East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-08-14

leading toward Portland-and civill-
zation.
During all their dreary march
through the wild mountains they had
not seen human face nor found a
human habitation nor sign of white
men except within their own party
There were absolutely no signs of
| travel anywhere in the interior, and
theirs was evidently the first white
party to traverse that part of the
state.
They were disheartened, discourag-
ed, weary with toll and hardships, 800
miles from Portland, and provisions
were running short and it was the
middle of October. The cold fall rains
had already set in and the party was
depressed to the last limit.
To add to their depression, they
were absolutely lost. They knew not
where they were nor where they
would strike the emigrant trail.
First Signs of Gold.
Finally, one evening in October,
after they had encamped in a canyon
four miles from the present site of
Baker City, Henry NJ. Griffin, one of
the party, took his pan and shovel
and went into the bottom of the ra-
vine near camp and began to dig, as
much for a jest as anything else; but
after washing a few panfuls he was
overjoyed to see colors in the bottom
OF his gold pan, and shouted to his
comrades, who We're busy in camp.
At that moment the very first
known color of gold ever mined in
what is now eastern Oregon, saw the
light of day.
Gladness and joy took place of
gloom and detection in the battered
and weary company. A camp was
made and everybody mined. Gold was
found i'll considerable quantities all
along the gulch-Griffin's gulch-the
first gold mining camp in eastern Or
egon. 1t was named for Henry H.
Griffin, the discoverer.
First Mining Law.
The day following the discovered the
81 miners in the party assembled in
camp and passed the first mining law
ever in force in eastern Oregon. They
had been in California and were famil-
lar with the unwritten codes of the
mines and they agreed that Henry
Griffin the discoverer, should have
first choice by right of discovery
Then the gulch was laid off in claims
200 feet in length up and down the
gulch, the width of the claims being
from bank to bank. These claim:
were then numbered and the numbers
written upon pieces of paper and
drawn by the miners from hat, each
man taking a pledge in the beginning
to abide by the law Of the camp ant
be satisfied with the claim he drew.
Thus was laid out in the wilderness
of eastern oregon, on that bleak Oc
tober day of 1861, overlooking tn,
present site of Baker City and th
beautiful Powder river valley the flrs
organized mining district of that won
} derful region which was soon to teen
, with thousands of adventurers.
; Everybody Mined.
Within two weeks they had takel
: out 800 each in dust, by the use o
rockers and pans and then, provision
running short, four men of the party
Littlefield, Griffin, Schriver and Stat
ford, started to Walla Walla with pacl
horses for supplies for the winter, tn
remainder of the party continuing
: work in the gulch.
After innumerable hardships tn
party which went after provisions t
, Walla Walla, returned after encoun
tering much difficulty in selling tn
: gold dust taken along with them T.
buy supplies. Merchants were uncer
tain about the dust at first. Griffin
Gulch was an unknown camp. TIL
miners were strangers in Walla Walla
and no one would vouch for then
. but finally man from The Dalles VIII
was well posted on dust, pronounce
it first-class and bought it, paying TO
1t in gold coin.
After working in Griffin's gulch al
winter the miners began to branch ou
They had taken out about $500 eac
by April, 1852, and prospecting partie
were sent out in every direction fror
the gulch in the effort to locate some
thing better. f
Four miles south, in another gulcf
, George Hall and Kirkpatrick, wit
several companions, found colors !
large quantities, and the entire part
abandoned Griffin's gulch. The claim
were 200 feet in length and in widt
] from bank to bank.
BY April 20, 1852, every miner ha
abandoned Grifflns gulch and was lc