Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-02
HE FOUND GOLD.
Leonard Chase, Now in Bangor, an
Original "Forty- Miner"

| Leonard Chase of Carmel, or more
| rightly Damascus, celebrated his SSth
birthday, Saturday, at the home of his
son. DIR. Arthur L. Chase, So Fourth
street. Bangor. Mr.. Chase is remark
able old man in many ways and during
| his long life has seen far more of the
world than falls to the lot of the Ordi-
nary person. Born in StetsOn in 1916.
he moved with his parents to Carmel
when quite young and with the excep-
| ton of 10 years of his life, from the
| time he was II till he was 36 years OLD,
he has lived in Damascus or Carmel
ever since.
| When Mr.. Chase was 81 years of aga
| he started out to seek his fortune in
| the good d-fa shioned way. Going on
| foot he made for the West and eventu-
ally arrived at the gold fields of Cali
| fOrna where he lived for number of
years.
Leaving Carmel he started due west.
His idea was to take his time and work
| by The way as he had little money when
| he started. He walked through Maine
| doing odd jobs here and there. He in
quired his way towards the great West
| as lie went and thinking it shorter took
| the White Mountains and New Hamp-
shire Vermont and New York to Buffa-
10 where he obtained his first lift, on a
steamboat.
Rochester then was half the size of
Bangor. while Buffalo was Il big city
reputel to have $4,000 inhabitants. Mr..
Chase finally brought up in South
Bend, Ind. which then contained 1900
p.ca ,,.n. 4
his hand at work on the boats on the
Mississippi at burning charcoal and
other labor.
In Indiana Mr.. Chase invested some
money in lands but as the climate
didn't agree with him he sold his prop
eity ut good profit and with William
D. Wilson of South Bend bought two
Oxt"amS. one with two and the other
III oxen, and started West.
This was in 1917 when Mr.. Chase was
81 years old. ten years after his leaving
home. Nothing had then been heard
| of gold in California as it had not been
discovered. 1t was September when
Mr.. Chase and his partner started but
they made st. Joseph. Mo-, by cold
| weather and stopped until spring. They
started again April -, AS. taking the
| same oxen which they had turned
loose on the prairie in the fall and
which they easily found the next
spring.
At st. Joseph the party increased
| from two to 80 people, all going west.
There We're seven or eight families in
the PARTY. At Wolf creek. Kansas.
| then in Indian Territory. the party
VStn tn fnr no ri
across the plains. A certain number
| drove while others We're detailed for a
| guard and the company divided up so
as TO make things as safe as possible.
1t was queer thing" said Mr..
Chase. mo one then had an idea of any
gold being in California. yet the
Indians had rumOrs of it and told us
about it when we were 900 miles from
the place Of discovery. We didn't pay
the least attention to them but it was
strange how that news travelled SO far
in such n short time
The party had hard time in climb
ing the Sierra Nevada mountains but
easily walked through the southwest
pass or gap in the Rockies. Indians
were thick on the plains but the party
was never molested us the savages then
We're armed with nothing but bows and
arrows and other primitive weapons.
| The party reached Shooters Fort,
California. August 10. 1S4S. and the men
started right in there to dig gold. The
members of the party who had come so
many miles across the plains together
soon separated and some went north to
Washington and Oregon.
For four years Mr.. Chase prospected
with pick and shovel in California.
Sometimes he was in the mountains
and at times near civilization.
Yes. l had fair luck" said he. 81
didn't strike any big finds the way
some men did but / made five. six.
seven and sometimes ten dollars a day.
1t cost us 81 n pound for all the food we
ate. however.
In 1852 Mr.. Chase came back to
Maine by the way of Panama. He set
tied in Damascus of Carmel and
married Miss Sarah Robertson of that
place who is also visiting DR.. Chase in
Bangor. They have four children, all
residents of Maine, Dr. Chase of
| Bangor, and John and George Chase