The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-19
OLD-TIME PROSECUTORS.
Excitement Caused by the Blue BUGKel
DiggiIgS.
Gold Hunter Who Wrote Poetry and
Recited It-What Was Discovered in
Prospect Hole.
written for THE MoBS1Ns CALL.

"Are YOU going out camping this year 2
''I went out camping last year"
'But are you going out camping this year?
l asked you"
"And l answered you that l went out
camping last year."
This is the New York City paraphrase OF
the old London colloquy about going down
to Rome for the winter at period in her
history when Rome was only Rome in name.
But for all her dissolution and malaria and
misery, this going to Rome gave US pleas
ant word and we are still roaming. although
there surely be some roads that do not al
ways lead to Rome. California has come
but slowly upon this new order Of life "a
summer residence"
For nearly 40 years she spenther summers
on the pine-topped peaks and down In the
dark tamarack gOrges prospecting for gold
And she was surely harder then; masculine,
if the term may be applied to her sex. Any
how, let US see what "a summer residence"
meant far back in the ffties.
In the first place it meant health, life,
camp, carelessness; brayiDg mules. breezy
talk, tobacco. roaring campfres and big
rousing lies by night; hard climbing and
deep prospect-holes by day. We were all
still permitted to believe we would strike it
yet" There were plenty of men far back
who believed that some day soon solid
mountains Of gold would be found and that
the precious metal would some day soon be
cheaper than iron. | knew meu in 1reka
who bought farms in that faith. They are
still unpaid Tor.
1t took nearly 40 years to get this notion
entirely out Of these old pTOspectOrs' heads.
1t at last dawned upon them. however that
all the goldheIds were found the first year
lie fiaaI lry
for the tiTeless energy Of the pioneers as
this fact. In period OF Is months they
pierced to the bottom almost every acre OF
auriferous soil In Oregon. California and
Arizona. Every peak from Canada to Mex
leo was stuck as full Of holes from base to
top as pin-cushion. OF course. there have
been a few exceptional discoveries of placer
gold since these first months. but only ex-
ceptiVe. Hope Of the great hidden treasure
became only Increased as time went by, and
only began to die out as the last few great
explorers were passing away. And 1t was
this hope that took almost every man each
summer, not camping. but prospecting"
1t is safely asserted that the men or
these old days knew California deal bet
Ter than the men of to-day know her; ig-
nOrant men though they were In many
cases, among savages, without roads or
maps, with nothing but nerve and hope.
they far surpassed Ponce de Leon or any
and all Of the old Spanish explorers. Their
theories of the growth or formation OF gold
were bold and striking They made maps
on which they laid down not only the lIY-
ing rivers but many dead ones.
] remember one map, nearly a whole win
ter in construction, that drew the Columbia
River down almost from the north pole to
the pay Of San Francisco. Forty years time
has only testified TO the intelligence of this
bold prospeetOr. For if you look at the
string Of lakes lying between Mount Shasta
and the ('nlnmbIa paGiIV that
this great river paid tribute TO California
for ages before she burst through the Ore
gOn Sierra and made short shrift to tae
ocean.
claimed, and correctly, that gold grows as
potatoes grow. Time. ages OF time of
course, as well as certain conditions, such
as quartz rock, electricity. gases, etc
but to get on with prospecting"
This last trip out that ever the writer
ventured upon was from Yreka, in search
of tue stu undiscovered Blue Bucket dig
gings. You see, Uncle Billy Vaughn. still
living at Eugene, Or, had lost a key out Of
one OF his Ox-yOke bows while the cattle |
bent down their heads in creek to drink, |
and as il foated OFF lie ia despair leaped |
out of the wagon into the water and pick
ing I'D a long bright little stone from the
bed OF the creek he inserted this in the bow |
and so saved a sulasl-up in the water Moth |
ing very remarkable about this except the |
IdCt ludb W men Ho HUltONl Jul VI tue NIuuOC
Mountains east Of Yreka he found some |
prospectors who bought the bright little !
stone and gave him half dollar for it, He |
said it was surely not worth more than that |
because where he got it he could pick up a
blue bucket full: hence the name.
1t should be mentioned here that the |
prospeetOrs who gave him plug of tobacco
after he had given them careful directions
as TO where he picked up the little bright
key were all killed by the ModOcs the day
after.
Diamond. John Diamond, after whom
Diamond Peak in Oregon is named. had
gone out only the year before us, taking
Uncle Billy with him, but was shot by the
Indians. Aud so it got to be believed that |
the Blue Bucket diggfngs was fact, with |
nothing in the world but the Indians in the
way.
Goodnessi what stampedes there were in !
those old days in Northern California; and |
all, or nearly all, are queer stories like this.