The morning call., 1891-06-28
THE STORY OF
A DEAD City.
Once FnH Of Life and Business, Now
Deserted and in Ruins.
The Metropolis That. Rose in a Day, but Along
Whose Streets the Wolf Now Prowls and
Wild Life Has It's Haunts.

The city Of Meadow Lake was once known
to everybody. To all, however, it is now a
mere memory, this deserted city up in the
Businesses OF Sierra County, but a recent
visitor 10 its mOSS-grown streets has written
in the Sierrayille Mirror a description of the
place that will be of interest to many.
Meadow Lake was originally a sink-hOlP
about seventy-fye 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. " bile
building this dam the woTkmen discovered
that much of the rock contained deposits OF
pure galeBs, and thinking they had "struek
it rich, were not slow in making the dis
coyery known. About TIE same time Harry
Hartly, while trapping. discovered what was
afterward known as the Excelsior mine. la
the year 1865
THE EXCITEMENT COMMENCED,
And every other man met was going TO
Summit City. as it was then called. Snow
was shoyeled off the ground as soOn as pFae-
tieable and the work Of building was COM
menced. In a few months city arose. and
every available 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 builI,
besides several restaurants, churches and
theater followed. A two-story stone store
was erected by Smith Perkins. The Odd
Fellows met in hail Of their own. A.fur-
niture factory was established.
AT this time the population OF the town
had reached about 1900, and was rapidly in
creasing. QaartZ-mllls were in operation.
and blasts were going off in thirty or forty
tunnels and shafts all the time, making Il
constant roar. Several small mining coaI-
panies were obliged to give up the fight
not a cent had been taken out and thousands
put in. Still no one was discouraged, and
to all doubling ears was sounded: Excel
sior; wait TIL the Excelsior cleans up," and
nothing more was heard from morning till
night but the booming Of blasts and the
cries Of 'ExeelsiOrl Hurrah for the Excel
siOTP' At this mine the stamps were crush
ing ore all day, all night, and every day in
the week, grunting. groanlng to work out
the precious metal.
The road winds around the lake, the
ruins of houses become more frequent
until you emerge from the Der aud
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 a harsh
metallic ring. Near the center Of the town
stands tall flagstaff. bent with storm and
winds. Sign-pOles were still standing in
front of many of the buildings and open
doors reveal the contents or emptiness OF
them. On every hand lay ruins or hundreds
of frame buildings, with here and there
whole blocks of buildings which have been
destroyed by fire.
very large building, built ON a granite
rock, and seeming to be in a. condition that
will stand many more severe snowfalts, at
tracts the eye. 1t was known In the days
of its erection as Jeffrys' livery stable.
Three stories high, with the stable on the
second floor, containing twenty stalls, IL is
larger than any building Of the kind in this
valley at the present time. At the back OF
each stall is a beautifully carved and turned
post, which still retains it's beauty and SYM
metry, as on the day it was placed in posi-
ton. Every detail shows that no expense
was spared.
few yards from this building is mass
of quaTried stone on which a number of iron
doors and shutters lie in endless confusion.
This is all that remains of the stone store OF
Smith 81 Perkins Houses without window
pane broken gave hint that the hunter ana
small boy do not inhabit this locality. On a
hill overlooking the town stand three
houses comparatively IN good condition. The
central one is highly ornameated-indeed
it may be called gaudy. This house was
purchased some twenty years ago for S25
However, it proved poor investment I'm
der the floor of an old Shanty we discovered
a tank about half full of quicksilver left
there by some miner who was in too much
Of hurry to leave town to take it with him.
A careful count revealed the fact that
forty-three houses were standing 1t is
pitiful sight, this city on which millions OF
dollars were expended.
The Excelsior cleaned up, and the news
was carried to the waiting, anxious crowd
that the run was unsuccessful aud that the
attempt would not be repeated. In an al
most unbelievably short time the town was
deserted almost panic resulted Houses
were left with the contents exposed Co the
storms of an approaching winter; stores
with their shelves packed with merchandise
remained undiSturbed until later, when they
were robbed and burned by enterpriSing
ciiiZnnS of neigh boring lncalitfas