The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-13
LAST OF POKER FLAT
BUT SIX CABINS REMAIN OF TIE FA-
NOUS MINING TOWN.

Doesn't Look Much Like the Booming
Camp of Is52-The Man Who Sold His
Wife and Laid the Foundations of Large
Fortune-EviI Omen of the Snow Plant.
Half an hour of slow descent, and we
reach the head of the canyon by sharp
turn in the trail. AT last we are i'll
Poker Flat, the wild mining camp of
1852, that turned out 800, 900 in gold
bullion in single month. and then cele-
brated the event with "a triple hanging.
1t was Poker Flat, too, that experienced
a spasm Of virtue soon after the tragic
affair, and under its regenerating influ-
ence sent forth the outcast wanderers of
Bret Harte's story to die of cold and
starvation on the snowbound road to
Sandy Bar. There are no Oakhursts at
Poker Flat now, and Uncle Billy has no
counterpart in the present population,
for the very simple reason that there are
no sluice boxes to rob and no money to
win over the gaming table. OF "Mother
SYMPTOMS" however, there are several.
Our greeting was not cordial Mr..
Rugg laid it all to the snowy plants
which we had gathered and going into
mountain lore told of families that had
been separated by taking this bulb of
evil omen into the sacred precincts of |
! the home. To carry SNOW plant is to
! have bad luck. Conceal it as you will, |
! those with whom you come in contact |
! will somehow divine your secret and |
shun you accordingly. Your pay streak |
will peter out, you will never hold more |
than one small pair, the slickens men
from Marysville will catch you mapping
over a monitor, and most likely your
wife will run away with tin horn gam.
bier, who will turn out later as a con-
firmed sluice robber-all this if you
carry snow plant. So runs the folklore
Of the hills.
On the porch of one Of the six houses
that now constitute the town Of Poker
Flat large red faced woman sat in
rocking chair, smoking a clay pipe She
wore short green dress that fell an
inch or so below the tops of pair Of
strong cowhide boots, to which We're at
tached heavy brass spurs, paper collar,
cravat and faded straw hat.
Tricky covered with chaparral. with
here and there patches of wild sunfiow-
ers and lupine, interspersed with pros
pect holes, the slope presented scene
OF utter ruin Some of the graves have
wooden headboards, others are marked
by stakes, while many have nothing at
all. There are eight people in the town
and 80 sleeping in this ruined ground.
Nearly all of them were laid TO rest
without religious rites of any kind other
than the reading Of chapter from the
Bible by Charles Pond. Pond was pro-
fessional gambler, but was always Sc
lected for this service on account of his
fine voice and oratorical effect.
1.-The boys always liked Pond" said
Henry Waggoner, one Of the old settlers
Of Poker Flat. HE could read better
than any one else, and so he did the
and at times business in this
line was exceedingly lively. Twice a
year priest used to come over from
Downieville, but we could not alwavsl /!
wait for an ordained clergyman. Things
went with rush in those days, and the :
climate Of Poker Flat seemed to be con-
uuClNe 10 sudden death. -
Gold was discovered in Poker Flat in ~
1902, and two years later 1900 people 81
had gathered in this rich canyon. There Oh
were ID stores, five hotels, three dance |
nails and seven gambling houses. I'm
1900 circus came TO town and sold
l,oOO tickets at $50 each The follow 20
ng year man named Joslyn picked mn q
4 nugget worth 81, 900. To celebrate his -
good luck he got full and offered the
Nholc piece to his partner in exchange
or the latter's wife. The man accented. Z
md without the formality of divorce
proceedings Joslyn and the woman
we're married and left town. Two DAVIS II
alter he committed suicide at Gibson.
'ilIe. His former partner also left town "
md bought some land near San .Josv.
Two years ago on Aug. % he died
wealthy and respected at good old age. ~
nut 1t is doubtful if more than half n
ozen people in the world knew how the
oundation OF his fortune was laid. N
Henderson big iron safe, over which
he noted faro dealer shed his hearts p,
lood in defending his money in Sen. ii
1867, stands a ruin by the trail
ali buried in the sand, Just above the
'ittinger house. -
Poker Flat will not last long. and
'hen the pioneers have all been gather.
TO their fathers this lively and ro-
1antlc camp OF early days will be for IA
often and given over again to be n safe &c
nd sheltered feeding spot for wild deer 70
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