The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-12-09
y = = I. : = s---'.-
THE GOLDEN AGE,

A Tine - asps4 Exeisenssat-How rso,,s
Abandoned III Other Businoss ana .vvc.1
In PaEssitoE Goid.
It WAS In tho montl, OF Janu.,v,
1S4S, II q small shanty IN \ti,s rsfbes
sQualId little hamlet Of Verbs BuSns,
on the Bay Of San Francisco, that two
young men from tho States, having
Just printed on a hand.press tho 100
copies Of thcir weekly paper, sat dow,
upon stools, weary, flint and discour-
aged, to talk over tho prospects of the
country and bemoan tho fate tbat had
cast them where society and money
were SO scarce. They were Ame,i-
cans, but tho land Of their birth was
as remote to them thon as st., Peters
burg to q peasant of the AMOR VALLEY.
They longed to 70 urn, but never cx-
peesed to be rich enough. The Next.
Gun war was just ended few months
before. The treaty Of Guadalupe
iIida|go qavo California to tho United
States. The California so. ceded in
cluded the present State Of that name.
Nevada and most Of Utah. 1t was mn
empire larger than France and Emo.
land. Divided bv q range of mOuH-
taiis almost as lofty IA tho Aims and
longer than tho Carpathjans, running
from north to south, the eastern haff
was terra incognita Of barren desert
Duties and mountain spura, containing
throughout its whole extent but one
feeble settlement of whites, known as
Mormons. Unknown savnges of the
lowest aboriginal typo dominated ali
tic rest. The western half, rs It then
appeared, WINS one great valley cover
cd with hri ut flowers, rank verdure
clumps OF majestic oaks, wooded hills.
sioplng from the coast range on the
west and the Sicrras on the east. hills
plains and valleys olive with herds 0f
deer, elk, antelope and cattle md
horses rs wild as tho game. In all this
vast valley region tliere was
BUT ONE WHITE SETTLEMENT.
1t was known as Suffers Fort.
IL was located near the confluence
on the Rto de los Americanos with the
Sacramento. To the far south, be-
y.ond the sources OF tho San JOAQUIN
rlvor, not Mr nom tho Pacific ocean.
stood tho "Ciudad dc los Angelos,'
Mexican IN its construction and popu-
iation. a Catholic mission at Santa
Bnrbara and another at San Luis
Obispo (Saint Louis, tho Bishop):
another at Monterey OH the bay Of that
name; another ut Santa Clara in the
lovely valley Of that name; another
called Mission de San jose not far
from the latter, and another ut the
villnge Of Yerta DueHa, which has
since grown into the city Of San Fran.
cisco. 1t was then u collection of
adobes, built around the public square
we now call "the Plaza" The waters
Of the bay extended as far as Mont
gomery street, where the Bank Ex-
change now stands, and a few whalcrs
and small coasting sch0oners lav nt
anchor three hundred Yards from
'horee, about where the postofiicc now
stands on Battery street. There were
also American settlements at Sonoma
nd Napa, composed of farmers who
,migrated from the Western States q
few years before, anl hcre and there
'rose along the borders of the tule the
smoke from the hut of the lonely tran.
>er ofbeaver. These, with tho ranches
# t2aa's ths S3 RHS9ns H9 their eoryals M and the
"a by innumerablo cattle and horses,
nadc up tho sum of what there was Of
civilized and semi-civilized lifc in Cali-
:oruia at tho time the two young prin-
ers Of Yerba Buena were discussing
he situation. .,"
About the Same hour that they were
their fate Of isolation from
the busy world, n scene was cnacting
hat was to have greater effect upon
The material interests of modern So
;icty than any event since tho discove.
ry Of America. 1t was OH the 10Th
day Of January, 1948, OF tho south
fork Of tho American river, tifty-four
miles east OF Suffers Fort. Early in
The morning OF that day, James W.
who was building mill for
himself and Suffer, from which they
to supply the ranches and
settlements with pine lumber, picked
up from the bcdr0cks OF the race Of the
mill
A SMALL PIECE OF YELLOW METAL.
It weighed about seventeen grains. 1t
was mallcable, heavier than silver,
and IN all respects resembled gold.
About 4 O'Clock IN the evening Mar
Siuii CNHIoIttN Ills ttlIu W tuS CtrCiC
the mill company laborcrs.
Their names we're James W. Marshall,
p. l.. WINNER, Mrs. WINNER, James
Bn ger, Ira Willis, Sydney Willis, AL
cXandcr Stephens, James Brown,
Ezkiah Persons, Henry Biglcr, Israel
Smith, William Johnson, Geo. Evans,
Charles Bennett and William Scott.
The conference resulted in the rejec-
ton of the idea that it WINS gold. Mrs.
WINNER tested it by boiling it in
strong lye. Marshall afterward tested
it with nitric acid. 1t was gold, sure
enough, and the discovcrcr found its
like in all the surrounding gulchcs
whercvcr he dug for it. The secret
could not lie long kept. IT was known
at Ycrba Bucna three months after
the discovery, aud the two printers
above mentioned put this slight notice
OF it in their weekly paper, The Cali
fo,nian, on the 29th Of Anril:
"NEw GOLD MlNE.-I, ated that
n new gold mine has been discovered
on tho American Fork of the Suura-
mcmto, supposed to be Git was no,) or
the land Of William a. Lcidesdorg,
Esq. Of this place. a specimen Of tile
gold has been exhibited, and is repre-
sCntpu to be very Dtlre."