September 9, 1970 (12 pages)

bd 1 pe Sees fe es * ote ‘Nevada County Nugget THE NORTHERN» eartseren) By Edmund Kinyon From the date of the gold discovery until action was taken by the legislative session of 1850, the territory of the Northern Mines was virtually a "No Man's Land."'The Law, as represented by shadowy alcaldes, was distant from 40 to 100 miles and indifferent. Future Placer was nominally under the jurisdiction of Sutter County; Nevada and Sierra, Yuba County. But the population of the Northern Mines by the spring of 1850 numbered many thousands of men. This phenomenon prevailed: It was the period, all too brief, mentioned by all historians, when thievery was at a minimum, homicides unknown, A miner of Grass Valley of that period once told me that it was the custom to leave pans containing gold in the diggings or along the streets overnight, and that they were seldom molested, Setting up the machinery of government was considered by many as unjustified, sunce it was assumed that all of the gold would soon be extracted, leaving the country worthless. But the legislature of 1850, having divided the wide territory into additional counties, steps were immediately taken to establish seats of government, corps of officers, .and jails. The latter were by then a necessity. It would almost seem that hand and hand with the law came dubious characters and crime. Four counties were established in addition.to Yuba. The territory of Placer had been a part of Sutter County and the county seat was Oso, a wilderness town on the south bank of Bear River. But the influx of population to what was soon to be called Wood's Dry Diggings, Rich Ravine and finally Auburn quickly established a town that looked with disfavor upon Oso with its castiron courthouse of one room, Anelection was. called, probably with little of formality, swift riders circled the camps for 50 miles around, and eager miners flocked in to vote the county seat from Oso to Auburn. But events moved rapidly in ‘49 and '50 and before Auburn could take over as the county seat of Sutter county it was presented with a county ofits own, Placer. Nevada and Sierra counties quickly joined the parade of the counties. To the north was Butte and the golden fringe of Plumas, Thus were established these five counties ofCalifornia, each > with a full complement of county. seat, courts, sheriffs, and prisons: Placer, county seat Auburn; Nevada, county seat Nevada; Yuba, county seat Marysville; Sierra, county seat Downieville; Butte, county seat (permanent) Oroville. AUBURN Incident to those fast changes, the original name of the town, North Fork Dry Diggings had been changed to Wood's Ravine and very soon to Auburn, Was it Goldsmith's poetic line, “Auburn, loveliest city of the plain,” that prompted the roistering camp to call itself Auburn? Such has been the supposition. However, Samuel W. Holladay, a noted figure of San Francisco, who was an early miner in Wood's Ravine, is quoted by the “Publication . of the California Society of Pioneers" as referring to the naming in this prosaic fashion: "By virtue of the august authority as Alcalde, in August, 1849, I named our diggings Auburn in Sutter County. Later under act of the Legislature, it became the county seat of Placer county." The original Auburn was in the ravine and is still referred to as "Old Auburn." But with the coming of the Central Pacific Railroad the town crept up the ridge to spread over a large area of the intervening territory. From its first stakes, Auburn was noted for the number of men of learning and high station who tried out as miners, generally without much success, and then drifted away to notable political, professional, or business careers. Holladay, who spent the winter of 1849-50.there, says in his memoirs: "We had men of learning and dignity in that camp that winter. Among them were George K. Fitch of the Bulletin and Gilbert C, Weld of the New York Journal of Commerce. Together with Rev. F. C. Ewer they founded the Sacramento Trans¢ript in the spring of 1850." Louis E. Taber, publisher of California Gold Rush days, gives credit to "Old Timer" for this incident illuminative of early gold diggings "When I first struck Auburn there weren't no Auburn at all. I came upon a small group of men engaged at mining and in their midst was a tall man with a stovepipe hat on, a white shirt with a tall collar running up each side of his chin and 2 pair of kid gloves on his hands, He had thrown off his coat and NEVADA (NEVADA CITY) The founders of the Nevada that became present Nevada City, to a greater extent than those of other of the principal towns of the Northern Mines, apparently eschewed localisms in deference to its glorious background when they selected the musical name Nevada for the budding community. With some justification