Per contra there are still quite number
arriving at the diggings. We arc cursed
with flood Of petty gamblers of both Sex
es. And as the stakes are generally ten
cents, I judge that money is rather scarce.
The proportion Of church going people
is very small. We have preceding every
Sabbath at two or three places in the g ulch
but very few attend. :"
The weather has been very favorable for
mining since my arrival, but the nights
are quite cold. It is about as rare to see
a morning here without frost, as it would
be to see one with frost at this time of year
in St. Cloud. From my cabin door l see
snow upon the mountains, only few miles
in the distance.
A continual excitement is kept up by
prospecting parties. They come in and re-
port new and rich discoveries; and about
the next midnight stampede from the
gulch takes place, and in day or two the
adventures return disappointed in finding
the treasure, and wait for the next report
to be again disappointed. These rumors
sometimes are partially true, but rarely
come up to the representations.
Deer are very plenty and are slaughter
cred in large numbers and at all seasons
by the miners. The Indians threaten to
scalp US unless we desist or pay for them
but our old Mountaineers soon convince
them that scalping wouldn't pay, and they
leave in disgust. A report reached us last
night that the redskins had slaughtered
go whites on tho other side of the Snowy
Range, but it is not generally believed
They were out prospecting and one or two
Of our party were along with them. am
still determined to make competency be-
fore / return, and am not at all discouraged,
thoug Oh many are doomed to heavy disap-
pointment and loss, who are now here.
Flour $40 to $2s per 100 lbs. Sugar, ba-
con and coffee, each 30 cts per pound
Molasses So per gallon. Mexican Flour
SIS to $1o per 100 lbs. Truly Yours,
GOLD SEEKER.
From New York.