Volume 023-4 - July 1969 (3 pages)

and one hipor two hips and one shoulder touching the mat. Once a man’s knee hits the mat, all holds are immediately broken and each opponent returns to his respective corner for a one minute rest, At the end of the brief period, the wrestling is resumed. Two out of three falls is necessary for a win. If there are several participants in one match, a process of elimination is undertaken with the losing opponent dropping out and the winner wrestling a new opponent, If there is more than one match, winners of each match contest each other for top honors, There is no set time limit for a match. It is automatically over when two out of three falls occur. Three judges called ‘‘sticklers’’ must be in agreement that a man falls clear. WRESTLING IN NEVADA COUNTY IN 1859 The beginning of Cornish wrestling in Nevada County was in 1859 according to Thompson and West’s ‘‘History of Nevada County, California’? published in 1880. In it, (p. 151), we find the following resume: ‘‘Dog fights, chicken fights, and more brutal still, prize fights have been frequent, being well patronized by a certain class, The sentiment of the better portion of the community is adverse to these exhibitions and they are of less frequence than of yore. Wrestling and other Cornish games are great favorites. Every year, the Cornish miners at Grass Valley have a picnic at which prizes are competed for, The first Cornish games were in the summer of 1859, on a lot in the rear of Samuel Hodges brewery, corner of Main and Church streets.” During those early years 1870'sthe annual wrestling tournaments were held on the Fourth of July, and were open only to Cornishmen., (Later, they were open to anyone interested.) The matches took place in a ring, sixty foot square, and made of boards, Two Cornish Wrestlers of the ‘twenties’? William Gribben(left) and Arthur Long, whose fast footwork thrilled spectators at Miner’s Picnics. Jackets worn were made of heavy white canvas to withstand the many trick holds and tugs during matches. The middle of the arena was covered with straw. (In later years, sawdust was used.) The covering was a light canvas, and while it perrnitted plenty of air, it also served as a protection from the hot ray’s ofthe sun. Approximately 800 seats were placed around the ring for the rousing spectators, and were filled to capacity at all times. Todd relates in ‘‘The Cornish Miner in America,’’ that ‘‘as many as forty bouts, throughout a hot afternoon and a sultry evening, might have to be contested before a final decision was 2. reached, when the champion would be rewarded with a purse of a hundred dollars in gold.’’ Any surplus energy the Cornish participants may have had at the tournament’s beginning, was certainly used up by the end of the competition, NEWSPAPER EXERPTS OF CORNISH WRESTLING EVENTS A review of file copies of the Grass Valley newspaper ‘‘The Morning Union’’ (now called The Union), reveals that the sport of Cornish wrestling was quite popular in the early twenties. A few random headlines and brief excerpts of news items pertaining to wrestling events previous to and for that period, reads as follows: wexesd August 26,1910: Cornish Wrestling will be feature by the Surface Workers Union and the Miners Union of Nevada City. ...September 6, 1910: Cornish Wrestling winners: Briggs and Ollie Phillips, «seeeee5eptember 1, 1911: Plans Complete for Big Outing Business Houses and Mines to Close for Day Many Coming from Colfax. Plans for the 3rd annual Labor Day picnic under the auspices of Surface Workers Union of this city and the Nevada City Miners 'nion to be held at Glenbrook park next Monday, are now complete and hundreds will visit the grounds to enjoy the festivities of the occasion e-eeeeesSeptember 5, 1911: Big Picnic was Great Success. There was a lively tussel for supremacy at the Cornish Wrestling tournament which provided one of the most exciting of the day’s diversions. Winners: Clarence Briggs, lst and Ed. James, 2nd. Sticklers were: W. Mutton, Tack Henwood and Abel Delbridge. +eeee--August 18, 1920: List of Labor Day events at Olympia Park is now Complete Prizes totaling $1000 offered and Contests for same will CORNISH WRESTLING CONTEST M’DONALD’S HALL ~ GRASS VALLEY JULY 4th 3:30 P.M. JACK MARTIN of Grass Valtey LUKE WILLIAMS of Butte, Montana Admission 50c Ringside 75c be spirited....september 7, 1920: Crowds throng Mine Workers Labor Day Fete. Wrestling: Joe Stevens, Ist; William Martin, 2nd and Arthur Long, 3rd. (While injuries rarely occur in cornish wrestling is was noted that A. Lindrey suffered a broken collar bone while wrestling with Arthur Long.) seseeeeeeptember 2, 1921: Entries Open for Labor Day Wrestling Bouts. Philip Oates, Secretary of the League, Receiving Entries for Participants. ‘‘With the mines closed for the day, and business suspended, everyone will have an opportunity to lay affairs of the mines, home and business aside, and visit Olympa Park and enjoy a day in the pines.’”’ ....September 6, 1921 Griggen (mispelled Scrivens) and Johns Win First Placesin Picnic Wrestling. Winners: Gribben, lst; Johns, 2nd; Adams, 3rd. ‘‘True to predictions, the big Labor Day picnic at Olympia Park yesterday, held under the auspices of the Mine Workers Protective League, drew a monster 3

