The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-07-23
A DEAD CITY.
Tho History Of California Idush-
room Town.
Once the Scene of T,ustle and Busin SIS,
Eut Now Drcary and Deserted
Spot-Its Rise and

Eut Now Drcary and Deserted
spot-Its Rise and
Fall.
The city of Meadow Lake was once
known to everybody. To all, however,
it is now mere memory, this deserted
city up in the Businesses of Sierra coun-
ty, but a recent visitor to its moss
grown streets has written to the Sierra
vile Mirror description of the place
that will be of interest to many.
Meadow Lake was originally sink
hole about seventy-fve feet deep and
was about fourteen feet in diameter.
A large dam was erected below it in
1851, the water was held back and thus
the lake was formed. While building
the dam the worSmen discovered that
much of the rock contained deposits of
pure galcna, and thinking they had
"struclS it rich were not slow in maxi
ing the discovery known. About the
same time Harry Hartly, while trap
ping, discovered what was afterward
known as the Excelsior mine. In the
year 1865 the excitement commenced
and every other man met was going to
Summit City, as it was then called.
Snow was shoveled off the ground as
soon as practicable and the work of
building was commenced In few
months city arose and every .availa-
BILE foot of ground was put into play.
The streets were necessarily narrow,
and many who could not waste their
precious time building substantial
dwelling houses lived in tents. Six
hotels were built, besides several res
taurants, churches and q theater fol-
lowed A two-story. stone store was
erected by Smith 6 Perkins The odd
fellows met in hall Of their own. A
furniture factory was established.
At this time the population of the
town had reached about four thousand
and was rapidly increasing. Quartz
mills were in operation and blasts were
going off in thirty or forty tunnels and
shafts all the time, making a constant
roar. Several small mining companies
were obliged to give up the fight as not
a cent had been taken out and thou
sands put in. Still no one was dis
couraged, and to all doubling ears was
sounded: Excelsior; wait till the Ex-
celsior cleans up" and nothing more
was heard from morning till night but
the booming of blasts and the cries Of:
Excelsior! Hurrah for the EXcelsior!"'
At this mine the stamps were crushing
ore all day, all night and every day in
the week, ,grunting, groaning to work
out the precious metal.
The road winds around the lake, the
ruins of houses become more frequent
until you emerge from the timber, and
the city lies before you. As we ride
down the main street our horses step
on board or we speak and our voices
are echoed back by the old wooden
buildings with harsh, metallic ring.
| Near the center of the town stands a
tall flagstaff, bent with storm and
| winds. Sigp-poles were still standing
in front of many of the buildings, and
| open doors reveal the contents or empti-
ness of them. On every hand lay ruins
Of hundreds of frame buildings, with
here and there whole blocks Of build.
ings which have been destroyed by fire.
| A very large building, built on a
granite rock, and seeming to be in q
condition that will stand many more Sc.
we're snowfalls, attracts the eye. II
was known in the days of it's erection as
Jeffreys' livery stable. Three stories
high, with the stable on the second
floor. containing twenty stalls, it is
larger than any building of the kind ir
this valley at the present time. At the
back of each stall isa beautifully carved
and turned post, which still retains its
beauty and symmetry, as on the day il
was placed in position. Every detail
shows that no expense was spared
A few yards from the building is ,
mass of quarried stone on which a mum
Der of iron doors and shutters lie il
endless confusion. This is all that re-
mains of the stone store of Smith &
Perkins. Houses without q window
pane broken gave hint that the hunter
and small boy do not inhabit this local
ity. On hill overlooking the towr
stand three houses comparatively ir
good condition. The central one i:
highly ornamented-indeed it may bs
called gaudy. This house was pur
chased some twenty years ago fol
twenty-five dollars. However, i
proved a poor Investment. Under tho
floor of an old shanty we discovered ;
tank about half full of quicksilver, lcf
there by some miner who was in too
much of a hurry to leave town to take
it with him.
A careful count revealed the fact tha
forty-three houses were standing. 1t il
pitiful sight, this city on which mil
lions Of dollars were expended
| Tho ExoaIc;or claopod mn ,nd tb,
news was carried to the waiting, anX
ious crowd that the run was unsuccess
full and that the attempt would not bt
repeated. In an almost unbelicvablJ
short time the town was deserted; al
most panic resulted Houses were
left with the contents exposed to the
storms of an approaching winter; store.
with their shelves packed with mer
chandise remained undisturbcd unit
| later, when thew were robbed npf