they might have named it for one of its several progenitors, such as Caldwell, .Pennington, Stamps. What a happy circumstance that they rejected a perishing designation and turned to the noble mountain range wherein it nestles. ‘Known successiviely as Deer Creek Dry Diggings and Caldwell's Upper Store, the name Nevada was adopted at a mass meeting of the inflowing citizenship in March, 1850, O.F, Blackman, a merchant, is accredited with proposing the winning name. Since the County of Nevada was not organized until a year later; it must be assumed that Nevada gave its name to the county of which it was to be the seat of government, But title to that single word, Nevada, does not seem quite clear, I have learned from authoritative sources that philatelic evidence exists to the effect that the-original postoffice was named Nevada City. #f that be true, then the appendage, "City," must have prevailed but briefly, for the name, "Nevada" was the common designation for over a decade. It was indicent to the division of the territory of Utah in 1861 and the creating of the western portion intothe territory of Nevada that the name Nevada City was resentfully and protestingly adopted or readopted. Leaving the steps whereby Nevada and its successor Nevada City clumbed to importance to-another chapter, it seems fitting to recount what the early-day Directory-Histories had to. say of this town.of the Northern Mines that, whatever its difficulties, has always presented a jaunty exterior. j Sargent's Directory, 1852: “in riches and revelry Nevada exceeds Marysville." (Since Marysville at the time dominated the north-central scene, that was saying a great deal.) Thompson's Directory, 1861: "Nevada retains its early preeminence as the largest and most prosperous town in Nevada County and unexcelled by any other town in the State." Bean's Directory, 1867: "Nevada, born amid wild excitements and fostered by men of every clime, who chose to ignore many of the customs and laws of civilized society; almost abandoned at times by the allurements of other and over-praised localities; destroyed by fire and her people ruined; depressed by the failure or exhaustion of mines what scenes has she witnessed, what miseries undergone, what heroic stuggles has she made, what triumphs has she gained!" DOWNIEVILLE We went down the hill To Downieville To make our pile, We came up the hill From Downieville Without shirt or tile.

bd 1 pe Sees fe es * ote ‘Nevada County Nugget THE NORTHERN» eartseren) By Edmund Kinyon From the date of the gold discovery until action was taken by the legislative session of 1850, the territory of the Northern Mines was virtually a "No Man's Land."'The Law, as represented by shadowy alcaldes, was distant from 40 to 100 miles and indifferent. Future Placer was nominally under the jurisdiction of Sutter County; Nevada and Sierra, Yuba County. But the population of the Northern Mines by the spring of 1850 numbered many thousands of men. This phenomenon prevailed: It was the period, all too brief, mentioned by all historians, when thievery was at a minimum, homicides unknown, A miner of Grass Valley of that period once told me that it was the custom to leave pans containing gold in the diggings or along the streets overnight, and that they were seldom molested, Setting up the machinery of government was considered by many as unjustified, sunce it was assumed that all of the gold would soon be extracted, leaving the country worthless. But the legislature of 1850, having divided the wide territory into additional counties, steps were immediately taken to establish seats of government, corps of officers, ..and jails. The latter were by then a necessity. It would almost seem that hand and hand with the law came dubious characters and crime. Four counties were established in addition.to Yuba. The territory of Placer had been a part of Sutter County and the county seat was Oso, a wilderness town on the south bank of Bear River. But the influx of population to what was soon to be called Wood's Dry Diggings, Rich Ravine and finally Auburn quickly established a town that looked with disfavor upon Oso with its castiron courthouse of one room, Anelection was. called, probably with little of formality, swift riders circled the camps for 50 miles around, and eager miners flocked in to vote the county seat from Oso to Auburn. But events moved rapidly in ‘49 and '50 and before Auburn could take over as the county seat of Sutter county it was presented with a county ofits own, Placer. Nevada and Sierra counties quickly joined the parade of the counties. To the north was Butte and the golden fringe of Plumas, Thus were established these five counties ofCalifornia, each > with a full complement of county. seat, courts, sheriffs, and prisons: Placer, county seat Auburn; Nevada, county