Bisbee daily review., 1910-05-15
BROWN GOLD


Note: eve wish the reader TO know
that the term Brown Gold" means Call
fornia Crude OLD
When Jud Elwood awoke one morning
in his cabin, located near Bakersfield in
the state Of California, and decided to
go ON a rabbit hunt, by h lonely" he
little dreamed the result of that decision
and the subsequent trip was to lead to the
discovery of one of the greatest Brown
Gold producing districts in the world; and
naturally the thought never occurred TO
Jud, because he had in his mind simply
hunting for rabbits, not minerals.
To quote Jud as he gave the account of
his find to the writer. he on that morning
left his cabin, accompanied by his gun
and dogs; and Jud by the way, was al
ways fond of dogs and had few that
were as good as any in Kern county; and
Jud knows a good dog. too, and why not2
His old home. Bakersfield, is the Mecca to
which all really good ones make an an
nual pilgrimage to attend the great Ma
tioual Tryout. Well TO continue Jud's stO-
~. he started out IN a direction to the
northwest OF his cabin toward the foot
lis, and after securing q good sized bag
of cottontails was returning homeward.
when his attention was attracted In one di-
riection to the different hues of the early
morning mist which arising from the soil.
gave OF q color that had the appearance of
a
thing" entirely different from that not ce-
able in other directions. with the result
that Elwood was soon convinced of the
presence of Brown Gold, and the existence
Of the Kern River District today proves
his deductions to have been correct.
Jud had hard work at first in his efforts
to convince friends and ne ghbors as TO
the importance OF his find his deductions
not being accepted even by experts as be-
ing at all reasonable. which brings to
mind the curious story told of the earliest
discovery OF Brown Gold in this country
during the DAYS of Colonel Drake. The
wise ones at that tine smiled at the pros
pector, being amused at the mere idea Of
finding Brown Gold in the earth. The son
of one old farmer brought home the news
of Colonel brakes find. which to the mind
of the old man was utterly absurd, conse-
Quently he would not believe II. IF you
had told me they had found whiskey. I
could readily understand It, for we know
that whiskey is made from corn. and 1t
might easily soak through the roots of the
stock and accumulate in the earth. but flow
ing Brown Gold. never" As a conse-
quence, the adverse opinions and criticisms
to which Jud was subject showed neither
sympathy nor support. which made him
fully realize the old truth that mo man IS
a prophet in his own country" and the Sc
quence in all probability would have been
that the great body Of m neral wealth
which had been lying there dormant for
many ares would have remained undts-
turbed f il were not for the stranger
who took advantage OF the opportunity and
backed his Judgment with money. This
fact is notorious in the history Of the de-
velopmert OF the great Kern River Dis
trict. Pract' callv. and executing one old
firm which had pinned IT'S faith on what IS
now famous as the West side" the dis
trict where gushers are making million
aires nearly every day, the brains and
means which developed the great Brown