Volume 034-2 - April 1980 (8 pages)

EARLY CORNISHMEN IN NEVADA COUNTY ‘“‘The most potent reason for believing that the miners of Cornwall did not participate in the Gold Rush is the fact that they were essentially lode miners and probably would not have been attracted in numbers by reports of alluvial mining in California. As a matter of fact, the chronicles of the period from 1848 to the middle years of the 1850's make no mention of Cornish miners or Cornish people”. With these words, Edmund Kinyon, the well known historian of the Northern mines, opens his article “Cornish migration to Grass Valley”, published in October 1950 in the NCHS Bulletin, vol. 3, No. 6. A few paragraphs later he adds: “My own conclusion is that the coming of the Cornish in large numbers was a phenomenon of the late 1860’s, the 1870's and thereafter for two or three decades’”’. It is without doubt true that the skills of the Cousin Jacks became sorely needed when, in the latter half of the 1860’s deep quartz mining developed strongly, inviting the influx of Cornish miners so that, in the 1870's, Grass Valley was said to be a Cornish city. However, some Cornish miners did find their way to the placer diggings or settled in the Gold Country for other reasons before the 1870's. The exodus of the Cornish miners to the United States and, to a lesser extent to Canada and Mexico, started early in the nineteenth century. Apparently there were mainly attracted by the lead and zinc mines of ‘Wisconsin. Among the early placer ‘miners in Nevada County there were ‘several who had come from Wisconsin. ‘Most of them were disillusioned and returned, warning their friends ‘against the gold fever. Placer mining was not their trade. One of these immigrants from Wisconsin was Edward Skewis who perhaps arrived already in 1849 and his brother James who joined him two years later. James itraveled from Shullsburg, Wisconsin to New Orleans and from there, via the Isthmus route to San Francisco. At a later time, James wrote: “In a few days we landed in San Francisco at that time a very small place, but there was much business and gambling going on and everything was very expensive. Then there was a boat ride to Sacramento for 8 dollars, then ‘-by stage to meet Edward at Deer Creek about four miles from Nevada City, where we opened up a rich claim for the summer’s work and did very well. Most every day between the three of us we got six ounces of gold until the rainy season set in. Then we washed in smaller creeks between the hills, which also paid satisfactory. The gold was much larger in size, what was By Theo Reidt called rough or nugget gold. Just then there was a strike at Grass Valley ona slide from a hill and we got a claim and sold it for 100 dollars” (Todd, p. 60). The brothers prospected for three years at various locations in California, thereafter they joined the Australian Gold Rush. The earliest discovery of gold bearing quartz seems to have been made by Alexander Godey on John Fremont’s estate Las Mariposas in the spring of 1849. At that time, Fremont had already recovered much placer gold. In 1850, he had to travel to Washington D.C. to take his seat as California senator; the management of the estate was left to a caretaker. In the month of October, 1848 a steam driven quartz mill was in operation on Fremont’s estate. It is believed that Cornish miners were working his quartz ledges. Presently, various mining companies were attracted to the area. In the fall of 1850, “several machines were in operation there for crushing the quartz” (Street, p. 37). One of these companies probably was the Agua Fria Company, based in London. Near Grass Valley, auriferous quartz was found in June 1850; this discovery however did not cause any excitement. It was different with George McKnight’s discovery of the quartz ledge at Gold Hill near Boston Ravine in October 1850. The first company to attempt underground mining at this location was the Grass Valley Mining Company and its subsidiary the Gold Hill Mining Company. These companies were organized by Gilmor Meredith in the fall of 1851. Meredith became superintendent of this enterprise, which apparently was not very successful. In the autumn of 1853, the majority of the stock was sold to the Agua Fria Company. Meredith returned back east. Judge James Walsh succeeded him as superintendent. As we have seen, the Agua Fria Company had gained experience in quartz mining with its operations in Mariposa County. It is possible that they brought Cornish miners to Grass Valley. The surname Walsh may be Cornish; whether Judge James Walsh actually was Cornish is not known. Together with Zenas Wheeler and G.P. Clark he started a saw mill in June 1850, he was elected the first Justice of the Peace in September 1850 and became senator for Nevada County in 1852. Another early quartz mine