Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-02-21
AN OVERLAND TRIP :.
" TO CALIFORNIA.
(CONTINtED.)

town. The name OF the place dld
not strike us very favorably, in
fact, it suggested something bad.
and we were anxious to know why
the town was called by such II
horrible name. We were told that
some despcradoes were hung here
by IA vigilance committee, which
was about all the law in the cOun-
try at that time, as Judge Lynch
was both judge and jury.
Early on the morning after we
reached this place | went little
way up the creek that ran thru the
town to where some men were dig
ging for gold, and after fully con.
vincing them that | was from Mis-
souri, they told me to take their
pan and dig it up full of dirt and
wash it out and see if could save
any gold. SO | dug up painful
and took it to the edge of the
creek, sat down on IA rock and |
soon tloatcd the dirt and sand ont
and found to my surprise that |
had severa pieces of gold as large
as grain of wheat. When | re-
turned to the camp we concluded
To 60 farther over in the noun
! tainS, SO we started out and passed
several mining camps, but we kept
on until we reached Gold Hill. Il
large camp not far from Coloma,
on the south fork of the American
/ River.
The whole country around this
place was IL mining camp. Soon
after we got here the boys scatter
ed, and we were soon lost to each
other.
| was not very well and as there
was little water To mine with | ar-
ceptcd an offer of 80 per month
to go with Il man of our party who
had il family, over to the south of
Weaver Creek to herd oxen. and
not long after we were located |
was taken sick with mountain fc-
yer and had it not been for the
care of these kind people | would
not be writing this story today.
While had as good rs Il mother :
care it was not like being among
friends at home. was sick al
most a month, and after | got well
all that | had TO do was to turn
the cattle out in the morning and
drive them around the mountain
and in the evening drive them in
| Between times | would take my
pony and gun and 90 out into the
shraperal thickets and shoot quail.
The California quail is IL very fine
game bird, somewhat larger than
our quail, being also darker in
color. with beautiful crest, or
plume, on the head. They often
90 in hOckS of several hundred
and are easily found, as they are
continually chipping until they are
flushed, when they fly up into the
trees; they hide among the thick
leaves and are very still.
When the shooting of quail be-
came mOnotOnOus IwOuld turn my
attention to the jack rabbits and
would soon have as many baggcd
as | could carry home, In this
way | put i'll my time until some
time in December | was sent with
an OK team TO Sacramento City
after ii supply of provisions. On
arriving there found only the
smoking ruins Of the city which
had been almost entirely destroyed
10y fire the night before. But |
found Il steamboat had just landed
and was unloading the cargo and
| fortunately got in in time to get
what wanted and started for
home. and without any mishap
arrived Just III time, as the rainy
season began, and as plenty of
water is needed, mining operations
began in earnest.
1t might interest our readers to
know how the mining of gold is
done. will state here that the
gold is scattered all over the
country, as some think at some
early date by volcanic cruptionS.
and the rich places were where the
creeks and raViucs were formed.
having, by the action of the water.
carried the dirt away and the gold
would settle to the bottom and
lodge i'll the crcviccs in the rocks:
but the rich mines were all work
ed out before we got thrrr. We had