Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-09-02

Idhou cick' WHSu / was able TO De
out and around again, my physician
advised me to travel, and accordingly
I went to Sacramento, thence to
Stockton, and then out into the mines
on the Missouri bar on the MERGED
river, where 1 fell in with John Guy,
N. K. Graves, Jas. Hamilton, John
Green, Jas. Green and Jas. Baskin, all
of Galloway, and all of whom are now
dead.
"We made this bar our ~headquar-
ters, and here mined ON an extensive
scale, though we often went out pros
pecting, which vas very lucrative.
Out of 1t we made $1,000 or more
apiece, despite the fact that the In
dians-Comanches and root-diggers-
were SO hostile that it was dangerous
to venture far.
"After two years at this claim, I left
for home, bringing with me over ST.
600. 1 returned by boat, crossing the
Isthmus OF Panama. My ticket from
San Francisco to New Orleans cost
$500.
ARRIVED safely at home, I reim-
bursed my father for what he had
spent on my outfit, and invested the
remainder of my gains in land, which
has since realized about $40, 900 after
numerous losses due to the civil wal
and other causes"
T. B. Hit, president of Hardin Col
lege Board, Mexico, Mo-, says:
81 was a member of a party of 80
who left Columbia, Boone county, the
LIST of April, '49, to seek wealth In CAL
ifornia. Our transportation was in
wagons drawn by mules and it was
the 18th of July when we arrived at
Hangtown with four men less than
when we started. Their lives were
lost in the Platte river, in western
Nebraska. We had built a rough raft
for convenience in crossing and our
stock and plumber were already safely
landed on the opposite bank. The
stock showed a tendency to stray, and
In our rush to get over as soon as pos
sible too many of us crowded on the
raft and it sank about midway the
stream. Only four men were drown
ed, though a number had narrow es-
capes. l was on the raft when it went
down, and so was MIR. VIM. F. Buck
ner, OF Paris, father-in-law OF A. 8.
Houston, of this city.
81 remained at Hangtown about 10
months, when l was compelled to re-
turn home on account of my health.
l came back across Panama. I brought
with me about $4,000, but there were
15 other fellows in the crowd who did
not have more than enough to pay
their4<SSarn passage. Most of them,
however, had only remained in Cali
fornia a few months. This so, 900 was
my start in life, and since l have
amassed a considerable estate. / never
saw the day in my life that I could not
make $16 in California and sometimes
went as high as $780,"
A. j. Rodgers, of Mexico, Mo-, old
settler and father of Prosecuting At
torney r. d. Rodgers:
cit was the 18th of March, 1850,
| when a crowd of 90 of us left Fulton,
Galloway county, for California. Our
provisions and equipments yer in
wagons drawn by oxen, and most of
us rode horses. Our journey was
eventful for some four months, when
all of our horses were stolen and we
were compelled to go the remaining
two months on foot. We finally ar
rived on the 18th of August at Ringo,
and after a few days there 1 went
south to Fresno and Mariposa coun-
ties. l remained in this locality min
ing for about two years, when 1 re-
turned to Missouri by way of the 18TH
mus. / arrived home in June, '52,
with about $4,000 in my pockets"
DR.. W. M. Houston, of Mexico, NO.,
retired physician, formerly a large
practitioner, and IN active church
worker:
"About 80 of US left Paris, Monroe
county, Mo-, in March, 1850, in a pack
train of mules and horses, but before
we had gone far we broke up into
separate small companies. We made
the journey across the plains without
any remarkable incident, and about
the middle of June arrived at Sacra-
mento. From that point 1 went to
Birds Valley, a mining town on the
north fork of the American River, and
established a claim which I worked
successfully for two months. Then
took up headquarters at Ophir, and
after four months of mining there re-
turned home via Panama. Besides
my passage home, 1 had earned in
this short stay some $780,"
Other prominent men of Mexico
(Mo.) and vicinity who made the
perilous trip to California in 40 and
80 are:
r. 8. Pearson, ]. M. Coons, Frank
Coons, Joseph w. Morris, of Mexico
and Richard Byrns and Pate Morris.
of Audrain county.
These are among the few who arr
left. Most of them have passed tt
the great beyond.