Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-09-14
MINES PROVE MAGNET
JOHN EMBREE TELLS OF EARLY
DAY DISCOVERIES.
Provisional Legislature Unable to
Hold Session Because Members
Sought Glittering Metal.

which are worthy of reproduction:
"My full name is John Boyle En-
bree and was born on my fathers
donation land claim, three miles east
of Dallas, on October II, 1847," said
Mr.. Embree recently at his home in
Dallas. "The first thing ! remember
distinctly was picking up large eight
sided yellow coin, a 50-dollar gold
slug. George Evans had dropped it
on the hearth in front Of our fire.
place and to my great sorrow l had
to give it up. I walked for the first
time on the day my father started for
the California mines in the spring of
1849.
"He went by ship and came back
by ship in the fall of 1849. They ex-
pected to come from San Francisco
within a week but were AZ days on<he
way. They were put on short rations
and allowed one sea biscuit day.
The old whaler they were aboard
drifted before the storm far to the
north and when the captain last put
in to what he supposed was the mouth
Of the Columbia he found he had en-
tered Shoalwater bay. Mark Ford, a
man named Stevens, my father and
two other men decided to go ashore
and make their way back to William
ette valley overland, as they had had
all of the sea they wanted. Father
was so sick when the rowboat started
ashore he couldn't go. Ford, Stevens
and the two other men prepared to go,
but when one of the men saw how
choppy the waves were he backed out,
so Ford, Stevens and the other man
went. They had $4,000 in gold dust
with them. When their boat tipped
over all three Of the men and the gold
dust went to the bottom. The men
washed ashore but the gold dust did
not. Yes, the men were all drowned
"My father used to enjoy telling
about his experiences in California in
1849. I lived with father till his
death at "a years of age. When /
came to Dallas there were only three
houses here. They were the log cab
ins Of Solomon Shelton, Isaac Levens
and Mark Shelton. Sol Tetherow had
a cabin near by but not in the pres
ent city limits of Dallas. Today
there are $50 residences within the
city limits"
In talking with many of the Ore
gon pioneers who went to the Cali
fornia gold fields in the fall of '48 or
the spring of '49 L have been struck
with the effect the discovery of gold
in California had upon Oregon.
Captain Newell in command of the
schooner Honolulu put into the mouth
of the Columbia on July 81, 1848. AZ
ter purchasing every available pick,
shovel and milk pan to be had and
after loading his vessel with bacon,
-four and produce at the prevailing
low prices he told of the discovery of
gold at Suffers mill by J. W. Mar
shall, who had come to Oregon in 1874
and gone down to California in 1876.
The following year he had been join
ed by Captain Charles Bennett and
Stephen Stats of the Willamette val
ley and both of these men were at
Suffers mill when Marshall. had
found the gold in the mill race. The
news brought by Captain Newell was
doubted, but when the brig Henry
from San Francisco came in a week
or 10 days later its captain confirmed
the report.
Within the next 60 days nearly all
the male population of Oregon was on
its way to the mines or preparing to
go as soon as possible. In Salem
there were only five grown men left.
The wheat was left unharvested or
turned over to the women to be cared
for. The Oregon Spectator suspended
for want Of compositors to set the
type.
When the provisional legislature
met in the fall of 1S4S it was found
that of the % members elected all
but nine had gone to the gold dig
rings. The members-elect we're: A.
+. Lovejoy, G.. L. Curry, J. L. Shook,
Samuel R. Thurston, Peter H. Bur-
nett, Ralph Wilcox, Albert Gains,
Robert Newell, W. J. Bailey, William
Porter, A. J. Herbree. William Mar
in, L. A. Rice, J. W. Nesmith, C.
Russell. H Linville, Anderson Cox,
i. ]. Peterson, L. L. Smith, A. H. N
Thompson and A. L. Lewis. The few "
Members still in Oregon met and ad- @
ourned till February, 1S49, so new H
men could be elected to fill the va G.
ancies. d
Prior to the gold discovery the ar b
ival of ship at Portland was a
Iotable event, but now the wharves en-
we're crowded with vessels coming at
rom the Golden Gate to secure pro- at
uce and supplies. In place of hav- to
ng no market for their bacon, but VI
er, wheat and eggs the Oregon farm SC
T could sell all he could raise at to
ancy prices. Lumber became a valu- Pt
Bile commodity. Instead of a vessel an
month of less to come up the Will br
amette a feet of brigs, barks and sh
chooners piled between Portland and an
be Golden Gate. Ambng the vessels IN
ngaged in the freight or passenger 81
usiness to Portland in 1S49 we're: ad
he Toulon, the Henry, the Undine, vi
ne Spanish bark Joven Guipuzcoana. go
he Malek Adhel. the L 'Etoile du Ma NJ
n. the Silvie de Grasse. Starting. lel