Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-09-01
TELLS OF
EARLY DA US
G, VI. MEAcHAM CELEBRATES
EleHTIETH BIRTHDAY
FIRST TRIP TO COAST LASTED
SIX MONTHS
Father Of Mrs. Idah Strobrdge Was
in Van Of Gold Rush-Built
the First Protestant
Church


bungalow home surrounded with all the
modern comforts. George w. Meacham
spent his eightieth birthday last week
contrasting the comforts of his present
life with the hardships of his first jour
ney to California in the van of the great
Ntush in the gold excitement
Mr.. Meacham first came to the golden
7 1tate on a sailing vessel. landing after
Six months voyage around the Horn,
during which many hardships were ex-
perienced by the party of gold hunters,
few of whom knew anything of mining.
Mr.. Meacham was then q years of age.
and the present stately Mrs. Meacham
was winsome girl Of Is The young peo-
ole were to be marryed in the summer of
40, but Wild stories of fabulous wealth
IRE circulated in Newark, N. j., and
happy bridegroom-to-be wished MS
ftrothed to hasten the ceremony and to
len go to the gold fields. This was re-
Rsed, with the promise that when he re-
armed. If they were of the same mind.
he ceremony should be performed.
SO 1t was with the happy prospect OF
clicking up gold by the handful and
Neacham sailed January 80, 1S49. from
New York for Eldorado.
IA Half-Year Trip
Mr.. Meacham was accompanied by five
Dung men friends, who formed little
group In the large number of would-be
miners that composed the passenger list
lpf the ship. They were all brought up
yn comfortable homes and had not known
lardships, but they were given their first
hste of what was to follow in the voy-
lge that lasted nearly six months. There
Vas but one stop made, and that was at
Valparaiso
Sunday, July s, the ship sailed into the
Golden Gate and anchored at what is
now the foot of Clay street. There were
but a few adobe huts at that time in San
Francisco clustered about the Plaza.
Col. Stephens regiment was stationed
nearby, giving the little place pictur-
esque aspect.
Soon after his arrival in San Francisco
Mr.. Meacham began to look for the
promised gold, but not finding 1t in large
Jumps on the principal Streets concluded
he would have to go into the interior.
In the meantime he spent month in San
Francisco, and while there took the con-
tract for the first Protestant church built
in the northern city for the Baptist de-
nomination, Rev. o. G. Wheeler being
the pastor in charge.
One day while a group of young men
were talking the minister walked up and
asked them III any of them would take
the contract t9 build N church There
Nh an spoke ZIP and said that he would
take it, Sy7Ihreupon the minister asked
him to briflb plans and specifications the
following ally.
Had No Experience
Mr. Meacham had never handled saw
and hammer for building purposes, and
as soon as the man of the cloth had dis
appeared he asked the help of his COM
panions in his first enterprise on the Pa
cific coast In due time the building was
put up. a pretentious structure at that
time. with clapboards for the walls and a
canvas roof
party of the young men wanted to
go up the Sacramento river and build a
fiat bottomed boat, the lumber at that
time being $400 thousand. But in pre-
liminary voyage, a trip out to a large
rock in the harbor, the boat was beached
and there left Later they secured a
small boat built in the Sandwich islands,
with a Dutchman for a captain and an
other Dutchman as crew. They then
started up the river. Mr.. Meacham sleep
ing at night on the cabin with roll of
chains and cADle TOT d pliiCW- AWE Nlltt
Often they were grounded Then the
captain would take a vacation and i'm
bibe freely At these times the young
men would go ashore and prospect until
the tide ca me up when the boat would
float After a trip of five days they
landed at Sutterville and made camp.
1--WE stayed around there for while"
said Mr. Meacham, land then we heard
about the upper corral. None of us
knew what a corral was we had heard
~ barns and barn yards. but knew moth
NO Of q corral. Anyhow, we decided that
the upper corral was the place Tor us
to go.
Freight IS Cents a Pound
eve hired a Mormon teamster to take
-FOUR baggage to the upper corral. He
htook it in an OK team and charged us
Ijffteen cent pound freight Some of the
boys thought that was pretty high and
Il set about to try and make 1t as light as
possible They baked up about hrty
mounds of flour into semblance of bread
md put it into little truck, tied onto
the back of the wagon, concession
granted by the Mormon without charge.
I'm the outfit I had was six dozen trow-
els( didn't know what they would be,
Z od for but wanted to be sure and have
X6ouph When / found that the freight
xyhs going to be fifteen cents pound
decided that would discard my six doz-
en- Itrowels and threw them down beside
the tent A man came up and asked me
what would take for them. | said
didn't know exactly. He offered me IS
apiece for them. 1 was afraid to take
him up too suddenly for fear he would
60 back on such grand offer, and said
that / would ask my partner, who was in
the tent. The tent was empty, but In |
went and held a conversation and finally
come out and said we would accept the
proposition. He weighed out the gold
dust for what considered a remarkable
chance to dispose of my extra and worth
less baggage. Later I found that trow-
els were the most valuable things for
digging for gold and that at that time
they were worth one and half ounces of
gold An ounce of gold was worth SIG.
SO I concluded that didn't make very
sharp bargain,
Swan Streams
1--WE started for the upper corral with
ls--,r Mormon driver When we came to
rivers we had to swim, and the lit
-. wagon of bread did too The water
~ the dust that followed in the drive
Nile not the most acceptable accessories
bur store of bread.
L. ~.r.4 an twnrx. r...sA