and one hipor two hips and one shoulder touching the mat. Once a man’s knee hits the mat, all holds are immediately broken and each opponent returns to his respective corner for a one minute rest, At the end of the brief period, the wrestling is resumed. Two out of three falls is necessary for a win. If there are several participants in one match, a process of elimination is undertaken with the losing opponent dropping out and the winner wrestling a new opponent, If there is more than one match, winners of each match contest each other for top honors, There is no set time limit for a match. It is automatically over when two out of three falls occur. Three judges called ‘‘sticklers’’ must be in agreement that a man falls clear. WRESTLING IN NEVADA COUNTY IN 1859 The beginning of Cornish wrestling in Nevada County was in 1859 according to Thompson and West’s ‘‘History of Nevada County, California’? published in 1880. In it, (p. 151), we find the following resume: ‘‘Dog fights, chicken fights, and more brutal still, prize fights have been frequent, being well patronized by a certain class, The sentiment of the better portion of the community is adverse to these exhibitions and they are of less frequence than of yore. Wrestling and other Cornish games are great favorites. Every year, the Cornish miners at Grass Valley have a picnic at which prizes are competed for, The first Cornish games were in the summer of 1859, on a lot in the rear of Samuel Hodges brewery, corner of Main and Church streets.” During those early years 1870'sthe annual wrestling tournaments were held on the Fourth of July, and were open only to Cornishmen., (Later, they were open to anyone interested.) The matches took place in a ring, sixty foot square, and made of boards, Two Cornish Wrestlers of the ‘twenties’? William Gribben(left) and Arthur Long, whose fast footwork thrilled spectators at Miner’s Picnics. Jackets worn were made of heavy white canvas to withstand the many trick holds and tugs during matches. The middle of the arena was covered with straw. (In later years, sawdust was used.) The covering was a light canvas, and while it perrnitted plenty of air, it also served as a protection from the hot ray’s ofthe sun. Approximately 800 seats were placed around the ring for the rousing spectators, and were filled to capacity at all times. Todd relates in ‘‘The Cornish Miner in America,’’ that ‘‘as many as forty bouts, throughout a hot afternoon and a sultry evening, might have to be contested before a final decision was 2. reached, when the champion would be rewarded with a purse of a hundred dollars in gold.’’ Any surplus energy the Cornish participants may have had at the tournament’s beginning, was certainly used up by the end of the competition, NEWSPAPER EXERPTS OF CORNISH WRESTLING EVENTS A review of file copies of the Grass Valley newspaper ‘‘The Morning

Union’’ (now called The Union), reveals that the sport of Cornish wrestling was quite popular in the early twenties. A few random headlines and brief excerpts of news items pertaining to wrestling events previous to and for that period, reads as follows: wexesd August 26,1910: Cornish Wrestling will be feature by the Surface Workers Union and the Miners Union of Nevada City. .....September 6, 1910: Cornish Wrestling winners: Briggs and Ollie Phillips, «seeeee5eptember 1, 1911: Plans Complete for Big Outing Business Houses and Mines to Close for Day Many Coming from Colfax. Plans for the 3rd annual Labor Day picnic under the auspices of Surface Workers Union of this city and the Nevada City Miners 'nion to be held at Glenbrook park next Monday, are now complete and hundreds will visit the grounds to enjoy the festivities of the occasion e-eeeeesSeptember 5, 1911: Big Picnic was Great Success. There was a lively tussel for supremacy at the Cornish Wrestling tournament which provided one of the most exciting of the day’s diversions. Winners: Clarence Briggs, lst and Ed. James, 2nd. Sticklers were: W. Mutton, Tack Henwood and Abel Delbridge. +eeee--August 18, 1920: List of Labor Day events at Olympia Park is now Complete Prizes totaling $1000 offered and Contests for same will CORNISH WRESTLING CONTEST M’DONALD’S HALL ~ GRASS VALLEY JULY 4th 3:30 P.M. JACK MARTIN of Grass Valtey LUKE WILLIAMS of Butte, Montana Admission 50c Ringside 75c be spirited.......september 7, 1920: Crowds throng Mine Workers Labor Day Fete. Wrestling: Joe Stevens, Ist; William Martin, 2nd and Arthur Long, 3rd. (While injuries rarely occur in cornish wrestling is was noted that A. Lindrey suffered a broken collar bone while wrestling with Arthur Long.) seseeeeeeptember 2, 1921: Entries Open for Labor Day Wrestling Bouts. Philip Oates, Secretary of the League, Receiving Entries for Participants. ‘‘With the mines closed for the day, and business suspended, everyone will have an opportunity to lay affairs of the mines, home and business aside, and visit Olympa Park and enjoy a day in the pines.’”’ ........September 6, 1921 Griggen (mispelled Scrivens) and Johns Win First Placesin Picnic Wrestling. Winners: Gribben, lst; Johns, 2nd; Adams, 3rd. ‘‘True to predictions, the big Labor Day picnic at Olympia Park yesterday, held under the auspices of the Mine Workers Protective League, drew a monster 3