The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-11-07
The Original Discovery of Gsldis Ca,
fornia

1t was IN AivarAdo's time, ana about
March, 1872, that gold was first diseov.
cred in Ats, California. 1t is true
thst among the various reports OF
Drahe's voyage there Is one which, In
speaking of his landing at New Al
bion In l57S, says that "there is no part
OF earth 10 ba here taken up wherein
there Is NOT a reasonable quantity Of
gold and silver.' But il seems proba-
bis that this statement WAS an inter-
polstion. Whether 10 or not, 1t is very
certain that Drake saw Meth
or gold nor silver on the
coast. There is no pretense
cumstantiai usrraiive, entitled" World
Eucompsssed," by his chaplain, Fran
Gle Fletcher, who Woa!d Eardly have
| omitted q matter of 80 much import
amos, IL known; nor Ia there any ref
| erence to gold or silver in any of the
| narratives OF tho sailors appended to
and published with the "World En-
com sassed." For these reasons, and
on account also of the very Eensrai in
&etiuite aud interj ect;onal character of
the abatement itself, IL must DO ro-
jecced az fabrication, IL IL further
true that there were reports that Cap.
| tain Jedediah =. Smith, the first
| American who arrived in California
overland, found gold in Tbs Sierra Me-
lvsda mountains about Tao year 1926;
but his discovery, II it were true, took
place on the Eastern sldo OF th0 Sierra
and not within what Is now known as
California. But in 1911, Andres Gas-
tillero, the sam, person VINO nttor.
wards discovered tho New Aim sdon
'Iquicksilyor mine ia Santa Clara couu-
w, while travelling from Los Ange ~
to Monterey, found near Santa Clara
river number OF worn-out pebbles,
which no gathered up and carried
with him 70 SAnts Barbara. He there
exhibited hem, said they wore pa
cuiiAr species at iron pyriteS, aud de-
clsred tina, according TO Mexican mi.
ners, wherever they we're found there
Was n likelihood Of gold being alsc
found. A rAnehero named Francisco
Lopez, Wan living on Piru
creek, a brsnoh of the Santi
clara river, but happened at the time
10 b. 81 Santa Barbara, heard Castil'
lero'a statement and examined his
specimens. Some months aiterWsrd
having o,urnad home, he went out OF
5 searph for eJrayed cattle. At noon
whBu hD olsmounted from hts hors,
for tho purpose of resting, hs observed
: iow Wild onions growing near Whsr,
he lay. He pulled them no, and ii
doing so noticed the Same kind OF pab
bea a. thpss to which Castillero Geu
calico hiS attention.. RemeRberiuI
whsg CAstiilers hal said ahouG them
no tooI no q haudut Of e1rth, enc
upon carefully examining it, discov
erso gold
The news Of the discovery, tho exec,
location OF which WAS a place calico
San Fcsncisquito, about 35 miles north
esat OF Los Angeles, sOOn sprsad, anC
in g tow weeks y great many persons
were engaged in washing and win
moving tho sand and earth ain sesrch
OF gold. The auriferous tieids were
found to extend iron & point on the
Santa Clara river about Is or 20 miles
above its mouth, over all tho country
drained by its upper waters, and
thence easterly to Mount San Der.
nsrdino. On May IA, 1912, Alvarado
wrote 10 the project OF the district
borrowing hiM for not having given
official notice of the discovery, and di-
rocting him to gather and forward an
account OF all circumstances OF inter
est relating 10 the gold Tor TRANSMITS
sion to The supreme government
From that time TO this day, there hai
been more or leps working of theat
mines; but no places OF very gree
richness have been found, and uone tt
compare with those afterward
discovered on the tributaries o
the Sacramento and San joaquin,
Taxing tho whole country to.
gether. however, from the
Santa Clara river to Mount San Der
Dardino, q very considerable quantity
OF gold hss been extracted. During
the rirst year, though the methods oil
working we're exceedingly rude, 1t is
said that lopez and partner named
Charles Barec, with oompsuy of
sonoiieDs, took ouJ about $4,000. III
November, 1912, package Of about Is
ounces WAS Gent by Abel Stearns 80 the
United States mint at Philadelphia,
aud upon assay lb was found TO ba
worth G little over S3i4.-[Overland
MONTHLY,