The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-01-27

which they made that day had profoundly af-
fected the social. political and economic history
Of the whole United States. For January "a,
1S4S was the real beginning Of the olden days,
the golden days the days Of 49," the beginning
of the first great gold rush in America, the be-
ginning Of an epic migration which has few
parallels in history
Paradoxical as Il may sound, the Days OF 49'
IN reality began in 1S4S. But considering the
term in its brcadest Interpretation, the title Of
THE First of the FOrty-Niners' may justly be
applied TO three men-JOhann August Suffer.
James Wilson Marshall and Sam Brannan. Con-
sdering the Importance of the movement which
they launched, they should have come to the end
Of their careers full of years and hOnOrs." But
Fate played grim joke on this trio, and the end
of all three was almost literal proof of the old
Spanish proverb that HE who finds gold will
die in the almsnolse."
Let US consider their careers in the order of
their appearance on the stage of this romantic
drama. First Johann August Suffer, the Swiss
adventurer wno had emigrated to America in
1884
Settling near st. Louis, Suffer became farm
er for a time, then removed to Westport the
eastern terminus Of the Santa Fe trail, where
he ran a store which did large business with
the wagon trains which fitted out there
for the Santa Fe trade Then he heard the call
companied by single companion, he set out in
1888 and went first to Oregon. Later he de-
Ecended the Columbia to Fort Vancouver and
from there sailed to the Sandwich islands where
he purchased vessel and went to Sitka, Alaska.
After disposing of his cargo to good advantage
he coasted south and in July, 1889, was stranded
in the Bay Of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco).
After making journey into the interior, where
he was much impressed with the possibilities Of
he ho conceived the scheme of found
ing a colony in the Sacramento valley. Cali
fornia was then owned by Mexico and Monterey
was the capital.
Fastening there Suffer laid his plan before
Gov Juan AIvaredo. He would establish cor
don of outposts and check the incursons Of hos
tile Indians from the north, he would gather
the peaceful Indians of California together and
give them employment and he would bring Kan
akas from the Sandwich islands also TO work
for him. So impressed Alvaredo with SUIT
ters scheme that he gave him grant of eleven
square leagues. So in 1S41 Suffer established
his colony which he named New Helvetia or
New Switzerland. There he built fort, 500 feet
long and 200 feet wide and within its walls,
five feet thick and twelve feet high, were a
store, tannery, a grist mill, smithy and
distillery.
Within few years Suffer had wrought mar
velous transformation in the raw country.
were DullI over lHc slIedHls, EOdus
marked out, marshes drained, wells and bitches
dug, and many other improvements made The
Mexican government had appointed him COVER
nor of northern California and he reigned in
New Helyetia in feudal splendor over nearly
100000 acres (for Suffer had been very generous
with himself in surveying his "eleven square
leagues'0 Of land tended by several hundred
white, Kanaka and Indian retainers. In his pas
lures grazed 1900 head of cattle, 1900 sheep
900 nd r111loS ESfah IiShi
he traded from Canada TO Mexico and as far
east st. Louis. Governor Micheltorena, Al
varedO's successor, presented him with addi-
tional eleven square leagues until at the peak
of his prosperity Suffer controlled probably 250-
600 acres upon which he raised enormous
amounts of grain of various kinds.
It is at this point that James Wilson Marshall
comes into the picture. Born in New Jersey
Marshall was originally wagonmaker by trade
but he had heard the call of the West and had
been wanderer over large part of the trans
Mississippi region until finally he became an
employee of Suffer, sort of a foreman
Marshall had persuaded Suffer that it was high
time for them TO quit getting out the lumber
which they needed by hewng and whipsawing
and suggested that they build a sawmill Ac-
cordingly Suffer sent Marshall to build mill on
the American river about 40 miles above the
fort. By January, 1S4S, Marshall, working with
a crew of ten or eleven men, had put brush
dam across the river. set up the frame and dug
the mill race. The latter, however, was not deep
enough and at nights Marshall let the water run
through ii to deepen the channel.
On the historic morning of January "a he went
TO inspect the mill race and noticed some gilt
tering particles in the sand. 1t might be gold
or il might be only mica. Marshall who knew
something about the common tests for gold. sub-
1ected the particles TO these tests and as the re-
suit began TO believe that he had actually dis
covered some of the precious metal He does
not seem to have been very much excited over
IT, however. for 1t was not until two or three
days later that he made trip back to the fort
to tell Suffer. What took place then is related
in Suffers diary as follows:
A clerk was in Suffers Office when Marshau