Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-04-07

not sleep and scarcely took time n ca,
unui the hrst crowd had embarked on
all manner of craft up the river TO what
Is now Stockton. thence across the
country to the north fork OF the Amer
can river. BY the first of June the
news OF the discovery had gone as far
Gown the coast as Monterey. The gold
aisgers at Coloma were by this time
sending out SO much gold 10 huv
provisions, tools AMI clothing that con-
Vincing evidence of the richness of
the sand bars and creek banks fol-
lowed closely upon the heels of the
news. All in Central California who
could get AVA went chasing over the
'ountry toward the American Fork.
Less than one-twelfth of the male pop-
ulation of San Francisco remained
when June had come. Whole families,
packed up and went to Coloma. On
two streets of homes and stores none
but women and children remained.
Half the stores and every public inn
were closed because both boarders and
hosts had gene to the American Fork
The village of Santa Cruz packed I'D
and started for the mines in twenty
four hours. The news of the gold
find and samples of the gold reached
Monterey late in May, and in two DAYS
every man in the village but FIVE started
for the American Fork. The village
OF San Miguel with some 500 popula-
ton, was absolutely deserted by every
human being during the first week in
June and don't believe there were
even three men in a hundred who re-
manned at home in California in the
spring and summer Of lS4S. | re-
member hearing fellow miner tell
how he had found the Jail at Mon
terey empty, the prisoners, sheriff and
all the peace officers at the mines, and
of seeing General Mason, Of the United
States Army, and a commodore OF the
United States Navy, cooking their cwn
food in deserted hotel at Monterey,
because all their servants and men
had deserted in the night aid had fol-
lowed the rush toward the American
Fork. b. July there must have been
about 5000 miners at work With shov-
els and pans along the American Fork.
and there were arrivals from more
remote localities in California every day.
Between 1000 and 5000 Californians
in that first season of gold mining,
from May to January, got fully SlO,-
100000 worth of gold.
"The first year of gold mining in
California-that is from May, lS4S
to May, 1849-was far different in
its easy, quiet way from that created
by the excited gold-hungry Fasteners,
who with the opening of the spring
and summer of 1S4e came swarIning
across the plains, over the isthmus and
around the horn. There was little or
no gambling. The miners left their
pounds of gold under their beds and
went unconcernedly miles from camp.
There were no mining laws to be con-
sidered. 1t was a perfect mining Elys-
ium.
GAS look back at those days now
it seems we were like big children 60
ing about in vast natural treasure
house, wondering how much riches
we might carry away when we were
ready but meanwhile frittering away
our time and opportunities. When
remember the whole acres of gravel
and sand, richer than anything ever
found on the Klondike, thatwe abandon
ed because we heard of better Ell Do
RADIO on another remote creek or riv-
er, it seems as if that era must have
been dream.
"The restlessness and greed to get
the very cream of the diggings kept
the greater part of us poor in spite of
the fabulous opportunities.
"The unhappiest and most pitiful
man of all the tens Of thousands of
men who washed gold up and down on
almost every creek in Central Cali
fornia was Marshall-the discoverer Of
the gold. He became a drinking, pro-
fame man when he saw how his and
Captain Suffers property was ruined
by the excited gold seekers, who eE-
tered upon it without even asking the
right. He threatened legal prosecu-
ton. His threats were but hooted and
jeered. He promised vast sums for
lawyers who would eject the thousands
of gold miners from his and Suffers
land, but no one needed his words. He
went about from camp to camp Tuning