Volume 034-4 - October 1980 (8 pages)

rowdies. They went home at about eleven o'clock.” (JD, October 25, 1859). There was a lively interest in the events of the Civil War; many events are mentioned in the Jones Diary. Often people of Alpha heard the cannons fired at night on the hills, back of Nevada City, to celebrate the good news of winning a battle or capturing a city by the Union Army. Besides serious free time occupations, there also were those of a lighter vein. Many times Jones mentions dancing with Hurdy Gurdy girls in Alpha or elsewhere. Hurdy Gurdy girls were groups of eight to twelve girls who made a circuit of small mining towns to dance with and entertain the miners. They charged 25 to 50 cents for a dance. The man in charge of the group was usually also the musician. Such a group seldom stayed in town longer than a week, unless the miners were unusually affluent. They did nothing to discourage the men from patronizing the hotel bar. The girls are said to have been generally German or other northern European emigrants. _. Jones recorded some of these diversions: “Went to Omega (with four friends) to the Metropolitan circus and returned home about midnight.’(JD, June 3, 1860). Also: “A _ theatrical troupe came to town.” (JD, June 22, 1860); “Mr. Versy, the hotel keeper is making preparations for his ball.I bought my ticket for three dollars and went to the dancing hall. There were present about 20 ladies, single and married, from the age of six years up to forty-five, and about 41 men. They commenced dancing about 7 o'clock and danced until twelve when they went for supper. Good for the price. We returned to the hall until. five in the morning when, after having a very nice time for this country, the ball broke up.” (JD, January 7, 1859); “Left Alpha on a sleigh about four p.m. There were three four-horse sleighs with about 45 grown persons, besides the children.” (JD, January 27, 1863). Jones helped to raise money for wounded Union Army soldiers. Often he sat up during the night with an injured or sick miner or went over the rough trail to Omega to get a doctor for a neighbor. And often, money was collected to pay the doctor's bill in serious cases. “In the afternoon I circulated a subscription paper for the relief of Mr. Hallbrook and raised $41.50.” (JD, June 19, 1864). Like all miners, Jones was plagued by varmint. Several times he mentioned catching rats. Or other pests: “Worked around the house in the afternoon, scrubbing floors, washing and scalding bedbugs.” (JD, July,23, 1864). Eggs were very expensive, therefore the miners often kept chickens. But sometimes not for long: “My chickens were all stolen last night.” (JD, May 26, 1862). The fertiary gravels at Alpha were very rich and swarmed with miners soon after their discovery. Hundreds of men were working in Alpha, making satisfactory wages, an ounce a day or sometimes fifty to seventy dollars. Waldemar Lindgren’ described the gravels in 1911 as follows: “At Alpha (bedrock elevation 3825 feet) about 76 acres of gravel is preserved; the pebbles consisting chiefly of quartz, quartzite and a hard conglomerate. Some quartz boulders on the bedrock reach 5 feet in diameter, but most of the gravel is light and sandy. The banks are 90 feet high, including 20 feet of clay at the top.” Some lucky strikes have been recorded. At Alpha, Spicer, Moore and . Co. realized $1200 for three weeks work. The Miners Company recovered sixteen ounces of gold in three days of washing. In the’ old Crumbecker Ravine, Church and Martin took out upwards to six ounces per day, working mornings, afternoons and a short time in the evening, until the water to the Alpha mines was shut off. Jones recorded: “F. Costello found a lump of pure gold today that was worth seven hundred dollars.”(JD, July,8, 1862). But the mining season was short. The high elevation gave Alpha a heavy snowfall and the harsh, bitter Sierra winter winds, which often swept across the hill from early November until May, kept most miners in their cabins for many days at a time. In Mr. Jones’ own words: “I went up to work and shoveled the snow off my house before it broke down. The snow smashed one house and also a barn. It also blew down flumes in all directions. The wind often blew water from the flumes a distance of 50 yards, covering everything with ice. As much as 600 feet of flume were blown down in one night.’’ (JD, date lost). Another example: “Today, at about 10 o'clock, I heard a loud crash caused by the falling of a large building, called the Baddly saloon. The weight of the snow was the cause of the fall. The building was not occupied at the time.” (JD, February 28, 18659). Jones recorded the following snowfall data: winter of 1859-60 20'6" winter of 1860-61 20'6”" winter of 1861-62 21'7" In 1857, the miners around Alpha decided to celebrate the Forth of July with among other attractions, a dance to be given under a large brush tent, built especially for the purpose. The night before the Fourth, enough snow fell to break down the tent. Alpha suffered from frequent water shortages. In fact, during the first years of mining, the diggings were nearly deserted in summer. The diary of Jones abounds in records like these: “Clear and warm today. Everybody is idle at present since there is no water to work with.” (JD, January 3, 1859; “Nothing doing these times. No water and no prospects of any for some time to come.” (JD, February 2, 1863). Companies were formed to develop a water supply. The first of these was the Buckeye ditch which took water from upper Scotchman Creek. The Virginia Ditch followed, taking water from the South Yuba River near the head of