The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-11-12
TIE GOLDEN AGE.
Story Of the Discovery of Gold in
California.

It was in the month of january, 1649,
Pin small shanty in the rather squalid
little hamlet Of Yerba Buena, on the Bay
Of San Francisco, that two young men
from the States, having just printed on
a hand-press the $50 copies of their
weekly paper, sat down upon stools,
weary, faint and discouraged, to talk
over the prospects of the country and be-
moan the fate that had cast them where
society and money were so scarce. They
were Americans, but the land of their
birth was as remote to them then as st. |
Petersburg to a peasant Of the Amoor |
valley. They longed to return, but
never expected to be rich enough. The |
Mexican war was Just ended a few |
months before. The treaty of Guada- |
lupe Hidalgo gave California to the |
United States. The California so ceded |
included the present State Of that name,
Nevada, and most Of Utah. 1t was an
empire larger than France and England.
Divided by range Of mountains almost
as lofty as the Alps and longer than the
Carpathans, running from north to
south, the eastern half was terra incog-
nita Of barren desert buttes and mount
ain spurs, containing throughout its
whole extent but one feeble settlement
of whites, known as Mormons. I'm
known savages of the lowest aboriginal
type dominated all the rest. The west
ern half, as it then appeared, was one
great valley covered with bright flowers,
rank yerlure, clumps of majestic oaks,
wooded hills, sloping from the coast
range on the west and the Sieras on the
east, hills, plains and valleys alive with
herds Of deer, elk, antelope and cattle
and horses as wild as the game; the
charming panorama enlivened and per-
fectcd by sparkling rivers, whose waters
were as clear as the cloudless sky above
them, their banks hanked with dense
growth of ash, maple, alder, willow,
hazel cottonwood sycamore, wild grape
vines, and, toward their confluence with
the bays, waving tule of the darkest
green, resembling at first sight the great
cornhelds on the lowlands OF the Ohio.
In all this vast valley region there was
but one white settlement. 1t was known
as Suffers Fort.
II was located near the confluence Of
the Rio de los Americanos with the Sac
Famento. To the far south, beyond the
sources Of the San joaquin river, not
Atll AIblu bllt L Ot6uls HbuOu lilG
Ciudad de los Angeles" Mexican in
its construction and population. A
Catholic mission at Santa Barbara and
another at San Luis Obispo (Saint Louis,
the Bishop; another mt Monterey on
the bay Of that name another at Santa
Clara in the lovely valley Of that name ;
another called Mission de San Jose not
far from the latter, and another at the
Villnfrn Nf Vaa1,n ,s.,l, hoe cir
grown into the city Of San Francisco.
1t was then collection of adobes, built
around the public square we now call
the Plaza" The waters Of the bay
extended as far as Montgomery street,
where the Bank Exchange now stands,
and few whalers and small coastine
schooners lay at anchor 800 yards from
shore, about where the postoffice now
stands on Battery street. There were
also American settlements at Sonomf
and Napa, composed OF farmers who
emigrated from the Western States {
few years before, and here and there
arose along the borders of the tule tn,
smoke from the hut of the lonely trap
per Of beaver. These, with the rancho
Of the old Dons, their corrals and TIN
inevitable adobe dwellings,, surrounded
by nnumerable cattle and horses, mad
up the sum of what there was of civilize,
and semi-civilized life in California a
the time the two young printers of Verb
Buena were discussing their situation
NOW and then vessel put into the ba
Of Monterey, or San Francisco, or Sa
Diego, to load with hides, or whale
Tor repairs, dropping few Mexica
dollars or doubloons, which were til
currency Of the country. Ii was. to a
active or ambitious mind, dull an
llstless life; but to the majority, VIII
loved ease, healthy climate and beaut
ially-diyersifed scenery.
pleasing land of drowsy head II was,
~ dreams that fiit before the half-shut eye,
and of gay castles m the clouds that pass,
Forever flashing through Q summer sky
About the same hour that the tv
lerba Buena printers were deploriI
thelr fate of isolation from the bul
world, scene was enacting that was
nave greater effect upon the materi
interests OF modern society than a.
event since the discovery of Americ
II was on the 10th day Of january, 184
On the south fork of the American rive
nity-four miles east of Suffers Fo
Early ~ IN the morning of that day, Jam
". Marshall, who was building M
ior himself and Sutter, from which tn
expected to supply the ranches and s.
Elements with pine lumber, picked
lrom the bedrocks of tine race of the N
"smaiiplece of yellow metal. 1t weigh