The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1889-07-26
COLO.DiGGiNG PRiES rs.
Mines Worked by the PadreR Before the
naYs Of the IorIy.nIaers.

"a - ~
Hines Worked by the Padres Before the
Days of the Toriy'niners.
The discovery Of the old gold mines
lear the San Hernardino mission re-
,all3 the traditions the Indians tell OF
lie priests and friars who brought
civilization to California and who
rearcd the cross in its fertile valleys
and on smiling hilIsides ere the Stars
and Stripes had been borne across the
mountains. Nearly every mission has
IS legend Of hidden gold and mines
concealed by the hand Of line
For years the people about san ber-
lardino searched with never-falI-
ing hope for the treasure that ira
dition told OF, aud last week the tOilers
were rewarded, and rich veins Of gold
quartz were found. Twenty miles east
of the town a trail was discovered up
the canyon. Every cv '2M2a was there
OF Il Mexican road. up which the padres
and the poems had gone to work the
mines, and down which they hud come
loaded with the gold that had cmbcl-
iished the altars and enriched the gen.
eral church or made wealthy the God
fearing priest 1t seems strange that
the trail escaped the notice OF the
searcherS SO long Thrce-quartcr5 Of
mile from its origin canyon
branches of ut right angles and Il few
hundred yards further on the first Of
the old mines is in view. \ tunuo,
twenty feet into the mountain proves
that the padres did not spend all their
time at prayers. The moss and great
trees growing In the excavations show
the time that has elapsed since the
original possc8sor5 worked the claims.
A few blows Of the pick, disptacing tn"
moss aud fungi, have revealed Il rich
vein Of gold quartz that will make the
second owners wenlthy.
Some time ago the tunnel OF the
mine that had been worked by the
padres OF the san Luis ObispO mission
was discovered The vein EXTENDED
through the Sugar Loaf peak, in the
Santa Lucia range. A great oak barred
the mouth of the tunnel, but did not
deter the eager hunters from making
their way inside. They were rewarded
| by finding rich ore, containing sttvc'
in paying quantities.. When the scru,
Iarjzation Of the State began tn" priests
returned to Spain, carrying with them
gold worth fabulous sum.
\ Mexican woman, who is in thl
household Of u rich Spanish family oI
san Luis Obiapo, tells the story Of Il
90 ng padre who staggered under th'
weight of the bullion he was carrying
away. He called her in one day anc
mad her make a lining for his coat. II
It were quilted nuggets Of the precious
metal. At different times during tho
work of quilting the ambitious padr.
Cricd o.. the coat to try whether h,
could bear the weight. Then he stag
gered forth and walked br"YeIY On
board the ship that was 10 bear him t'
bis home.
The traditions that were told Of the
gold about tho missions OF Santa BIr"
bara, San Juan Capistran0, San Ga
briel, San Diego and San Francisco
have kept many mon busy for years
and Captain Kidls chests have no
Occn sought for with more c0g2rncs
,han are those mines and hidden treas
urcs Every one knows the story O
The mine Of the mission Of San Fran
,sco. 1t is located between the ilous
of Correction and the ocean: cXac
spot unknown.
There was good reasons for th
2fforts the priests made to comcca
their wealth. lIccdIc5s OF the ours
Of the Church Of Rome, with no re
gard for the laws Of NOUN ct tuum
the desperadOes who had been IrIvc
from civilization by the strong had o
he law sought to trke from tn" mis-
,ons what the inmates had gathorcu
by toll and sacrifice. The mission q
san Gabriel, in Los Angeles County
vas the scene Of many a bloody [oraN
It was in the midst of Il country whor
might was right and whore the strou
lid no work that would make the sam
'oturns us those that might bc take
rr,,,, tho rirh Iimr and u.r.i n WA