Year: 1874

leads us to cast glance into the past, and
recall, in some measure, the condition OF
our county when the news Of the gold dis
covories first turned the eyes OF the world
upon the almost unknown region Of Cali
for1ia, which was soon followed by the
presence here Of those men whose restless
energy prompted them to force a passage
across the pathless mountains of the
Trinity Range and discover the rich and
inviting field oflabor hidden within these
valleys. The first discovery Of gold at
Coloma was i1 January, 1913. In July
following, Major Pearson b. Reading,
(who had some years previously headed
hunting and trapping party which made
a successful expedition here from the
Sacramento Valley, conceived the idea
Of prospecting here for gold. With his
party, consisting mainly Of Shasta Indi-
ans, he crossed the mountains, and follow
ing down the valley of the creek which
has since borne his name, reached and
crossed the Trinity River at Readings
Bar, at which point they obtained good
prospects. They had been here but o
short time when party of Oregonans,
on their way to the mines overland, ar
rived at Readings Bar, and although
they had the whole range of the river and
its tributaries to work in, they would not
allow Reading to retain his Indian help
ers. The Oregonians had been engaged
in a constant succession of wars with
their Indian neighbors, and were rot
therefore, disposed to look with favor
able eye upon any Of the race. Or it may
have been that the gold deposit at Read
ing's Bar was more easily worked than
that Of bars adjacent and we are inclin-
cd to believe such 10 have been the case,
having heard from reliable sources that a
year or more after this occurrence, the
top earth at the upper part Of the bar
would average dollar to the bucket-full
when washed in rocker. BE that as it
may, the hostility Of the Oregonians
caused Reading and his companions to
leave to the newcomers full possession
Of tile bar, and they returned to the Val
ley after having been here only six
weeks.


1t is noticeable that in all the accounts
and traditions we have concerning the
early settlement Of this county, the Indi-
aus are represented as being peaceable
and friendly disposed. So Reading and
his companions found them on both oc-
casions, and it was not until the Oregon
ians, by bringing with them the hatred8
and animosities engendered by their years
of savage warfare, which led them to
shoot the Indians down in wanton butch
cry, that this peaceful disposition was
changed into hostile one which sought
vengeance upon all alike. 1t was only
in after years, when the spirit Of the In
dians was thoroughly broken under the
crushing defeats their warriors had re-
oeiyed, that the full extent Of the mis-
chief they had done began to be known.
in those days, when men were here To-
day and there tomorrow, living in tents,
or camping under trees in the Summer
time, the absence Of men would scarcely
be noted, unless it were those who had
formed some degree Of friendshipand in
timacy with their neighbors. Perhaps
there are lonely places Of these mount
aims which contain the answers to the
hundred of notices OF Information wan
ted" with which the papers OF this State
were at one time crowded. Such a con-
dition Of affairs, when life and property
were not safe except in the vicinity Of the
larger mining camps, could not fail to re-
tard the settlement and development Of
Of the county. Peace was made in the
Spring of 1852, after which the Indians
returned to the vicinity Of the settlements
and intermingling with the whites no fur
ther troubles were experienced.


Those who, for the first time, witness
the processes Of mining as now carried on
in this and other counties, who see the
large extent of ground which is washed
off in a single day, will be surprised to
learn that with the simple appliances Of
mining then in use, far better results
awaited the labor Of the pioneers Of this
county. But the character of the mines
was then different. The low shallow bars
and the beds of the creeks and rivers,
the channels 1f the gulches, in which the
operations of Nature had been being car
ried on for unnumbered centuries, were
the first spots in which our pioneers
sought and found the precious ore, As
this character Of mines were exhausted,
new modes Of mining were brought into
reQuisition by which the deeper channels
Of the bars were made to yield up their
stores Of treasure. The pan and the rock
er were succeeded by the tom" and
sluice, the water rights which could be
made available became valuable proper
ty, and the banks of the river were lined
with huge water-wheels-a risky species
Of property now almost unknown. 1t is
interesting SO recall the changes which
these Improvements in mining made
Yet this kind Of mining was slow work
when compared with what was effected
by the introduction of hydraulic power,
which, in its first stages was tame in com
parison with the manner in which it is
now applied. With the advent Of hy-
draulic mining the low bar diggings and
beds Of the streams were generally given
up to that curse of California-the Chi
nese, who began to settle like a swarm Of
vultures upon the county soon after In
dian hostlities ceased.


Few Of the pioneers Of Trinity yet re-