was the Gold Tunnel mine in Nevada City. This mine was discovered in October 1850. In the course of time it had several owners in succession. In 1855 it was bought by a company of Cornish a, miners who operated it without interruption for eight years (Bean, p. 114). Todd (p. 62) states that they erected the first Cornish pump in California at this mine. In 1886, Brown and Dallison’s Directory listed 18 Cornish names. They were John Bluett, A.K. George, John D. Jenkins, Lemuel Nye, William Perrin, Thomas Panglase, two people named Rowse, two named Treloar and three named Mitchell. Perhaps they were the ones who bought the Gold Tunnel mine. In the later years the number of Cornishmen did not increase much. In Thompson’s Directory (1861) sixteen names which might be Cornish were listed. In Nevada City there were two miners, J. Eddy and T. Stevens and one blacksmith, S.T. Oats. In Grass Valley there were three Bennetts, Anthony James, William Mitchell and Thomas Pielglase listed as miners. In addition there were the following tradesmen, Henry Rule, machinist, Edward Rule, blacksmith, Edwin Uren and William Bettis, carpenters. The Thomas Panglase of 1856 and the Thomas Pielglase of 1861 probably were the same person, in reality named Polglase. The Civil War brought prosperity to the Gold Country and with it an influx of Cornish miners. Byrne’s Directory of Grass Valley (1865) listed about 1500 miners, not counting independent prospectors, of which 200 had Cornish names. Some of them commanded important positions in the local government. Other Cornishmen even became mine owners. John Trenberth bought the Hueston Hill mine in 1861, together with a group of other Cornishmen (Bean, p. 225). He also owned a part interest in several other mines. In 1865, his name appeared in the list of persons with the highest income in Nevada County. The North Star mine was another mine under Cornish ownership at that time. It was bought in 1865 by J.C. Pascoe, William Kitto, William Hoskin and William, Josiah and John Rodda. In the second half of the 1860's, the Cornish miner was well established in Nevada County, many of their descendants still live there today. References. E.F. Bean, History and Directory of Nevada County. Nevada (City); The Daily Gazette and Job Office: 1867. F. Street, California in 1850. Cincinnati; R.E. Edwards & Co.; 1851. A.C. Todd, The Cornish Miner in America. Glendale; The Arthur H. Clark Co.; 1967. 14,

EARLY CORNISHMEN IN NEVADA COUNTY ‘“‘The most potent reason for believing that the miners of Cornwall did not participate in the Gold Rush is the fact that they were essentially lode miners and probably would not have been attracted in numbers by reports of alluvial mining in California. As a matter of fact, the chronicles of the period from 1848 to the middle years of the 1850's make no mention of Cornish miners or Cornish people”. With these words, Edmund Kinyon, the well known historian of the Northern mines, opens his article “Cornish migration to Grass Valley”, published in October 1950 in the NCHS Bulletin, vol. 3, No. 6. A few paragraphs later he adds: “My own conclusion is that the coming of the Cornish in large numbers was a phenomenon of the late 1860’s, the 1870's and thereafter for two or three decades’”’. It is without doubt true that the skills of the Cousin Jacks became sorely needed when, in the latter half of the 1860’s deep quartz mining developed strongly, inviting the influx of Cornish miners so that, in the 1870's, Grass Valley was said to be a Cornish city. However, some Cornish miners did find their way to the placer diggings or settled in the Gold Country for other reasons before the 1870's. The exodus of the Cornish miners to the United States and, to a lesser extent to Canada and Mexico, started early in the nineteenth century. Apparently there were mainly attracted by the lead and zinc mines of ‘Wisconsin. Among the early placer ‘miners in Nevada County there were ‘several who had come from Wisconsin. ‘Most of them were disillusioned and returned, warning their friends ‘against the gold fever. Placer mining was not their trade. One of these immigrants from Wisconsin was Edward Skewis who perhaps arrived already in 1849 and his brother James who joined him two years later. James itraveled from Shullsburg, Wisconsin to New Orleans and from there, via the Isthmus route to San Francisco. At a later time, James wrote: “In a few days we landed in San Francisco at that time a very small place, but there was much business and gambling going on and everything was very expensive. Then there was a boat ride to Sacramento for 8 dollars, then ‘-by stage to meet Edward at Deer Creek about four miles from Nevada City, where we opened up a rich claim for the summer’s work and did very well. Most every day between the three of us we got six ounces of gold until