The weekly Butte record., 1867-02-02


EDITOR REcoRp:-Employing my precious time
in ssoshing around for few days On this theatre
of my earlier ''propects." and knowing how will
ingly you publish items interesting from al parts
of the county, stop soshing seventeen minutes or
to tell you about some things and few persons;
portion of the latter bearing names not unfamiliar
to your readers.
Starting mountainward from Bidwell Bar. l found
located at intervals along the turnpike beautiful
little ranches, wherein the old pioneers, Clark,
Foreman, Clinton and Powell, appear to be going
ahead and making it pay
Arrived. after much weary walking, at the top of
Harris Hill; imagine my establishment on beholding
at short distance in advanee-not the White
House in which Andy the tailor sojourns. but-even
the great "Astor House" occupied and engineered
by the elder OF the johnson brothers, whose pro-
verbal poteness in connection with the landlady's
excellent cookery-(no Chinaman at the Astor)-
did to my mind and appetite most grateful alimen
afford. Afford that is if dollars worth Of dinner
can be afforded for four bits! Neither the house
nor its surroundings are now "what they used to
was.r So loathsome to the proprietor is every
thing, even the name of any thing, pertaining to
the traitorous party to the Great Rebellion, that
he has substituted for Trginia Mills the name Of
Oak Arbor, for the pleasant vale in which his As
tor House is edifeed. Pluming himself on his prac
tical philosophy he is feeding his hogs boiled bar
ley on the hypothesis that, as lager beer fattens
Dutchmen, so should boiled barley fatten hogs fas-
ter than barley unbrewed and that, moreover, by
thus Incorporating the beer with the pork he can
furnish customers with ham and eggs and lager al
together at single fry in the skillet. He is
pushing forward improvements-haying already
built hog-pen and intending to build smoke
house and hennery, all this season
One mile aud quarter above the Astor House,
! find the palatial establishment of the gigantic
Rucker. He is now a bustling merchant Consid-
ering his 'immense magnitude, it is wonderful to
behold how dextrously he manages his concern.
In him we see man whom money has not spoiled;
neither naughty nor ostentatious. he manifests as
much regard for the common people now as
formerly, before he himself could be called a
"wealthy nabob."
Cedar Ranch is still propelled by Hakes & Beard.
In SKINNER and Autumn this place is said to be
profitable. During my brief visit all was quiet
about the grocery, and Hakes was learning to fd-
die.
Berry Creek-once SO renowned, appears little
sombre-"payed out Jim Chinaman runs the
hotel; Ben. Bowers operates the saw mill; the
blacksmith shop runs itself; Mr.. Mansfield works
the ranch; and Russ well-he-he
"kalliiates."
Among the floating population" hear of but
few old residents. Lew Bessac, having "made
raise, has sold the bulls and engaged in spccuia
ton; Jerry Wilcox, am told, is remarked Gully
for Jerry Moseley is numing the North Fork;
while a number of others are reported as being en-
gagged in "the hog business, or 1.-THE chicken bust
ness or other enterprises the exact nature Of
which forbore to enquire into.
Should write you again, will say something
about quartz mining hereabouts; haven't room in
this letter. Hubbards new eli ght stamp steam mill
has been crushing ''reuse rock'' from the Bloomer
Hill Ledge some eight or ten days. The owner
thinks he's got the world for certain; about day
after to morrow, "aowsn to clean up and rake in
about thirtythree thousand dollars and six bits =
but this is only from the poorest of his rock.
Last Sunday brace of San Franciscans ''might
have been seem to drive furiousy into Oak Arbor
enter the Astor House and eat an afternoon dinner;
then walk two or three miles northward through
torrents OF rain; post notices on certain quartz
ledge; the second day thereafter return whence
they came, taking with them wagon load of
specimens which seemed somehow to make
them happy. According to designs they revealed
to person in confidence, they are to come back
ere many days elapsed to level of the ground
for tie machinery. Since which occurrences, the
Bloomer peoples are all agog; picks and shovels,
crowbars and hammers, mortars and pans, OK
horns and microscopes, are traversing the hills
mountains. gulchds, ravines. swags ETC.. in all d.
rections-up, down, above, below over, under
across, around, betwixt, athwart-as if there were
something somewhere that somebody is trying to
discover. That the somebody aforesaid may sue.
coed in such endeavor is the earnest wish of your
old friend and fellow sinner,
Jan. 25th, 1867. THE GUyAscurUs.