New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-12
BEFORE THE FORTT-NINERS.
DEPOSITS OF GOLD KNOWN TO TIE PRIESTS A
CENTURY OR MORE AGo-DISCOvERIES IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LONG
KEPT A SECRET

CENTURY OR MORE AGo-DIsCovERIEs IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LONG
KEPT SECRET
From The Boston Herald.
The discovery OF gold In California has recently
called forth good deal Of discussion and also mn rs
pre- .idenl of the Society Of California Pioneers.
Gap,an rhSme before h" took up his .@onn
and l. very much Interested In the early history OF the
He SAYS: am perfectly satisfied that the presence
OF gold IN hai region known TO the priests In me
V earliest Tina The priests vino w"rs hs ih It
gained wonderful influence over the native Indians:
sd sa aa HoGS s s s%" s THOUSANDS Sands Of
acres In extent. These herds the indians tended aud
i W hereSTe the pole, Of the pr s s T." keep
cal trade which enabled him TO utilize the labor OF his
Near san Bcrnardino there are still remains OF an sqc
duct that brought the water for ten miles through The
HIS so that II would spout up In public courtyard.
and supplied the people OF the town. That adlieduct
made OF small stones laid IN cement that is TO.
day as hard as Grani'e-hardrr than any cement tna'
The priests brought with them from spnln srape,
vines ana orang trees. and they sought 10 bring peace
and plcnt, to The land They were wis. long.
beaded men and must have h"ow o. r on %
spanish people They reasoned that II the presence 81
the yellow metal shonld become known In spain hordrs
OF greedy adventures wonld rush In. robbng killing
and ru,lshing: their peaceful relations with the In
dians would be broken or the great herds would he
scattered. and the supremacy OF the priest, Themselves
would be lost
This supremacy was at 1t, highes, in 1865. when
missions was extended northward. Jhnipcro sera was
priest president Of all the missions In California ana
was Intelligent, pcrscvcring cntcrprisng man.
lie not only instrumental ~ founding mission after
mission. but he added 10 the herds thousands Of sheep
and cattle.
have been six times TO California. and have talked
With priests OF all naonaliucs. Mexican spanish lrsn
and American. and am confident from what they say
that Junipcro Sera knew about the gold but H. was
singular character and ralei With hand Of steel 10
had the history OF Peru and otter countries In his MIND
aud he knew that an infnx OF god hunters mean, YER
plans; ,.,., 49,. -. o., .,..on.-,.. w.,. N
leia. when the whole world was turned topsy,'nrvy
with the astonishing news myself was In CaIiornls
positively say that gold known there then; ior
have seen i, In Monterey. On sundays the Indian.
would come into naked except for cloth around
their middcS. and exchange little pinch OF gold Tor
drink OF aguardientc or native rum. NO one knew
wre sg soar nS worth sq o OF the preons dust This
was an old custom for NJ Mission Carmel interviews
when he was a boy gold found in the mountains
and rivers round about. and the natives would WASH
Which P CSrIsilan indians were Forbidden to do lie
thought that there was sun gold In the mountains b'
"In Is4i Andre Castlllcro. The same person who
oterwarl discovered the wAlma1cl quicksilver mine
gcles to Monterey found near ihe santa lara hivrr
a great number Of water worn pebble. WHICH he g",,.
there q" Exhibited them. sai. ,h"v were peculiar species
Of iron pyrics. and declared that according 10 Mem
llhood Of gold being also found. A ranchcro named
Francisco Lopez. who was living on The l1r' Srrsn,
Of re time to be at Santa Barbara heard Castlllcros
statement and examined bis specimens som. mon.ns ,
for sraycd cattle. AZ noon when he dlsrnountcd from
his for the purpose Of resting. b. observed few
them up. and In so doing noticed tho same kind Of
pebbles those TO which Cn.tillero had called his NJ
tontIon Remembering what Casiillero had said about
hem he took up handful Of carta and upon care
ny examining It, discovered gold The news OF the
omlo about thirtyavc miles northeast Of Los Angeles
soon spread. In few wc,ls great many persons ns
were engaged In washing and wiinowng IN" snhds ana
The aurifcrous fields were found to extend from
miles from It's mouth all the country drained by
lis upper waters. and thence ens'cry TO Mt San Der
"On May H. 1s43 Alvarado wrote TO the prefcct OF
the district reprong him for NO, a%ynS S gVt t Sr
and forward nm account Of n circumstances Of inter
csi relating the gold for transmission to IT," supreme
From that time to the present day there has been
v~rv great richness have been fonnd and none 10 com
pare with those afterwnrd mlscoverrd on The trio"
tnr,es az thc sacramento and San joaquin
vos The most important establishment In The whole
Taa Formerly r T lived in been madc
master mason n The Wa,ncsn osS% OF o RoNsrn
store ana commenced trading. Being very success
. he marrIer IN $50 to , MISS San nna ,hs
grcate.t beauty in California Sh" was fifteen AMI ne
was forty. - 49,, -,,A an,
Don Abel s,carns rapd'v increased his wealth an.
whom the Indians began 10 bring I'm gold Ii" hOign, arc
accumulated IT, In 1871 h" shipped THIS GOA w
PHILADELPHIA ami that the first shipment ever
made from California 20 the States. The eoin va
sent by Don Alfredo Robinson. snpcrcargo. VINO nhu
sr,cl, CaIorni, ~ 1sos Robinson came east bv M
way Of Vcrq Cruz and delivered TO the mnt over
81 600 worth ~ tho goH colleried bv Mr. storm
vh'ch was remarkable for It's Durifv. I'll" cer'lhclr
NJ that deposit the mint ~ $40 is held as DTccio"
document IN the Pioneers Hall In san Francisco.
.R. gold rad been shipped 20 oth"r poris hector.
iha, time for the rccoris ~ the N"rter"v 'ns",
Uopse show that bcw ccn 1894 and 1aA6 over Tjooo
In woshod cold or gold dust. eyporici 70 var'on
potts ~ III" worll . - ,. >.
~ f. vnrv evident 20 me th"t god was Known ~
,he n-,csthooi before 1901 hut serf secret ,in
~ late rs 1894. Ia prevent the swarm'ng OF ad'e"
turers. - ,,,,,o, f.,
northern C'IlfornI,. tho sarramenfo am lm.
,vers ond thn huiit the country thr""e
Vow Enr,"r ~ c~'rrprs". ard MAJ" California one "
Tho mr. ncpaI -i1'es o. the Union