seat Nevada; Yuba, county seat Marysville; Sierra, county seat Downieville; Butte, county seat (permanent) Oroville. AUBURN Incident to those fast changes, the original name of the town, North Fork Dry Diggings had been changed to Wood's Ravine and very soon to Auburn, Was it Goldsmith's poetic line, “Auburn, loveliest city of the plain,” that prompted the roistering camp to call itself Auburn? Such has been the supposition. However, Samuel W. Holladay, a noted figure of San Francisco, who was an early miner in Wood's Ravine, is quoted by the “Publication . of the California Society of Pioneers" as referring to the naming in this prosaic fashion: "By virtue of the august authority as Alcalde, in August, 1849, I named our diggings Auburn in Sutter County. Later under act of the Legislature, it became the county seat of Placer county." The original Auburn was in the ravine and is still referred to as "Old Auburn." But with the coming of the Central Pacific Railroad the town crept up the ridge to spread over a large area of the intervening territory. From its first stakes, Auburn was noted for the number of men of learning and high station who tried out as miners, generally without much success, and then drifted away to notable political, professional, or business careers. Holladay, who spent

the winter of 1849-50.there, says in his memoirs: "We had men of learning and dignity in that camp that winter. Among them were George K. Fitch of the Bulletin and Gilbert C, Weld of the New York Journal of Commerce. Together with Rev. F. C. Ewer they founded the Sacramento Trans¢ript in the spring of 1850." Louis E. Taber, publisher of California Gold Rush days, gives credit to "Old Timer" for this incident illuminative of early gold diggings "When I first struck Auburn there weren't no Auburn at all. I came upon a small group of men engaged at mining and in their midst was a tall man with a stovepipe hat on, a white shirt with a tall collar running up each side of his chin and 2 pair of kid gloves on his hands, He had thrown off his coat and NEVADA (NEVADA CITY) The founders of the Nevada that became present Nevada City, to a greater extent than those of other of the principal towns of the Northern Mines, apparently eschewed localisms in deference to its glorious background when they selected the musical name Nevada for the budding community. With some justification they might have named it for one of its several progenitors, such as Caldwell, .Pennington, Stamps. What a happy circumstance that they rejected a perishing designation and turned to the noble mountain range wherein it nestles. ‘Known successiviely as Deer Creek Dry Diggings and Caldwell's Upper Store, the name Nevada was adopted at a mass meeting of the inflowing citizenship in March, 1850, O.F, Blackman, a merchant, is accredited with proposing the winning name. Since the County of Nevada was not organized until a year later; it must be assumed that Nevada gave its name to the county of which it was to be the seat of government, But title to that single word, Nevada, does not seem quite clear, I have learned from authoritative sources that philatelic evidence exists to the effect that the-original postoffice was named Nevada City. #f that be true, then the appendage, "City," must have prevailed but briefly, for the name, "Nevada" was the common designation for over a decade. It was indicent to the division of the territory of Utah in 1861 and the creating of the western portion intothe territory of Nevada that the name Nevada City was resentfully and protestingly adopted or readopted. Leaving the steps whereby Nevada and its successor Nevada City clumbed to importance to-another chapter, it seems fitting to recount what the early-day Directory-Histories had to. say of this town.of the Northern Mines that, whatever its difficulties, has always presented a jaunty exterior. j Sargent's Directory, 1852: “in riches and revelry Nevada exceeds Marysville." (Since Marysville at the time dominated the north-central scene, that was saying a great deal.) Thompson's Directory, 1861: "Nevada retains its early preeminence as the largest and most prosperous town in Nevada County and unexcelled by any other town in the State." Bean's Directory, 1867: "Nevada, born amid wild excitements and fostered by men of every clime, who chose to ignore many of the customs and laws of civilized society; almost abandoned at times by the allurements of other and over-praised localities; destroyed by fire and her people ruined; depressed by the failure or exhaustion of mines what scenes has she witnessed, what miseries undergone, what heroic stuggles has she made, what triumphs has she gained!" DOWNIEVILLE We went down the hill To Downieville To make our pile, We came up the hill From Downieville Without shirt or tile.