Bear Valley. Thereafter came the Omega Ditch and still later a branch of the mammouth South Yuba Canal. The hydraulic nozzle, invented by E.E. Matteson at American Hill near Nevada City reached Alpha at that time. This mining method required much more water and even with thé two large reservoirs, built above the diggings, the water supply was often interrupted. Jones often mentioned the loss of water supply, as for example: “We went to work this morning and worked until nine, when the water was shut off for some reason or another. We went back to work at noon and worked for two hours, when the flume busted. No more water.” (JD, date lost). In 1862, the first signs of depopulation in Alpha became evident. This was the year of the Reese River rush. Many miners went there; even Jones made a trip to the River in Nevada to see what was going on. He soon returned however and noted in his diary: “Only a few people left in Alpha.” (JD, November 6, 1863). The deserted cabins were torn down: “Had @ spree tearing down houses. We tore down 4 or 5 of them in half an hour.” (JD, March 28, 1863). Many. of the miners returned from the Reese River when it became clear that the pickings were slim over there. However, in Alpha and Omega, the soup was getting thin also; gradually the miners left. It is typical that , after 1863, the Jones diary does not mention Hurdy Gurdy girls any more. “ The mining sites were taken over by Chinese from Washington who worked the tailings and patiently recleaned the bedrock, satisfied as they were with small returns. James D. White, writing in Bean’s Directory (1867, p. 378) remarked that at that time, only one hydraulic claim was still in operation. This claim belonged to Captain Merriman. The directory listed only eight people in Alpha: Jacob Cash, S.R. Goodson, Godfrey Link, T. McEchran, N. Merriman, John Morrison, Walker, E. Wilson. Except Wilson, who was listed as a laborer, all others were listed as miners. In the late seventies and in the eighties, only the Alpha Hydraulic Mining Co. was active in the area. They had bought all mining land around Alpha from Thomas McEchran, who was, at that time the sole inhabitant of the formerly thriving mining camp. John F. Perry, who is mentioned in Jones’ diary, was appointed superintendent. Although the mine was generally considered “played-out’’, the discovery of a “back channel” gave some promise for a good return on the investment. Perry was soon replaced by J.P. Haycock as superintendent. He “took charge of the mine when it was in a chaotic state, brought order out of confusion and proved conclusively that the mine, at last properly managed, _ was an exceedingly valuable piece of property. At one time he brought to the Citizen's Bank a large amount of gold . dust, including a bowl full of nuggets “ with an average value of sixty dollars 26.

rowdies. They went home at about eleven o'clock.” (JD, October 25, 1859). There was a lively interest in the events of the Civil War; many events are mentioned in the Jones Diary. Often people of Alpha heard the cannons fired at night on the hills, back of Nevada City, to celebrate the good news of winning a battle or capturing a city by the Union Army. Besides serious free time occupations, there also were those of a lighter vein. Many times Jones mentions dancing with Hurdy Gurdy girls in Alpha or elsewhere. Hurdy Gurdy girls were groups of eight to twelve girls who made a circuit of small mining towns to dance with and entertain the miners. They charged 25 to 50 cents for a dance. The man in charge of the group was usually also the musician. Such a group seldom stayed in town longer than a week, unless the miners were unusually affluent. They did nothing to discourage the men from patronizing the hotel bar. The girls are said to have been generally German or other northern European emigrants. _. Jones recorded some of these diversions: “Went to Omega (with four friends) to the Metropolitan circus and returned home about midnight.’(JD, June 3, 1860). Also: “A _ theatrical troupe came to town.” (JD, June 22, 1860); “Mr. Versy, the hotel keeper is making preparations for his ball..I bought my ticket for three dollars and went to the dancing hall. There were present about 20 ladies, single and married, from the age of six years up to forty-five, and about 41 men. They commenced dancing about 7 o'clock and danced until twelve when they went for supper. Good for the price. We returned to the hall until. five in the morning when, after having a very nice time for this country, the ball broke up.” (JD, January 7, 1859); “Left Alpha on a sleigh about four p.m. There were three four-horse sleighs with about 45 grown persons, besides the children.” (JD, January 27, 1863). Jones helped to raise money for wounded Union Army soldiers. Often he sat up during the night with an injured or sick miner or went over the rough trail to Omega to get a doctor for a neighbor. And often, money was collected to pay the doctor's bill in serious cases. “In the afternoon I circulated a subscription paper for the relief of Mr. Hallbrook and raised $41.50.” (JD, June 19, 1864). Like all miners, Jones was plagued by varmint. Several times he mentioned catching rats. Or other pests: “Worked around the house in the afternoon, scrubbing floors, washing and scalding bedbugs.” (JD, July,23, 1864). Eggs were very expensive, therefore the miners often kept chickens. But sometimes not for long: “My chickens were all stolen last night.” (JD, May 26, 1862). The fertiary gravels at Alpha were very rich and swarmed with miners soon after their discovery. Hundreds of men were working in Alpha, making satisfactory