Volume 034-4 - October 1980 (8 pages)

discovered on Gold Hill in June 1850, but at this time the discovery produced no great excitement. In October of the same year, according to common report, a man named McKnight, who had come from Newtown and camped on the summit of Gold Hill, discovered the Gold Hill ledge, which cropped out at a place called the ‘Elbow’, showing an average width of two feet. This discovery set the camp in the wildest excitement, and soon hundreds flocked to Gold Hill..Among those who successfully worked Gold Hill in its incipient days were Thomas Cracklin, William Hugunin and others who are still residents of Grass Valley”. The last directory we will consult is Bean's History and Directory of Nevada County (1867). This directory contains several historical sketches. The first of these, Historical Sketch of Nevada County, written by E.G. Waite, has little to say about the discovery of gold bearing quartz: “The first quartz location in the county, of which we now have information, was at Gold Hill, near Grass Valley. This was early in the summer of 1850. Quartz was discovered on Massachusetts Hill soon after, and in October of the same year, the Gold Tunnel ledge was located in Nevada. The latter was struck by four young men from Boston, while engaged in their first day's work at mining. Other locations were made the same season, both at Grass Valley and Nevada, but the three above mentioned have become especially famous for their immense yield of gold, amounting in the aggregate to nearly, if not quite, double the present property valuation of the county”. Bean’s Directory further contains a Historical Sketch of Grass Valley, written by W.S. Byrne, which contains substantially the same information as presented in Byrne's Directory of 1865. In 1880, the History of Nevada County, written by H.L. Wells was published by Thompson and West. Wells knew all directories, mentioned above and based his own narrative on Byrne's story, Indeed, Byrne’s story sounds the most plausible. It appears that none of the early printed sources had the story of the cow or the toe stubbing and that Byrneisthe first to mention the name of the discoverer, McKnight, and then fifteen years after the event. According to Byrne, McKnight came from Newtown, which was located about five miles west of Nevada City. There still is a Newtown Road there. Waite stated that the mines at Newtown were very profitable for a short time. There remains the question: “is the name George Knight as recorded onthe monument the right one?”’. Obviously, the discoverer was in the Nevada CityGrass Valley area in the autum of 1850, the year the first California census was taken. In the census list for Yuba County, of which present day Nevada County was a part at that time, we find’two McKnights: John McKnight and William H. McKnight. But no George McKnight. However, we also find “George Knight 26 TN 246”. This means that George was 26 years old at that time and that he came from Tennessee. The number 246 is the number of the ledger sheet, which is dated 2 November; the location where George's name was entered is unfortunately unknown. Although it cannot be stated with absolute certainty, itis extremely likely that this is the name of the discoverer ‘of the quartz ledge on Gold Hill. Hence the name on the tablet on the monument is almost certainly correct. There are however a few questions left. Why did fifteen years have to pass by before the name of the discoverer was recorded? And why was his name recorded as McKnight? And why was the first name George not mentioned in the old printed records? It is possible that written records, which clairfy these points, exist. If anyone knows of such material, I would like to hear about it. 30.

discovered on Gold Hill in June 1850, but at this time the discovery produced no great excitement. In October of the same year, according to common report, a man named McKnight, who had come from Newtown and camped on the summit of Gold Hill, discovered the Gold Hill ledge, which cropped out at a place called the ‘Elbow’, showing an average width of two feet. This discovery set the camp in the wildest excitement, and soon hundreds flocked to Gold Hill...Among those who successfully worked Gold Hill in its incipient days were Thomas Cracklin, William Hugunin and others who are still residents of Grass Valley”. The last directory we will consult is Bean's History and Directory of Nevada County (1867). This directory contains several historical sketches. The first of these, Historical Sketch of Nevada County, written by E.G. Waite, has little to say about the discovery of gold bearing quartz: “The first quartz location in the county, of which we now have information, was at Gold Hill, near Grass Valley. This was early in the summer of 1850. Quartz was discovered on Massachusetts Hill soon after, and in October of the same year, the Gold Tunnel ledge was located in Nevada. The latter was struck by four young men from Boston, while engaged in their first day's work at mining. Other locations were made the same season, both at Grass Valley and Nevada, but the three above mentioned have become especially famous for their immense yield of gold, amounting in the aggregate to nearly, if not quite, double the present property valuation of the county”. Bean’s Directory further contains a Historical Sketch of Grass Valley, written by W.S. Byrne, which contains substantially the same information as presented in Byrne's Directory of 1865. In 1880, the History of Nevada County, written by H.L. Wells was published by Thompson and West. Wells knew all directories, mentioned above and based his own narrative on Byrne's

story, Indeed, Byrne’s story sounds the most plausible. It appears that none of the early printed sources had the story of the cow or the toe stubbing and that Byrneisthe first to mention the name of the discoverer, McKnight, and then fifteen years after the event. According to Byrne, McKnight came from Newtown, which was located about five miles west of Nevada City. There still is a Newtown Road there. Waite stated that the mines at Newtown were very profitable for a short time. There remains the question: “is the name George Knight as recorded onthe monument the right one?”’. Obviously, the discoverer was in the Nevada CityGrass Valley area in the autum of 1850, the year the first California census was taken. In the census list for Yuba County, of which present day Nevada County was a part at that time, we find’two McKnights: John McKnight and William H. McKnight. But no George McKnight. However, we also find “George Knight 26 TN 246”. This means that George was 26 years old at that time and that he came from Tennessee. The number 246 is the number of the ledger sheet, which is dated 2 November; the location where George's name was entered is unfortunately unknown. Although it cannot be stated with absolute certainty, itis extremely likely that this is the name of the discoverer ‘of the quartz ledge on Gold Hill. Hence the name on the tablet on the monument is almost certainly correct. There are however a few questions left. Why did fifteen years have to pass by before the name of the discoverer was recorded? And why was his name recorded as McKnight? And why was the first name George not mentioned in the old printed records? It is possible that written records, which clairfy these points, exist. If anyone knows of such material, I would like to hear about it. 30.