Collection: Directories and Documents > Historical Clippings

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Title: Historical Clippings Book (HC-12) Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Historical Clippings Catalog #: HC-12 # of Pages: 520 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Printed or handwritten: All printed text Date Scanned: 2025-01-10 12:53:54 Scanned By: Jim Moore Scanning Equipment: CZUR Book Scanner OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.5.0 Item Sourced From: JPGs First Created: 2025-03-17 03:18:43 Last Updated: 2025-04-22 07:39:11

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 520  

was, that a great portion of the country-rock i¢ granite, and it had been hitherto. a favorite theory of Californians that gold never occurs in granite. And the theorists *: were as obstinate in their beliefs es was that old Cornishman of Grass Valley who persisted in declering "Gold never cut grass--gold never cut grass," even after they had shown him the richest ledges, studded with free gold, protruding above the surface. So it fell out that, after all those wise doctors, these surveyors, engineers, and experts had come, and seen, and gone, it was reserved for a man as little learned in the arcana of geology as Marshall was in 1848 to stumble upon the great revelation. cerade 2 _In the year 1960, one Henry Hartley, an Englishman, with a hereditary tendency to ‘consumption, and the love of bold adventure so characteristic of his nation, wandered into these savage upper solitudes of the Sierra. He came simply in pursuit of health, and to trap the gam2 which abounds here, when the snows of winter begin to prevail. That he had no thought of gold--hunting is shown by the fact that he abode here for three years, an absolute hermit, before he chanced upon any indications. Whenever not cooped up in his cabin, he trapped ard skinned the fur-bearing animals,, gliding about from one of his traps to another on his snow-shoes; and in the spring he descended into the Sacramento .Valloy with his hoard of peltries, sold them, lingered through the summer, and returned with his winter supplies to his mountain fastness upon the approach of the November snow-storms . In 1863, in the month of June, when the earth was uncovered-—-perhaps he.may never have seen it bared befure-.-he noticed several ledges about half a mile distant. from the present site of Meadow Lake. He stooped down in surprise, almost incredulous, and beating with one stone upon another he hammered several to fragments, and shelled out a number of small, bright, yellow chispas, Im tke ensuing August, he returne to: the spot in company with two acquaintances, to whom he k=d imparted his discovery, and they satis— fied themselves abundantly of the richness of the find. In September they formed a com_pany called the Excelsior Company, and staked off 2,000 feet on each of two parallel lodes, which thoy named Union No. 1 and Io, 2. Tho quartz which they found was stained on the surface a dark reddish-brown or chocolate, resulting from the decomposed pyrites with which it was highly charged, many places the disintegrated sulphuzets of the vein were resplendent with fine free gold, rich and yellow. These three meu pounced up the stones and rudely assayed them with pan and horn-spoon--until the richness of their discovery grew in their minds to a great and splendid certainty. ; : in Yet progress was slow at first, The Excelsior Company was the only one organized in 1863; then came on the long, dveary winter, during which nothing was done or attempted. In the summer of 1864 the Californie Company was organized, staked off 1,700 feet on each of four ledgce, and name2 them Valifornia, Knickerbocker, Indian Boy, and Indian Queen. But it vas not until the sumner of 18655 that the few adventurous spirits succeeded in attracting public attention to narDovado. The great wae vas over in the Hast, and men's minds felt relieved. The first im~ pulse proceedod from Virginia City, Nevada. Woncerful rumors began to reach that city of ledgos which tovered aloft in mid-air on tao sumait of the Sierra Nevada, and bloomed with golden blossoms like a cactus, Nigl+ thousand feet .bove the sea, in a region whore flowers foiled tho cyo, Mother Marti: hed tricked out the granito with yellow posies more beautiful than any over comonssed by Parisien art. : . ° The imaginations of men wee fired, The seed fell on ready soil, for the great Comstock Lode of Vivginia City, xicher than gorgeous Moxico, was then thought to be a failure; rich Movbana was far away; many~canoned Idaho was cursed with arctic cold; Humboldt, and Reose River, and Esmeralda were proved and branded frauds, Here, then, was a now and most timely outlet vo the multitude of impecunious and adventurous souls, so long cabined, eribbed, confined to worked-out diggings. Surely, good Dame Fortune had heard their prayors, and granted them this new world to conquer. C-F¥.