The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-11-17
The GOLDEN AGE.
Story Of the Discovery Of Gold in
California.

CallIOfnla.
1T was in the month of January, 1St9,
in small shanty in the rather squalid
little hamlet of Ycrba Buena, on the Bay
Of San Francisco, that two young men
from the States, having just printed on
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 whcro
society and money We're So scarce. They
were Americans, but the land Of their
birth was as remote to them then rs ST.
Petersburg to Il peasant Of the Amoor
valley. They longcd to return, but
never expected to be rich enough. The
Mexican war WAS just ended n few
months before. The treaty Of Guada-
lupo llidalgo gave California to the
United States. The California 50 coded
included the present State Of that name,
Nevada, and most Of Utah. 1t was an
empire larger than France and England.
Divided by a range of mountains almost
rs lofty MS the Alp and longer than the
CHpathims, running from north to
south, the eastern half was terra incOg-
nita of barren desert buttcs and mount
ain spurs, containing throughout its
whole extent but one feeble settlement
OF whites, known us Mormons. I'm
known sayages Of the lowest aboriginal
type dominated all the rest. The west
em half, as it then appeared, was one
great valley covered with bright flowers,
rank verdlrc, clumps Of majestic oaks,
wooded hills, sloping from the coast
range on the west and the SicrTas 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 cnliycncd and Per-
fcctcd by sparkling rivers, whose waters
were as clear as the cloudlcss sky above
them, their banks nankcd with dense
growth of ash, maple, alder, willow,
hazel, cottonwood, sycamore, wild grape
vines, and, toward their confluence with
the bays, waving tulc of the darkest
green, resembling at first sight the great
cornfclds on the lowlands Of the Ohio.
In all this vast valley region there was
but one white settlement. 1t was known
as Suffers Fort.
1t was located near the confluence of
the Rio de los Americaros with the Sac
ramcnto. To the far south, beyond the
sources of the San Joaquin river, not
far from the Pacific ocean, stood the
"Ciudad dc los Angeles" Mexican i'll
its construction and population. \
Catholic mission at Santa Barbara and
another at San Luis Obispo (;'aint Louis,
the Bishop; another Mt Monterey on
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 at the
village of YerbN Buona, which has since
grown into the city Of San Francisco.
1t was then collection of adobcs, built
around the public square we now call
"the Plaza" The waters Of the bay
extended us far as Montgomery street,
where the Bank Exchange now stands,
and few whalers and small coasting
schooncrs lay at anchor 300 yards from
shore, about where the postoilice now
stands ON Battery street. There were
also American settlements at SOnOm3
and Napa, composed OF farmers who
emigrated from the Western States a
few years before, and here and there
arose along the borders Of the tuIe the
smoke from the hut Of the lonely trap
per of beaver. These, with the ranches
of the old Dons, their CorralS and the
inevitable adobe dwellings, surrounded
by innumcrablc cattle and horses made
M the sum of what there was Of civilized
and scmi-ciyiizcd life in California at
the time the two young printers OF lcrba
Bucna were discussing their situation.
Now and then vessel put into the bay
of Monterey, or San Francisco, or san
Diego, to load with hides, or n wllalcr
for repairs, dropping II few MrZican
dollars or doubloons, which were the
currency of the country. 1t was, to an
active or ambitious mind, a dull and
listless life; but to the majority, who
loved ease, healthy climate and bcauti-
fully-divcrsiticd scenery.
PLEASING land of droWay head it was,
Of dreams that fit before the ht.i-slmt eye,
And of gav ca. ties in the clouds that pass,
Forever flashing through Il summer sky
About the same hour that the two
Yerba Buena printers were dcpiorlh3
their fate OF isolation from the busy
world, scene was cnacting that was 10
have IA greater effect upon the material
interests of modern society than any
event since the discovery OF America.
II was on the 18th day of January, 1918,
on the south fork of the American river,
fifty-four miles east of Suffers Fort.
Early in the morning of that day, james
W. Marshall, who was building mil
for himself and Sutter, from which they
expected to supply the ranches and set
Elements with pine lumber, picked up
from the bcdrocks of the race OF the null
a small piece of yellow metal. 1t weighed
about seventeen grains. 1t was MALE
able, heavier than silver, and i'll all re-
spects rcsembled gold About o'clock
in the evening Marshall exhibited his
find to the circle composing the mill
company laborcrs. Their names were
James W. Marshall, Z. Il. WINNER, Mrs,
WINNER, James Barger, Ira Willis, sgd
ney Willis, Alexander Stephens, James
Brown, Ezkiah Persons, Henry Bigler,
Israel Smith, William johnson, George
Evans, Charles Bennett and William
Scott. The conference resulted in the
rejection Of the idea that it was gold.
Mrs. WINNER tested it by boiling it in
strong I've. Marshall afterward tested
it with nitric acid, 1t was gold, sure