Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-05-14
BROWN GOLD
BY r.. S.

Note eve wish the reader to
know that the term Brown Gold"
means California Crude oil.)
When Jud Elwood awoke one
morning in his cabin, located near
Bakersfield in the State of California,
and decided to go on rabbit hunt,
"by his 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 mind simply hunting for rab-
bits, not minerals.
To quote Jud, as he gave the &c
count Of his find to the writer, he on
that morning left his cabin accom-
panied by his gun and Dogs and
Jud, by the way, was always fond Of
dogs and had few that were as good
as any In Kern County; and Jud
knows a good dog, too, and why not?
His old home, Bakersfield, is the
Mecca to which ell really good ones
make an annual pilgrimage to attend
the great National Tryout. Well, to
GOnllnu0 Juu SlOAys hS bluANOu Oub
in a direction to the northwest of
his cabin toward the foothills, and
after securing a good-sized bag of
cotton-tails was returning homewaTd.
when his attention was attracted in
one direction to the different hues
of the early morning mist which,
rising from the soil, gave off a color
that had the appearance OF being a
brown-colored haze, or some
thing entirely different from that
noticeable in other directions, with
the result that Elwood was sool con-
vinced OF the presence OF Brown
Gold, and the existence OF the Kern
River District today proves his de-
ductions to have been correct.
Jud had hard work at first in his
efforts to convince friends and neigh
bors as TO the Importance OF his find,
his deductions not being accepted
even by experts as being at all rea-
sonable, which brings to mind the
curious story told of the earliest dis
covery of Brown Gold in this coun-
try during the days OF Colonel Drake.
The Wise Ones at that time smiled
at the prospector 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, consequently he would not
believe II. IF you had told me that
they had found whiskey, could read
lily understand II, for we know that
whiskey Is made from corn, and II
might easily soak through the roots
Of the stalk and accumulate In the
earth but flowing Brown Gold,
never" AS a consequence, the ad-
verse opinions and criticisms 10
which Jud was subject showed
neither sympathy nor support, which
made him fully realize the old truth
that "no man Is prophet in his own
country" and the sequence in all
probability would have been that
the great body OF mineral wealth
which had been lying there dormant
for many ages would have remained
undisturhed II it we're 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 development OF
the great Kern River District. Prac-
tically, and excepting one old firm
which had pinned It's faith ON what
10 now famous as the west Side,
the district where gushers are max
ting milllOnaries nearly every day, the
brains and means which developed
the great Brown Gold district Of