The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-22
WOMAN GOLD HUNTER.
She Has Been One Fifty Years, and
Has q Stocking Full.

ATLANTA, Ga, March 16-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 1e49. The cabin
was built by a miner named Odom,
and when the excitement in California
began he bade his wife and daughter
Mary, then a girl twelve years old.
farewell, and started West. His FAM
lily never heard from him again.
His wife managed to support herself,
and, having some knowledge of gold
mining, taught Mary how to wash the
golden grains from the sand in tn +.
beds of the mountain streams. The
two were quite successful and gath
cred great deal Of gold dust. When
Mary was sixteen years old her mother
died. That was in 1852, and the United
States mint was still IN operation at
Dahlonega. Mary soon grew expert
In finding gold, and many a penny
weight did she carry to the mint Hav-
ing disposed of it, she secreted, invar-
iably, 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 a hard time of it, The Con-
federate government needed all the
money it could get and the 1.-THE gath
erers made frequent visits to her cabin
in search of gold; but she was able t0
keep her hoard hidden. After the war
matters settled down a little and when
she was assured of the protection of
the civil authorities She went about
her work boldly and devoted all the
time that 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 raised her own crops of corn, cab
bage and potatoes, and spun and wova
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 If she secured only so cents she
would put aside a 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
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
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 year
ago." she said as she smoothed back
her iron gray locks from her forehead,
but l kin make a purity good Twin
out'n it yit. I've seed the day when |
could wash out fom four to five pen
nyweights a week, but 1 hardly ever
strike such streak as that nova
days. l 'spected pap to come homo
old an DO' fur years alter he lef' fur
California, but I done gin up all hopes
now. [ seed so many O them po' OF
fellers come back broke down 'thour
noth'n to live on. at l thought I'd save
up part of all l foun' SOS to hep i'm
out Wen he come back, an that's how
l come to save up my little pile The
Lord knows hits little 'nough, in spite
O what folks says bout my bein'
rich oman an all such as that"