the rainy season set in. Then we washed in smaller creeks between the hills, which also paid satisfactory. The gold was much larger in size, what was By Theo Reidt called rough or nugget gold. Just then there was a strike at Grass Valley ona slide from a hill and we got a claim and sold it for 100 dollars” (Todd, p. 60). The brothers prospected for three years at various locations in California, thereafter they joined the Australian Gold Rush. The earliest discovery of gold bearing quartz seems to have been made by Alexander Godey on John Fremont’s estate Las Mariposas in the spring of 1849. At that time, Fremont had already recovered much placer gold. In 1850, he had to travel to Washington D.C. to take his seat as California senator; the management of the estate was left to a caretaker. In the month of October, 1848 a steam driven quartz mill was in operation on Fremont’s estate. It is believed that Cornish miners were working his quartz ledges. Presently, various mining companies were attracted to the area. In the fall of 1850, “several machines were in operation there for crushing the quartz” (Street, p. 37). One of these companies probably was the Agua Fria Company, based in London. Near Grass Valley, auriferous quartz was found in June 1850; this discovery however did not cause any excitement. It was different with George McKnight’s discovery of the

quartz ledge at Gold Hill near Boston Ravine in October 1850. The first company to attempt underground mining at this location was the Grass Valley Mining Company and its subsidiary the Gold Hill Mining Company. These companies were organized by Gilmor Meredith in the fall of 1851. Meredith became superintendent of this enterprise, which apparently was not very successful. In the autumn of 1853, the majority of the stock was sold to the Agua Fria Company. Meredith returned back east. Judge James Walsh succeeded him as superintendent. As we have seen, the Agua Fria Company had gained experience in quartz mining with its operations in Mariposa County. It is possible that they brought Cornish miners to Grass Valley. The surname Walsh may be Cornish; whether Judge James Walsh actually was Cornish is not known. Together with Zenas Wheeler and G.P. Clark he started a saw mill in June 1850, he was elected the first Justice of the Peace in September 1850 and became senator for Nevada County in 1852. Another early quartz mine was the Gold Tunnel mine in Nevada City. This mine was discovered in October 1850. In the course of time it had several owners in succession. In 1855 it was bought by a company of Cornish a, miners who operated it without interruption for eight years (Bean, p. 114). Todd (p. 62) states that they erected the first Cornish pump in California at this mine. In 1886, Brown and Dallison’s Directory listed 18 Cornish names. They were John Bluett, A.K. George, John D. Jenkins, Lemuel Nye, William Perrin, Thomas Panglase, two people named Rowse, two named Treloar and three named Mitchell. Perhaps they were the ones who bought the Gold Tunnel mine. In the later years the number of Cornishmen did not increase much. In Thompson’s Directory (1861) sixteen names which might be Cornish were listed. In Nevada City there were two miners, J. Eddy and T. Stevens and one blacksmith, S.T. Oats. In Grass Valley there were three Bennetts, Anthony James, William Mitchell and Thomas Pielglase listed as miners. In addition there were the following tradesmen, Henry Rule, machinist, Edward Rule, blacksmith, Edwin Uren and William Bettis, carpenters. The Thomas Panglase of 1856 and the Thomas Pielglase of 1861 probably were the same person, in reality named Polglase. The Civil War brought prosperity to the Gold Country and with it an influx of Cornish miners. Byrne’s Directory of Grass Valley (1865) listed about 1500 miners, not counting independent prospectors, of which 200 had Cornish names. Some of them commanded important positions in the local government. Other Cornishmen even became mine owners. John Trenberth bought the Hueston Hill mine in 1861, together with a group of other Cornishmen (Bean, p. 225). He also owned a part interest in several other mines. In 1865, his name appeared in the list of persons with the highest income in Nevada County. The North Star mine was another mine under Cornish ownership at that time. It was bought in 1865 by J.C. Pascoe, William Kitto, William Hoskin and William, Josiah and John Rodda. In the second half of the 1860's, the Cornish miner was well established in Nevada County, many of their descendants still live there today. References. E.F. Bean, History and Directory of Nevada County. Nevada (City); The Daily Gazette and Job Office: 1867. F. Street, California in 1850. Cincinnati; R.E. Edwards & Co.; 1851. A.C. Todd, The Cornish Miner in America. Glendale; The Arthur H. Clark Co.; 1967. 14,