The herald., 1897-05-16
WOMAN WHO HUNTS GOLD
Followed the Business Fifty Years
and Saved q Pretty Penny


Mary Odom, gold hunter, lives in a
little cabin on the mountain side about
mile from Auraria, the ancient mining
town Of north Georgia, whose best days
were those prior to the discovery of
gold in California in 1849 The cabin was
built by miner named Odom, and when
the excitement in California Began he
bade his wife and daughter Mary, then
girl IL years old, farewell, and started
west. His family never heard from him
again. His wife managed to support
herself. and, having some knowledge Of
gold mining, taught her daughter Mary
how to wash the golden grains from the
sand in the beds Of the mountain
streams. The two were quite successful,
and gathered a great deal Of gold dust.
When Mary was 16 years old her mother
died. That was in 1852, and the United
States mint was still in operation at
Dahlongea. Mary soon grew expert in
finding gold, and many pennyweight
did she carry to the mint. Having dis
posed of 1t she secreted invariably half
her profits in the cabin at the mouth of
the gulch above Auraria.
The war came on and the mint was
broken up, and for four years Mary
Odom had hard time of it. The Con-
federate government needed all the
money it could get, and the tithe gather
ers made frequent visits to her cabin in
search OF gold, but she was able to
keep her gold hidden. After the war
matters settled down little, and when
che was assured of the protection Of the
civil authorities she went about her
work boldly and devoted all the time
she could spare from the cultivation of
her little patch of cleared land to the
business of gold hunting.
The richest deposits had been worked
over SO much that they were not so
profitable as they had been when she
first began to wash gold in the noun
tain streams. She lived very frugally
and raiesd her own crops of corn, cab
bage and potatoes, and spun and wove
her own clothing. She has always kept
up the habit Of putting aside half her
findings whether they were large or
small. Sometimes her washings would
not amount to much during the week,
but IL she secured only so cents she
would put aside quarter and spend the
rest piecing out her wants by going into
debt. She Is now In her sixty-first year,
and she has boarded away a sock filled
with gold dust, which she has
shown to some Of her most trusted
friends, and Is worth several thousand
dollars. Still she keeps at work, and on
any fair day, when not busy about her
cabin, she may be seen tramping over
the hills In search Of gold. She will tuck
up her homespun skirt and stand knee
deep in the chill waters of the mountain
streams all day long washing the sand
and gathering up the shining particles.
1T amt so easy as it wer' forty years
ago." she said as she smoothed back hel
iron gray locks from her forehead, "but
kin make purity good livin' out'n II
yit. I've seed the day when I coulo
wash out from four to five pennyweights
a week, but hardly ever strike sich q
streak as that nowadays. 'spected par
to come home old an po' fur years a tel
he lef' fur California, but done gin ur
all hopes now. seed so many O. them DO
oil fellers come back broke down thou
nothin' to live on at thought I'd save
up part of all foun' sos to help in
out wen he come back. an that's how
come to save up my little pile. The Lort
knows hits little 'nough, in spite Q
what folks say about me bein' a ricl
oman an all sich as that."-New Yorl
iSun.