The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-04-19
IN GENERAL.
Gold in California.

has recently called forth a good deal OF
discussion, and also an especially inter
esting story from Captain w. H. Themes,
president of the Society of California
Pioneers.
Captain Thomas, before he took up his
permanent residence in Boston, spent
many years in California and is very
much interested in the early history of
the gold discoveries.
He says: 81 am perfectly satisfied that
the presence of gold in that region was
known to the priests in the very earliest
times. The priests, who were the first
pioneers, were a pastoral people. AS
missionaries they gained a wonderful in
fluence over the native Indians and
gradually flooded the country with great
herds of sheep and cattle that roamed
over ranges thousands of acres in extent.
These herds the Indians tended, and it
was therefore the policy Of the priests
to keep the Indians in subsection.
1.-THE priests brought with them from
Spain grapevines and orange trees, and
they sought to bring peace and plenty to
the new land. They were wise, long
headed men and must have known of
the existence of gold, but they also knew
the righteousness Of the Spanish people.
They reasoned that if the presence Of the
yellow metal should become known in
Spain hordes Of greedy adventures
would rush in, robbing, killing and raw
ishing Their peaceful relations with
the Indians would be broken off, the
great herds would be scattered, and the
supremacy of the priests themselves
would be lost.
This supremacy was at its highest in
1895, when from the missions at San
Diego a chain of "a missions was ex-
tended northward Junipero Sera was
priest president of all the missions in
California and was an intelligent, per
severing, enterprising man. He was not
only instrumental in founding mission
after mission, but he added to the herds
thousands of sheep and cattle.
81 have been six times to California
and have talked with priests of all ma
tionalities, Mexican, Spanish, Irish and
American, and am confident from what
they say that Junipero Sera knew about
the gold, but he was singular charac-
ter and ruled with hand of steel, SC
that gold was word that no one dared
to utter. He had the history of Peru
and other countries in his mind, and he
knew that an influx of gold hunters
meant terror and destruction and the
failure of all his great plans.
at is claimed that the first discoveries
were in 1913, when the whole world was
turned topsy turvy with the astonishing
news. l myself was in California il
1S43 and staid there for three years
and l can positively say that gold wa:
known there then, for l have seen it il
Monterey. On Sundays the Indian:
would come into town, naked except fol
cloth around their middles, and ex
change little pinch of gold for drinl
of aguardiente or native rum. No ont
knew where they got the gold, but some
times they would have several dollars
worth of the precious dust. This was al
old custom, for at Mission Carmel in
terviewed, through an interpreter, al
aged Indian. who said that when he wa!
a boy gold was found i'll the mountain
and rivers round about, and the native
would wash out painful in order to &c
tan Indians were forbidden to do. I'll
thought that there was still gold in tn
mountains, but he was so old that h
had forgotten where it was.
In 1S41 Andres Castillero the sam
person who afterward discovered tn
| New Alameda quicksilver mine in SAINT.
Clara county, while travelling from Lo
| Angeles to Monterey found near tn
Santa Clara river great number o
water worn pebbles which he gathere
up and carried with him to Santa Bar
bara He there exhibited them. SAT-
they were peculiar species of iron py
J rites, and declared that according t
Mexican miners wherever they wer
found there was likelihood of gol
being also found. A ranchero name
Francisco Lopez, who was living on tn
Piru creek, branch of the Santa Clar
river, but who happened at the time t
be at Santa Barbara, heard Castillero
statement and examined his specimens.
"Some months afterward, having IT
turned home, he went out to search fo
strayed cattle. At noon, when he dil
mounted from his horse for the purpos
of resting, he observed a few wild onion
growing near where he lay. He pulle
them up, and in so doing noticed tn
same kind of pebbles as those to whic
Castillero had called his attention. r,
membering what Castillero had sal
about them, he took up handful {
earth, and upon carefully examining
discovered gold. The news of the di
covery, at the place which was calle
San Francisquito, about 80 miles nortl
east of Los Angeles, soon spread. In
few weeks a great many persons wei
engaged in washing and winnowing IL
sands and earth in search of gold.
1.-THE auriferous fields We're found
extend from point on the Santa ClaI
river about 10 or 20 miles from its mout
over all the country drained by its u
per waters. and thence easterly to MouI
San Bernardino.
SON Nav ID 1S13 AlVaradO WROTE