, 1875-02-20
The First Gold Found in California.

bitftft gives Nlt lNiiNN IuE 'AN'A'o''HS
story Of the first discovery Of gold in Cal
ifornia, rs told him by Mrs WINNER,
who has IN her possession the identical
piece which caused such a revolution in
the history Of the Pacific coast
We arrived here IN November, 1916,
said Mrs WINNER, with a party of
fourteen families, across the plains from
Missouri. On arriving at Suffers Fort,
Sacramento. wc found Fremont in need
of more men. Ny husband enlisted be
fore We had got the oxen unyoked, and
lcu me and our seven children at the
fort. IN the care Of COmmissary CuTtrin.
We drew our rati0ns like common sol.
dicr- for !uur months. Capt. Sutter ar
ranged room for us in the tort. As
soon as Mr.. WINNER returned from
Santa Clara. where he had been stationed
during the winter, he Joined three others
and went over the mountains to what j.
now called Bonner Lake, 10 fetch over
the effects OF the Donncr family, after
that terrible winter Of suffering that you
have heard about.
In June. lS41. they loaded all our
household plumber for Battle Greek, up
on the Sacramento, 10 put up saw-mlll,
bat they changed their plans and went
Go COloma. Capt. SUtteT and j. W. Mar
shall wcr" equal partners and we're the
head uf the expedition After seven
days Of travel, blazing trees, We arrived
al suuaown mile above the town.
Next morning Mr., WINNER went out to
select a site for The mill and a site for
the house. He was to oversee the In
a. lt. Tar1 lN~ about and | ~
90 DE cook. We had from fifteen 10
twenty men employed We soon had a
loE-housc-a good log house, and "A log
heap To cook by.
They had been working on the mill
race, dam and mill about SIX months,
WHEN. one morning along the last days
ct December or the first week Of january,
lSi1. after an absence Of several davs
tu the fort that was our Francisco in
them daysl. Mr. Marshall look Mr.. Vim
mcr and went down to see what had been
done while hcwas away. The water was
entirely shut off. and rs they walked
along talking and examining the work,
inst ahead of them, on little rough,
muddy rock, lay something looking
bright ike gold They both saw il, hut
Nr Marshall was the first 10 stoop 10
pick 1t up, and, as he looked at IT.
doubted It's being gold
our little son Martin Was along with
them, and Mr. Marshal gaze it to hun 10
bring up to me. He came in hurry and
said Here, mother, here's something
Nr Marshall and pa found, and they
want you 10 put 1t into SalcratuS water
Iu see If IL will tarniSh' | said, This
Z q, :,
kettle which ! Faye just tried with IA
feather. and it it is gold 1t will hc bright
when il comes ont finished oil my
soap that day and set il of To cool, and
II stayed there until the next morning At
the breakfast table one OF the work
hands raised up his head from eating
and said | heard something about gold
being discovered; what about it, Mr.
Marshall told him to ask Jenny, and
told him il was in my Soap-kcttle- Mr.
Marshall said it was there if it had not
gone hack 10 California.
" 4 plank Was brought for ne 10 lay
my soap upon, and cut it in chunks A.
the bottom of the pot was double
handful OF potash, which lifted in my
TWO hands, and there was my gold as
bright As il could he Mr. Marshall still
cuntcndcd IL was not gold. but whether
hc WAS afraid his men would leave
him ur he really thought so don't
know. Mr.. WINNER remarked that il
looked like gold weighed heavy. and
would do To make money out of. The
men promised not 10 leave ill the mill
WAS finished. Not being sure it was
gold, Nj WINNER urged Mr. Marshall 10
80 30 the fort and have it tested. He
did So, and George NckinStrv. m assay
cr, pronounced IL gold. Capt Suffer
came right Up with Mr Marshall and
called all The Indians together. and
agreed with them as To certain boundaries
that they claimed, and on the right of
discovery demanded 80 per cent Of all
The gold taken out They. in payment,
were 20 give the Indians certain num-
hrr Of handkcrChlefS, pocket king
glasses, shirts, beads and other trinkeis.
90 Mrs WINNER, vii you be- kind
enough 'o tell me how You came in pos
session of this piece OF goldg''
Yes, II was Just this way: One dav
Mr Marshall was packing up to 20 away.
He had gathered together good deal Of
dust on This 80 per cent. arrangement,
and had il buried under the floor. In
"vcrhaullng his traps he said 10 me in
the presence Of Elisha Packwood.
Jenny, | will give You this piece of gold
always intended To have ring made
from II for my mother, but | give il TO
YOU took il and have had il in nv
possession from that day 10 this
GA have not the exact date Of the
discovery OF the goid.' asked
No, hut II was somewhere about the
hohdayS, for | know that CAPT Suffer
had sent up 10 me a dozen bottles Of
hTandy-SlN for the men and six for me
Al hr>i | could not find them AT last We
iHund them IN a barrel of dried peas. OF
course the men had big Christmas. and
after They had drank up their SIN bottles
they wanted mine. and they got them
The piece of gold must describe. Its
value Is between four and five dollars
10 looks Ike pardon the comparisonl a
piece OF spruce gum Just out of the
mouth OF schoolgirl except the color
IL Is rather fiat, full OF indcnrarioDs inst
- the teeth make in piece Of nice gum
lhcre are one or two rough points on the
edge which, with little stretch of the
Imagination, give the appearance OF
mans head with = helmet on. then turn
II another way and, rs Mr WINNER
SAID, il looks ike some kind of a var
mint or other. Il can he easily idcnti-
h'd by anyone who has ever seen il he
fore