wages, an ounce a day or sometimes fifty to seventy dollars. Waldemar Lindgren’ described the gravels in 1911 as follows: “At Alpha (bedrock elevation 3825 feet) about 76 acres of gravel is preserved; the pebbles consisting chiefly of quartz, quartzite and a hard conglomerate. Some quartz boulders on the bedrock reach 5 feet in diameter, but most of the gravel is light and sandy. The banks are 90 feet high, including 20 feet of clay at the top.” Some lucky strikes have been recorded. At Alpha, Spicer, Moore and . Co. realized $1200 for three weeks work. The Miners Company recovered sixteen ounces of gold in three days of washing. In the’ old Crumbecker Ravine, Church and Martin took out upwards to six ounces per day, working mornings, afternoons and a short time in the evening, until the water to the Alpha mines was shut off. Jones recorded: “F. Costello found a lump of pure gold today that was worth seven hundred dollars.”(JD, July,8, 1862). But the mining season was short. The high elevation gave Alpha a heavy snowfall and the harsh, bitter Sierra winter winds, which often swept across the hill from early November until May, kept most miners in their cabins for many days at a time. In Mr. Jones’ own words: “I went up to work and shoveled the snow off my house before it broke down. The snow smashed one house and also a barn. It also blew down flumes in all directions. The wind often blew water from the flumes a distance of 50 yards, covering everything with ice. As much as 600 feet of flume were blown down in one

night.’’ (JD, date lost). Another example: “Today, at about 10 o'clock, I heard a loud crash caused by the falling of a large building, called the Baddly saloon. The weight of the snow was the cause of the fall. The building was not occupied at the time.” (JD, February 28, 18659). Jones recorded the following snowfall data: winter of 1859-60 20'6" winter of 1860-61 20'6”" winter of 1861-62 21'7" In 1857, the miners around Alpha decided to celebrate the Forth of July with among other attractions, a dance to be given under a large brush tent, built especially for the purpose. The night before the Fourth, enough snow fell to break down the tent. Alpha suffered from frequent water shortages. In fact, during the first years of mining, the diggings were nearly deserted in summer. The diary of Jones abounds in records like these: “Clear and warm today. Everybody is idle at present since there is no water to work with.” (JD, January 3, 1859; “Nothing doing these times. No water and no prospects of any for some time to come.” (JD, February 2, 1863). Companies were formed to develop a water supply. The first of these was the Buckeye ditch which took water from upper Scotchman Creek. The Virginia Ditch followed, taking water from the South Yuba River near the head of Bear Valley. Thereafter came the Omega Ditch and still later a branch of the mammouth South Yuba Canal. The hydraulic nozzle, invented by E.E. Matteson at American Hill near Nevada City reached Alpha at that time. This mining method required much more water and even with thé two large reservoirs, built above the diggings, the water supply was often interrupted. Jones often mentioned the loss of water supply, as for example: “We went to work this morning and worked until nine, when the water was shut off for some reason or another. We went back to work at noon and worked for two hours, when the flume busted. No more water.” (JD, date lost). In 1862, the first signs of depopulation in Alpha became evident. This was the year of the Reese River rush. Many miners went there; even Jones made a trip to the River in Nevada to see what was going on. He soon returned however and noted in his diary: “Only a few people left in Alpha.” (JD, November 6, 1863). The deserted cabins were torn down: “Had @ spree tearing down houses. We tore down 4 or 5 of them in half an hour.” (JD, March 28, 1863). Many. of the miners returned from the Reese River when it became clear that the pickings were slim over there. However, in Alpha and Omega, the soup was getting thin also; gradually the miners left. It is typical that , after 1863, the Jones diary does not mention Hurdy Gurdy girls any more. “ The mining sites were taken over by Chinese from Washington who worked the tailings and patiently recleaned the bedrock, satisfied as they were with small returns. James D. White, writing in Bean’s Directory (1867, p. 378) remarked that at that time, only one hydraulic claim was still in operation. This claim belonged to Captain Merriman. The directory listed only eight people in Alpha: Jacob Cash, S.R. Goodson, Godfrey Link, T. McEchran, N. Merriman, John Morrison, Walker, E. Wilson. Except Wilson, who was listed as a laborer, all others were listed as miners. In the late seventies and in the eighties, only the Alpha Hydraulic Mining Co. was active in the area. They had bought all mining land around Alpha from Thomas McEchran, who was, at that time the sole inhabitant of the formerly thriving mining camp. John F. Perry, who is mentioned in Jones’ diary, was appointed superintendent. Although the mine was generally considered “played-out’’, the discovery of a “back channel” gave some promise for a good return on the investment. Perry was soon replaced by J.P. Haycock as superintendent. He “took charge of the mine when it was in a chaotic state, brought order out of confusion and proved conclusively that the mine, at last properly managed, _ was an exceedingly valuable piece of property. At one time he brought to the Citizen's Bank a large amount of gold . dust, including a bowl full of nuggets “ with an average value of sixty dollars 26.